Facebook is failing to prevent child predators from posting suggestive and potentially illegal photographs of children on its website, a weeks-long investigation by FoxNews.com reveals, despite its claim that it's doing all it can to keep pedophile materials from being displayed.
The world's largest social network employs content filters that automatically scan for basic keywords that the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) identifies as being commonly associated with child exploitive material. Those filters, if they are properly employed, should flag much of the offensive material found on the site, cybersecurity experts say.
But in a lengthy telephone interview on Oct. 6, FoxNews.com took two Facebook executives on a click-by-click tour of their own website, bringing them face-to-face with some of its vile contents and forcing them to admit that their efforts to block child predators were not working.
During a 90-minute phone interview with Facebook spokesman Simon Axten and the company's chief security officer, Joe Sullivan, the two executives were guided by FoxNews.com through the site’s seamy subculture – an encounter that left Sullivan sounding dumbfounded, unaware of and unable to explain the extremely graphic content on the site.
In the interview, FoxNews.com told the executives to enter "PTHC" in the website's search box. The term “PTHC” — short for “Pre-Teen Hard Core” — is frequently found in connection with child sexual exploitation activity and materials, law enforcement officials say. Multiple sources confirmed that “PTHC” is on the NCMEC list of keywords.
Then, when asked to click on the profile of any of the group’s members, the executives were ushered into a subculture dedicated to using Facebook to traffic child pornography and to target and interact with children.
At this point, there was silence for nearly a full minute, except for the sound of furious, rapid typing. Axten and Sullivan sounded stunned, unable to explain why this happened and how their filters could have failed.
Facebook later said it had launched an investigation into the pages, profiles and video links they had found during the interview. That same day, the “PTHC page” and others were removed from the website.
But much of what FoxNews.com found in its investigation remains active.
During the interview, the Facebook executives emphasized that identifying and removing content that may exploit children is a top priority. They said material flagged by the NCMEC keywords filter is evaluated and, if merited, promptly removed.
“We’re constantly looking to improve our filter system. As we get more information and tactics, we’ll use that to inform our system to make it even better,” Sullivan said.
“Believe me, it’s incredibly frustrating to all of us that they’re trying to share this, I’m so repulsed by the fact — I have three daughters — we have a large number of people who care greatly about these issues throwing a lot of money and technology at them.”
But despite their efforts, FoxNews.com found an entire underworld of widely recognized terms, code words and abbreviations on Facebook -- hundreds of pages with “PTHC” and “Incest” in their titles, and many others that are unprintable. Both terms are on the NCMEC keywords list, sources said, and they were found on Facebook's public, private, group and profile pages. Many of those pages purported to host video links to child pornography, and many had been active for months.
(Excerpt from Fox News.com/scitech/1010/10/21exclusive-facebook-filters-fall-short-in blocking)
QUESTIONS you might address in your comment (100-200 words). These are just some suggestions.
1. Is anything here surprising?
2. Should the rules for who uses Facebook be changed? Is Facebook safe?
3. Does this change how you think about cyber communication in any way?
4. Do you think that you are ever taking any risks when you are online?
5. Should Facebook be punished in some way?
First off, great idea for a post Peter, really probing subject. I like it especially because I myself use Facebook. For me, I have always had a problem with Facebook and photos. I have visited profiles for people with whom I am not friends with, and I am able to look through all of the photos they have posted. This means that any person could come say to my profile, and check out all of my photos.I think that Facebook really needs to work this kink out.I have a real feeling that a lot of people don't use Facebook, for the privacy issues. I always feel a bit weird when I am online, knowing that anyone who is my Facebook friend can chat me and talk to me. I have always been weirded out by that. This article definitely changes the way that I think about cyber communication. I was told that, when I wanted to get a MySpace, that it was too dangerous. However, after reading this article, I now realize that Facebook is not much different.
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ReplyDeleteAfter reading that, I can say that I am appalled. Part of me is surprised about how the Facebook safety filters didn’t catch those pictures. Another part is thinking that it’s not all that surprising that if someone is messed up enough to post something like “PTHC” then they wouldn’t mind spending some time to make sure that it wouldn’t get caught. Although, it would be extremely hard to change the rules about who can use Facebook, I think that Facebook needs to spend some time re-thinking their security strategies, if they are indeed as dedicated to the cause as they say they are. I’m no expert, but I think if a page has the word “Incest” in its title or “PTHC” then it should be a safe assumption that it will be taken down. With regards to cyber communication, I’ve lost a lot of confidence in not just Facebook, but all internet safety filters. I do not however think of myself as at risk because I trust my own common sense and my internet knowledge. Legally, I think it would be hard to punish Facebook because they do have some filters in place and when signing up, you are consenting to the entire content of the site.
ReplyDeleteSince I didn't see the movie "the social network" I have no idea why facebook was even invented. I mean, it's essentially like e-mail, right? I have a facebook, but I almost never go on it, and when I do it's only to see who wants to be friends with me. I only friend people I know, so I only have around 47 friends or something when most people have like 5,000 or something. The reason I bring this up is because I consider friending one of the most dangerous things facebook can supply. I have heard stories of kids getting stalked by "friends" on facebook that they only friended to add to their vast collection of so called "friends". My sister's friend has also been bullied on facebook, so I know firsthand how it can hurt someone. Personally I have considered canceling my facebook account many times, but I am so technologically challenged that I can't figure out how to do that. I think facebook should somehow be punished because of the things that they have inflicted on some people!
