Ahead of today’s Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on child safety online, Senators Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) announced that they will reintroduce the STOP CSAM Act. The legislation will crack down on the proliferation of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) online by allowing victims to sue companies that host this material. The Judiciary Committee unanimously advanced this legislation last Congress.
“Congress has already waited too long to protect kids online and while we’ve stalled social media companies have continued to be hubs for child sexual abuse material. We can’t waste any more time,” said Senator Hawley. “Let’s give parents and victims the ability to hold these companies accountable and sue them. Anything less, and these problems won’t end.”
“Big Tech has woefully failed to police itself, and the American people are demanding that Congress intervene. We made significant headway last year to address Big Tech’s failure to protect our kids online, including five unanimous bipartisan votes on bills in the Senate Judiciary Committee. It’s time to build on that progress. I’m glad to partner with Senator Hawley to soon reintroduce our bill supporting victims of child sexual abuse material and increasing accountability for tech companies, and I encourage all my colleagues to join us,” said U.S. Senator Durbin, ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Senator Hawley has been a tireless advocate for legislation holding Big Tech accountable and protecting kids online. Last year, Senator Hawley pressed Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg about child exploitation on his social media platforms, urging Zuckerberg to stand up and apologize to the families of victims in the room.
Last Congress Hawley introduced legislation to allow private citizens to sue Big Tech platforms for hosting CSAM. After striking a deal with Senator Durbin to advance the CSAM legislation, the bipartisan bill was eventually blocked on the Senate floor.