SYDNEY – Australia’s online watchdog accused tech giants including Apple and Google on Wednesday of “turning a blind eye” to child sex abuse material shared on their platforms.
The eSafety Commission found that Apple and video streaming site YouTube — owned by Google — did not track the number of user reports they received about child sexual abuse, nor did they outline how long it took to respond to these reports.
“When left to their own devices, these companies aren’t prioritizing the protection of children and are seemingly turning a blind eye to crimes occurring on their services,” eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said.
She added that tech companies had not “taken many steps to lift and improve their efforts” since she asked them three years ago.
“No other consumer-facing industry would be given the license to operate by enabling such heinous crimes against children on their premises, or services.”
The report also found companies including Apple, Google, Microsoft and Skype did not use tools to proactively detect child sex abuse material.
Tech companies are required to report to the commission every six months on how they are tackling child sexual abuse material, including AI-generated images.
Inman Grant said she hoped she would see “meaningful progress.”
A Google spokesperson said the commission’s findings were “rooted in reporting metrics, not online safety performance”.
“Child safety is critical to us. We’ve led the industry fight against child sexual abuse material since day one, investing heavily in advanced technology to proactively find and remove this harmful content,” the spokesperson said.
