The Trichan takedown : lessons in the governance and regulation of child sexual abuse material

Michael Salter, Lloyd Richardson

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

4 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Amidst renewed concern about the prevalence of online child sexual abuse material, the global technology sector is refocusing on models of multistakeholder governance and the development of new technological solutions. This paper argues that the language of multistakeholderism and technological solutionism obscures the administrative and commercial practices that facilitate the widespread distribution of abuse material. To illustrate this point, the paper describes the 2019 intervention of the Canadian Centre for Child Protection in the operations of “Trichan”, three websites that were amongst the largest purveyors of abuse material on the open web for 7 years. The case study underscores the materiality of the Internet and the role of commercial relations within the infrastructure stack in the provision of illegal content. While identifying opportunities for the mass removal of abuse material, the paper questions the discretion granted to technology companies under laissez faire regulation, and troubles characterizations of Internet infrastructure as neutral and instrumental factors in the epidemic availability of abuse material.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)385-399
Number of pages15
JournalPolicy and Internet
Volume13
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2021

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