INTERPOL's Michael Moran Receives 2017 M3AAWG Litynski Award; Urges Industry to Improve Defenses Against Child Abuse Materials - Seite 2

Industry Needs to Step Up

Addressing how the industry can better protect this vulnerable population, Moran said, "In my opinion, anyone who has a network has the responsibility to ensure that it is not being used by bad actors. I would argue that you're being negligent if you, as a system administrator, are allowing child abusers to use your system.

"Why would you scan your systems for malware and not scan for child abuse materials? Why would you ensure you aren't leaving any relays open on your mail servers but not make sure those servers aren't being used to transmit or store child abuse material? While there are some large companies that are managing this issue in a mature manner, for every one that is, there are ten, fifteen or twenty that are not," he said.

Moran also urged the industry to build safety into new platforms and apps from the initial design phase. "We should acknowledge that bad people will abuse new services as these go online. If some thought is given to this at the coding stage, then it is possible to actually stop the exploitation early on," he said.

From Chat Rooms to the Cloud

Moran started his law enforcement career and is affiliated with the Garda Síochána, the police force of Ireland. He has been seconded to INTERPOL for 10 years and is stationed in Lyon, France, where its Vulnerable Communities Unit is headquartered. Moran began working against CAM in the early IRC chat rooms then followed as abusers moved to the Web and other technologies to distribute materials. Over the years, he has provided support and expertise to private organizations in the field and other law enforcement agencies globally, forging an international community that cooperates in rescuing exploited children, and he often speaks on the subject to both professional and public audiences.

In announcing the award, M³AAWG Chairman Michael Adkins said, "We're recognizing Michael's tireless efforts over the last twenty years to protect these victims while working in a very demanding field, his commitment to protecting their dignity and his drive to protect as many children as possible. But this award is also a wake-up call for the industry. We all need to follow Mick's lead and take responsibility for this social issue. We all need to do more to keep it off our systems and networks."