Over the course of an online child exploitation public awareness campaign, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said it has coordinated an effort to address the problem.
The Know2Protect campaign, housed within the DHS Cyber Crimes Center, has reached millions through traditional and digital media channels to empower young people, parents, educators, corporations and community leaders with tools to prevent and report online child sexual exploitation and abuse (CSEA), officials said.
“At the Department of Homeland Security, our mission is to protect the American people, and that includes protecting our children. The internet has completely changed how we connect, but it has also opened new doors for predators who want to harm our kids,” DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said. “It’s a topic that should unite all of us, and I appreciate the opportunity to highlight the work of Homeland Security Investigations and all that they do to combat online child exploitation.”
DHS said it had increased the footprint of law enforcement in 2024 to enhance coordination to combat cyber-related crimes and combat online CSEA. Last year, DHS’s Immigrations and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations identified nearly 5,000 individuals involved in online CSEA and recovered more than 1,700 victims. At the same time, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received more than 20 million reports of online child sexual abuse material.
The department said the tools provided on Know2Protect.gov has helped raise awareness about child risks online while offering safety measures and support for survivors. Since the program’s inception, the campaign has seen 128 victim disclosures due to its outreach efforts and received more than 90 investigative leads into cases of CSEA.
“We all have a responsibility to protect children from online exploitation,” Romina Khananisho, Head of Global Government Affairs at X (formerly known as Twitter), said. “As the global town square, X is proud to partner with DHS’ Cyber Crimes Center to support the Know2Protect campaign. We commit to raising awareness about all the tools available to combat child exploitation and encourage all our users to join us in this critical mission by sharing the information with your communities.”