Recent News
An Example of Inequity, Disproportionate Punishment, and Prosecutorial Discretion Weaponized Against the Easiest Targets
Wisconsin’s mandatory minimum sentencing structure, like similar laws in many states, is rigid where justice requires discernment. Sadly, even with mandatory minimums, there is no “one size fits all” proposition. Judges are elected to weigh evidence, culpability, risk, rehabilitation, and mitigation. Yet mandatory minimums can prevent them from imposing sentences that fit the individual facts of a case. That rigidity becomes more troubling when prosecutorial discretion is exercised unevenly: harshly against young defendants whose conduct reflects immaturity and low risk, but more flexibly for adult authority figures accused of hands-on conduct.
Coming Home After a CSAM Conviction: An Overview of Supervised Release
Supervised release in the federal system is similar in structure to probation, parole or extended supervision in state systems. Regardless of the label, all forms of supervision require individuals to follow specific conditions, meet regularly with a supervising officer, participate in treatment when ordered, and demonstrate stability as they rebuild their lives.
Swipe, See, Suffer — Snapchat’s Sexualized Snapshots
When police knocked with a search warrant about inappropriate material on Snapchat, their first question was who sent it—our son had no answer. That moment captures a widening emergency: Snapchat’s algorithmic feeds routinely surface sexualized and exploitative content beyond friend networks, exposing adolescents and emerging adults to grooming, trauma, and cascading legal and disciplinary fallout.
Not a Dark‑Web Issue: CSAM Thrives on Social Media, and Prevention Is Urgent
Support Beyond Stigma continues to ask a fundamental question: why isn’t the Senate demanding that these companies implement filters to prevent illegal images from being uploaded in the first place? Why focus on reporting after the harm is done rather than on prevention?
Social Media Finally Held Accountable for Misleading Practices
Recent legal outcomes penalizing social media companies for misleading practices are taking hold. How long will it be until they are held accountable for allowing CSAM to be uploaded to their sites, and only reporting the harm afterwards? The recent decision against Meta may be a clue.
Dangerous Shifts in the Rapidly Evolving World of Online Child Sexual Abuse
As new threats continue to emerge, the rapidly evolving world of online child sexual abuse materials demands more urgent and global action is needed.
An Investigation into Self-Generated Child Sexual Abuse Material Networks on Social Media
Stanford’s Evelyn Douek and Alex Stamos are joined by Stanford Internet Observatory (SIO) Research Manager Renée DiResta and Chief Technologist David Thiel to discuss a 2023 report on a months-long investigation into the distribution of illicit sexual content by minors online. The SIO research team identified a large network of accounts claiming to be minors, likely teenagers, who are producing, marketing and selling their own explicit content on social media.
Experiences of Non-offending Family Members
Learn more by reviewing Elaine Kavanagh’s thesis, “An Investigation of the Lived Experiences of Non-offending Family Members of Men Who Download Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM).”