WASHINGTON, D.C. (WTGS) — A bill proposed to protect children from online sexual abuse is one step closer to becoming law today, passing through the Senate Judiciary Committee.
The FBI reported that Georgia had seen a spike in sextortion cases where adults are posing as young girls online to solicit sexual images from minors.
Senator Jon Ossoff introduced the REPORT Act to combat the rise of these scams and other sexually explicit material involving or depicting minors on the web.
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“To ensure that tech companies are held accountable to report and remove child sex abuse material and strengthen protection for kids online is timely it’s essential. I thank you, Mr. Chairman and the ranking member, for your cooperation and support in bringing this forward today,” Ossoff said.
Ossoff added that the bill would help address the challenges around identifying these issues, like requiring websites to report imminent sexual abuse violations and increasing the fine for sites that fail to do so.
He said he’s heard from child welfare experts and leaders across the state about how the issue of online child sexual abuse continues to grow but remains under-reported in Georgia.
