Pedophiles can be chased down, prosecuted and put behind bars, but in too many cases, their hideous handiwork still roams the world: The explicit photos they took of babies, toddlers and children being sexually abused remain online, where they can be endlessly traded and collected by other pedophiles.
The victims' pain at having these images left in cyberspace is inexpressible, said Ernie Allen, president and chief executive of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). As one child victim said, "Everytime somebody downloads and looks at my picture, it's like I am being raped all over again."
This revictimization of children is about to end, thanks to a new technology called PhotoDNA, which was donated in December to NCMEC by Microsoft Corp.
With PhotoDNA, illegal child-pornography images can be broken down to their tiniest pieces, measured and assigned a unique digital "fingerprint."
Armed with a tell-tale "fingerprint," law enforcement officials can sift through millions of online images and find copies — even slightly altered ones — of an illegal photo.
When the officials find illegal copies, they can report them to the hosting Internet service provider (ISP).
The ISP can quickly "scrub" the images off their sites, said Mr. Allen. At least 68 ISPs are already interested in PhotoDNA, he added.
The process will be "very fast" and "very reliable," said Hany Farid, a computer science professor at Dartmouth College who helped Microsoft develop PhotoDNA. Its image-detection rate is about 98 percent, and the false-positive rate is "less than one in 1 billion," Mr. Farid said in a December briefing.
NCMEC officials estimate that they will review 9 million child-pornography images and videos in 2010.
The volume is a result of home-produced child pornography, rather than commercial production, said Mr. Allen.
Cheryl Wetzstein writes a biweekly news column, "On the Family," based on years of experience covering welfare, family and social issues for The Washington Times. She has been a reporter for three decades, working in New York City and Washington, D.C. Since joining The Washington Times in 1985, she has been a features writer, environmental and consumer affairs reporter, and ...
By Kara Rowland - The Washington Times
Obama was excoriated for continuing the Bush administration's strictest national security policies, including indefinite detention, military commissions and a "targeted kill" program that authorizes the government to take out suspected terrorists anywhere. Published 8:56 p.m. July 29, 2010
By Sean Lengell - The Washington Times
The House ethics committee officially lodged charges against Rep. Charles B. Rangel, including that he used his office to raise $8 million for a college public policy center named after him and didn't file taxes while he was Congress' chief tax writer. Published 8:56 p.m. July 29, 2010
Independent voices from the TWT Communities
A conservative satirist takes on the worlds of politics and entertainment in humorous pursuit of truth, justice, and all things America.
Join Matt on weekly adventures in all forms as he pushes his comfort levels in attempt to stimulate body, mind, and soul.
A slice of suburban family life from the diverse perspectives of a politically-minded mom.
Join the Evolution with Adam Omkara! Empowering, cutting edge mind/body/spirit and health dialogue.
