Technology Spawned a Child Porn Boom. Can It Now Help Catch Abusers?
By Shira Ovide
The Washington Post | Updated June 24, 2025
The rise of smartphones, social media, and encrypted messaging apps has fueled an alarming surge in the online circulation of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Last year alone, more than 60 million such photos, videos, and files were reported worldwide, creating a profound challenge for law enforcement agencies tasked with combating this dark digital epidemic.
New Scanning Technology Aims to Accelerate Abuse Investigations
In response, a leading digital forensic company, Cellebrite, is rolling out a new scanning tool designed to speed up investigations by automatically detecting sexually explicit images of children on seized phones and computers. This technology integrates a database of approximately 10 million verified CSAM "digital hallmarks" provided by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), a federally designated clearinghouse specializing in child exploitation identification.
Traditionally, investigators have had to manually sift through devices, often spending weeks combing through horrific content to gather evidence. Jared Barnhart, head of customer advocacy at Cellebrite and a former officer himself, emphasized the urgency of faster detection: "In that case, you leave evil out there."
By connecting a seized device to Cellebrite’s technology, law enforcement can quickly pinpoint images flagged in the NCMEC database, enabling swifter arrests and potentially hastening efforts to rescue victims still in danger.
John Shehan, NCMEC’s leader of exploited children operations, highlighted the collaboration between his organization and Cellebrite as a shared commitment to easing the burden on investigators who otherwise must endure intimate exposure to disturbing images.
Expert Perspectives: Promise and Perils
Many child protection specialists see this development as a valuable tool. Alicia Kozak, a survivor of internet-related child abduction and an advocate for child safety, remarked that automated scanning “helps investigators immediately flag material that’s already been identified, build stronger cases and rescue victims who may still be in danger.”
Cellebrite is not alone in this pursuit—competitor Magnet Forensics offers similar scanning capabilities—but the expansion of such technologies raises complex questions about privacy, oversight, and constitutional protections.
Balancing Crime Prevention and Civil Liberties
Technologies like Cellebrite’s require law enforcement to secure a warrant or user consent before accessing and scanning device contents, safeguarding against unlawful searches. However, at U.S. border points of entry, agents generally have broader legal authority to search digital devices without warrants, a practice believed to involve tools similar to Cellebrite’s, which potentially encompasses thousands of travelers’ devices.
Jumana Musa and Michael Price from the Fourth Amendment Center of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers warn that these expansive capabilities could lead to overreach, with minimal transparency or accountability. "There is a real risk that such sweeping searches might trample on constitutional protections against unreasonable government searches," they noted.
There is also the risk of false positives. Internet platforms implementing CSAM detection have sometimes inadvertently flagged innocent individuals, including parents sharing innocent photos. Albert Fox Cahn, executive director of Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, pointed out that automated scanning might detect archived illicit images lurking unnoticed in spam emails or downloaded files, potentially dragging unwitting users into harrowing investigations.
Cellebrite stresses that their CSAM detection feature is opt-in, requiring investigators to explicitly enable scans and obtain proper judicial approvals, emphasizing the role of law enforcement agencies in ensuring lawful use.
Calls for Careful Oversight and Clear Boundaries
Riana Pfefferkorn, a Stanford University researcher specializing in law enforcement technology, cautions against a slippery slope where tools designed for serious offenses gradually extend to target less severe or unrelated activities. “These tools are justified for the worst crimes,” Pfefferkorn explained, “but they have a tendency to trickle down and be used in situations as minor as graffiti cases or other nonviolent offenses.”
As technology continues to play a pivotal role in tackling child exploitation, striking a balance between effective crime fighting and safeguarding civil liberties remains a critical and ongoing challenge. Society collectively grapples with this dilemma: harnessing digital innovation to protect the most vulnerable, while preventing misuse that could ensnare the innocent.
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