| Washington, D.C.Today, The House unanimously passed S. 3170, the CyberTipline Modernization Act of 2018, which cleared the Senate unanimously in September. Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner(WI-05) sponsored H.R. 4447, the companion legislation in the House. The bill now heads to the White House for the President’s signature.
Rep. Sensenbrenner: “Today’s vote will reduce the online sexual exploitation of children. The bill improves upon the successes of the existing CyberTipline by empowering the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to address new developments in online child abuse. I urge the President to sign it into law immediately.”
Background:
First launched by the National Center on Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) in 1998, the CyberTipline allows public citizens and members of the technology industry to report online instances of child sexual exploitation and abuse, such as child pornography, online enticement of children for sexual acts, child sex tourism, and child sex trafficking. In 2017 alone, NCMEC received more than 10 million reports.
The CyberTipline Modernization Act makes key updates to the existing program, including changes to reporting requirements for imminent or planned violations. The bill also reflects a commitment to fight new forms of online abuse including the expansion of child pornography.
Congress last updated the CyberTipline statute in 2008. |
