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Australia accuses Apple and YouTube of ignoring child abuse material
Authorities believe the tech giants "fail to prioritize child protection and seem to ignore crimes happening on their platforms."
Apple CEO Tim Cook at a company event.
Australia's internet watchdog on Wednesday accused tech giants of "turning a blind eye" to child sex abuse material on their platforms.
The Australian eSafety Commission found that Apple and YouTube - owned by Google - do not track the number of reports they receive about child sexual abuse or define how long it takes to respond to those allegations.
"These companies don't prioritize child protection"
"These companies do not prioritize child protection and seem to turn a blind eye to the crimes that occur on their services," said eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant.
Grant said that "no other consumer-oriented industry would be licensed to operate if it allows such heinous crimes against children in its facilities or services." The commissioner added that neither Apple nor Google has "taken many steps to elevate and improve their efforts" since she asked three years ago.
The report also found that companies such as Apple, Google, Microsoft and Skype failed to use the necessary tools to proactively detect child sexual abuse material. Tech companies are required to report to the commission every six months on how they handle such content, including AI-generated imagery.
Inman Grant said she expected to see "significant progress."
Google defends itself
A Google spokesman said the commission's findings are "based on the number of complaints, not online security performance."
"We have led the industry fight against child sexual abuse material from day one, investing heavily in advanced technology to proactively find and remove this harmful content," he said.
According to the Californian tech representative, more than 90% of all child sexual abuse content uploaded to YouTube was removed by its "robust automated systems" before it was even reported or viewed by users.
Australian law to block minors from accessing social media until age 16
Australia introduced legislation last year that will ban anyone under 16 from accessing social networks starting at the end of 2025.
Companies that fail to comply face fines of up to A$49.5 million (US$32 million).
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