What are your favorite childhood memories? Mine include spring and summer gatherings of the children from the around the neighborhood in our large side yard playing baseball. The autumn meant jumping in piles of leaves and winter brought snow angels and ice skating in the frozen pond in back. It did not matter age or gender. Everyone had fun.
Not all children have the luxury of happy memories. Sadly, there are thousands of children subjected to sexual abuse and exploitation. These children are victimized over and over as recordings of the abuse are shared online among pedophiles as child pornography,
As explained by Ernie Allen, President & CEO, National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, in A Childhood for Every Child:
“Child pornography worldwide, and particularly in the United States, has exploded with the advent of the Internet. Here at NCMEC, since 2003, we have reviewed and analyzed almost 30 million photos and videos of child pornography, and we project that nine million child pornography photos and videos will be reviewed and analyzed in the coming year. As much as the Internet has improved our daily lives, it has also allowed people to access child pornography with limited risk of discovery, and encouraged pedophiles to build networks that validate and facilitate their depraved desires.”
In an effort to assist in the effort to fight this abuse, Microsoft is donating a new technology, PhotoDNA to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC). PhotoDNA, was initially created by Microsoft Research and was further developed by Hany Farid, a leading digital-imaging expert and professor of computer science at Dartmouth College. The goal is to help NCMEC in its efforts to find hidden copies of the worst images of child sexual exploitation.
The following short video explains how PhotoDNA works (Silverlight required).
Help fight the problem of child sexual abuse and exploitation. If you see it, if you know about it, if you suspect it, report it to NCMEC by e-mail or call 1-800-THE-LOST.
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