Mobile Alliance to combat Digital Child Sexual Exploitation

Who are we?

An international group of mobile operators within the GSMA who have committed to working together and taking proactive steps to fight technology-facilitated child sexual exploitation.

Our mission is:

To be a trusted and valued partner in the global community working to end child sexual exploitation and abuse in the digital environment.

We do this by:

Providing leadership to the global mobile community and working with key national and international stakeholders to enable a coordinated response to digitally-facilitated child sexual exploitation and abuse.

Specifically, members of the GSMA Mobile Alliance commit to:

  • using our position in the community and the value chain to help set standards by deploying (on our own services) and promoting (within our sphere of influence) good practice approaches to combatting technology-facilitated child sexual exploitation;
  • offering education programmes on staying safe online which explicitly address – and therefore help to prevent – issues related to sexual abuse and exploitation;
  • supporting national child helplines and digital support services so that children who have experienced any form of digital child sexual exploitation can reach out for help;
  • cooperating with and supporting the specialist LEA units which investigate crimes of child sexual abuse in the digital environment; advocating in-country for the creation of such a unit where non currently exists;
  • using our convening power to work with all stakeholders to advocate for multistakeholder action to combat digital child sexual exploitation and abuse, notably through promoting the WeProtect Model National Response;
  • actively consulting with partners and experts to stay abreast of and understand new issues as they emerge, and working collaboratively as an Alliance to innovate and evolve our response as needed.

The Alliance is open to all members of the mobile ecosystem. If you are interested in joining or supporting the Mobile Alliance to Combat Digital Child Sexual Exploitation, please contact us.

 Background information

The original purpose of this voluntary initiative launched in 2008 was to work proactively and collaboratively to make mobile networks and services hostile to those wishing to consume, share or profit from child sexual abuse material. This goal was to be achieved through developing and sharing good practice – with each other, as well as the wider industry – and committing to work beyond legislative minimums and ‘standard good practice’.

Every Mobile Alliance member signed up to three minimum commitments: to work with in-country internet reporting hotlines (or to work towards the creation of one, where none existed); to have Notice and Takedown processes in place on hosted services to enable the swift removal of child sexual abuse material; and, to take steps to restrict access to content verified as illegal child sexual abuse material by an appropriate authority (for example, websites on the INTERPOL Worst Of List).

The three minimum commitments agreed in 2008 reflected both the members’ intention to go beyond what was demanded of them through regulation or standard practice, and the area where mobile operators could most usefully take action.

Resources

Hotlines: Responding to reports of illegal online content

Document

Friday 1 Jul 2016 | 2016 | Child Online Protection | Children and Mobile Technology | Global | Guidelines | Mobile Alliance |

The GSMA’s Mobile Alliance Against Child Sexual Abuse Content was founded by an international group of mobile operators within the GSMA to obstruct the use of the mobile environment by individuals or organisations wishing to consume or ...

Notice and Takedown: Company policies and practices to remove online child sexual abuse material

Document

Sunday 1 May 2016 | 2016 | Child Online Protection | Children and Mobile Technology | Global | Mobile Alliance | Research & Reports |

The GSMA’s Mobile Alliance Against Child Sexual Abuse Content was founded by an international group of mobile operators within the GSMA to obstruct the use of the mobile environment by individuals or organisations wishing to consume or ...

Preventing mobile payments services from being misused to monetise child sexual abuse content

Document

Saturday 1 Mar 2014 | 2014 | Child Online Protection | Children and Mobile Technology | Global | Mobile Alliance | Research & Reports |

The GSMA’s Mobile Alliance Against Child Sexual Abuse Content works to keep mobile services hostile to those wishing to consume or profit from child sexual abuse content (CSAC). This report contains research on current levels of misuse ...