On September 28th, INHOPE hosted the Data Exchange and Intelligence Forum in Amsterdam, bringing together over 60 representatives from key stakeholders - such as INTERPOL, Europol, The European Commission, Discord, WeTransfer, Ziuz Forensic Investigation, Council of Europe, WeProtect Global Alliance - as well as law enforcement officials from 14 different countries within the EU and hotlines representatives from 19 different countries.
Some of the main challenges in the fight against child sexual abuse material (CSAM) online were discussed, such as connecting to different jurisdictions, the lack of a harmonised procedural mechanism on a global scale, criminals becoming increasingly more tech savvy, and finding the right balance between protecting user privacy while needing access to specific data. Encryption was therefore highlighted as one of the main challenges related to investigations.
Panellists raised the importance of harmonising national legislations with a focus on countries with high online crimes rates, of enhancing cooperation with the private sector, and of settling on common definitions and ways of communication.
Key takeaways pointed to the clear need to continually improve information exchange between stakeholders from different sectors and to find innovative ways of enhancing communication sustainability.