Google to Launch New System Removing Child Porn Images from the Web

Google is now developing a software that will search for child abuse images in the web and will share it to other engines to have them removed from the web.

This new software is expected to be released this year and will automatically delete child porn images flagged by child protection organizations. The internet giant also announced in The Telegraph that it will be giving a $2 million fund to other developers who will create similar systems.

This decision made by Google may be a result of different pressures placed to them by the government and other organizations. This was after the separate child murder incidents of five-year old April Jones and 12-year Tia Sharp. Experts found out that their murderers were looking at child abuse images prior to them doing the crime.

Scott Rubin, Google’s spokesman told in an interview with The Telegraph, “We are creating an industry-wide global database of ‘hashed’ images to help all technology companies find these images, wherever they might be. They will then be blocked and reported.”

Different child protection organizations applauded Google for taking this first step. Susie Hargreaves, chief executive officer of the Internet Watch Foundation, which is part-funded by Google, said: “This announcement is inspiring for those who are at the forefront of tackling child sexual abuse content.

“We know that the best way to tackle what is some of the most horrific content online is by working with others from all over the world to combat this on a global platform.

“These funds, made available internationally, will no doubt allow international experts to target images and videos of children being sexually abused with the best technology based on the most technically progressive ideas.”

Google already had a similar tool back in 2008 but it wasn’t efficient enough because it is only confined within its database. This means that others can still access the images if they use a different browser. The company will be revamping this tool to allow cross-referencing and sharing to other search engines to fully clean the web of child porn images.