DCI Partners With Global Body To Hunt Down Child Sex Offenders Online

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has joined the Virtual Global Taskforce (VGT) in its efforts to crack down on perpetrators of child sexual abuse online across Kenya.

The DCI stated on Wednesday, April 19 that the VGT will launch a joint statement on raising awareness on the impact of End- to- End Encryption (E2EE) on the ability to identify sexual offenders online and safeguard children. 

Their first statement made in 2021 highlighted the impact End- to- End encryption (E2EE) can have on law enforcement’s ability to identify, pursue and prosecute offenders when implemented in a way that affects the detection of Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) on online platforms.

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"DCI being part of the Virtual Global Taskforce (VGT) which is a 15-member international alliance of law enforcement agencies is working alongside members from private industry and non-governmental organisations to tackle the threat of child sexual abuse. 

"The task force has noted that the scale of online child sexual abuse is increasing worldwide and it is one of the most urgent and defining issues of the current generation," stated the DCI in part.

The VGT statement recommended that electronic service providers need to play a key role in protecting children online and reporting to law enforcement agencies for action. 

Besides these companies using encryption as a way of safeguarding privacy they also need to implement systems that maintain child safety.

VGT gave examples of methods that will enable them to identify child sexual abuse on their platforms from those encrypted messages and make tangible steps towards possible solutions.

"The VGT also recommends that the industry platforms make proportionate investments in child safety mechanisms as with any other design choice.

"DCI urges the public to also play a role in protecting children in online spaces as we all have a role to play to keep our children safe by ensuring we also check what they consume online as well as limiting their time online," added the DCI.

The VGT is made up of the following organisations:

1. Australian Hi-Tech Crime Centre / Australian Federal Police (AFP)
2. Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (United Kingdom)
3. Colombian National Police
4. Cybercrime Coordination Unit Switzerland (CYCO)
5. Dutch National Police
6. Europol
7. Interpol
8. Italian Postal and Communication Police Service
9. Korean National Police Agency
10. Royal Canadian Mounted Police
11. New Zealand Police
12. Ministry of Interior for the United Arab Emirates
13. Philippine National Police
14. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), an investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security.

There has been a rising need to find a mechanism for protecting children from online sexual predators who have often made good use of the children's vulnerability. 

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