Law to Curb Use of DoD Network for Child Pornography

The End National Defense (END) Network Abuse Act is expected to become law, according to a press release from US Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i).

The END Network Abuse Act was included in the annual must-pass National Defense Authorization Act and will help the Pentagon stop the unacceptable use of the Defense Department’s (DoD) network to view, possess, trade, procure and even produce child pornography, the release said.

“This law will give our military leaders the tools they need to get rid of child pornography on DoD’s network, go after offenders and protect innocent and vulnerable children,” said Sen. Schatz.

Across the internet, more than 45 million online images and videos of child sexual abuse material were reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

In 2018, the DoD’s network ranked 19th out of 2,891 networks nationwide when it came to peer-to-peer file trading of child pornography. Coupled with these troubling statistics is a lack of training and law enforcement tools for the DoD to take on child sexual exploitation.

The END Network Abuse Act would upgrade the training and technical capacity of military criminal investigative organizations to confront the misuse of the DoD’s computers, facilities, and equipment to access and trade child pornography. It would also require the DoD to enter into collaborative agreements with appropriate federal, state and local law enforcement entities, child protection organizations, trauma informed health care providers and targeted social services.

The END Network Abuse Act is supported by a number of organizations including the National Children’s Alliance, National Children’s Advocacy Center, National Criminal Justice Training Center, American Prosecutor’s Association, National District Attorney’s Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, Safe States Alliance and Thorn.

For a summary of the END Network Abuse Act, click here.