ReplyDeleteThis is sad and quite distrubring to realize that there are people out there who enjoy putting up these types of things on facebook and even more others who enjoy viewing them. I do not put the blame on the Facebook executives because with the ever-increasing rate of new technology, our efforts of keeping it clean are slowing down.
ReplyDelete1. I must say that this isn't as surprising as it should be. Our world is not a clean place anymore and these are things that unfortunately happen everyday.
2. Facebook is not safe, it never was safe and it never will be safe. I do not think that changing the rules of Facebook would be very effective. If the rules were changed, I think that there would be some that would manage to find a loophole of some sort which would lead to the same situation we are now currently in.
After I read this i realized that Facebook really isn't that safe secure environment that people can socialize; now it has become a tool in which people who enjoy things like "PTHC" can use to their advantage. The Facebook corporation should set down strict rules and filters that will block things exploiting children. The people running the Facebook company, like the CEO's should go almost "renovate" the site so that it can be used like it is supposed to be. The Facebook company should not be punished for some slips in the filters but instead I think that Facebook should not take risks and delete all content invloving things like "PTHC." If things like this continue in Facebook I think that the company will have to rethink the dsing of Facebook including the filters and safety programs. Overall I personally didn't know that this was happening but now that I do I feel that knowledge on this situation is not a safe enough protecter.
ReplyDeleteTo be honest, this article didn’t surprise me to a great extent. I knew that Facebook wasn’t the safest place even before I read this article. Facebook is safe to a certain degree. If you are really picky about the friends you have and make sure it’s who they say they are then you’re safe. But some people are one of those who accept friends they don’t know just to add to their immense collection of “friends.” It isn’t entirely Facebook’s fault that things are leaking through the filters. Nothing is perfect. Besides, people sign up this when they sign up for Facebook. I don’t think Facebook should be punished, but I think that all users should be well informed on the risks of having one. Also, the executives should get rid of anything harmful, to ensure a safer environment for the users. I did have a Facebook for quite a while. I would get caught up in the lives of my friends as well as my own, looking through other users’ pictures, posts, and friends. Then I realized I had better things to waste my time on. Facebook is a community on the web, but I found out that I preferred to have relationships in person. So I disconnected myself from the ever growing vortex of social networking. I have to admit, this was a wise decision on my part.
ReplyDeleteThis topic is an interesting as well as compelling one. I can say as a frequent Facebook user I myself have never experienced this but I do know it occurs. The fact that this is occurring is not surprising but it does beg the question if it can be stopped. Things like this happen every day every where, no amount of security can change that. There are loop holes to almost everything particularly in cyber space so should Facebook change it's rules? Probably. Will it help? Probably not. There are entire websites devoted to this kind of thing so it is really not fair to claim that it is all Facebook's fault that this exists if that is what someone was thinking. However it is true that Facebook makes it easier for people do do things like create and respond to child porn and other things that should be blocked, as it is designed for communication. But the people who care enough about things like child porn to create websites about them probably know how to disable security filters. I am not saying that the filters are a bad idea. To the contrary, I am glad that Facebook is trying to take action. But the question remains: will it really make a difference?
ReplyDeleteAfter reading this article, most of it didn't really surprise me. First of all, I do not have a Facebook, so I have little knowledge of how it works, but I know the internet well enough to know that there are people out there who do sick and disturbing things. What surprised me the most was how the PTHC page wasn't detected. Facebook can't filter every little picture though; it's not perfect, but they can at least take down pages and groups like the page above. Facebook still has a risk, and isn't as safe as it seems. From what I've heard, anybody can look at your profile and pictures without permission; correct me if I'm wrong. This does not change how I think about cyber communication in any way though, but I'm still not getting a Facebook. People should be smart enough to avoid the risks of pedophiles and PTHC pictures when online. Overall, Facebook should rethink their plans on how to improve their security.
ReplyDeleteEven though this issue is regarded to the general public, I've noticed that many people have Facebook before they are mature enough to know what is right and wrong. In my perspective, it is hard to keep a large social network free of child sexual exploitation because there are always people who do it. What is preventable, however, is to get involved into these situations. Facebook has filter systems, but no one can count on those to block 100% of offensive material. I don't have a Facebook, so an easy way of never getting near child pornography is to stay away from it. Facebook is filled with all kinds of people, and because it is a popular network that can't be helped. I personally do not see the great advantage Facebook supposedly provides. It is simply another way of communication. Other ways to send messages are by cell phone or email. Cell phones are much safer because not as many random people can get a hold of a phone number than knowing your identity by accidentally searching up a name on Facebook. Emails can spread, but definitely more confined to familiar people than Facebook is. I just think that there is no point in having a Facebook. There are extremely big risks that are taken when doing anything on it, it gives others an easy way to access who you are, and whatever you post is public to everyone else who has a Facebook. Just to chat with friends, Facebook is not worth the hassle.
ReplyDeleteIt is definitely hard to answer the question of whether or not facebook should be punished because there are both pros and cons to having a profile on facebook. Peter listed one of the cons in the blog, which is the issue of active child predators on the website. Another con is that there are many ways for kids to bully eachother, which can have a terrible outcome for whomever was being bullied. But, there are still pros. Facebook is a way for people to stay in touch, and a way to talk to a large group of friends at the same time. So, should facebook be punished ? It is a very tough question to answer.
ReplyDeletewow. i honestly felt sick after reading this article, but as other people said, I'm not as suprised as i should be. I mean, this stuff is out there, but to have it openly posted for anyone to see on a site that children use? I don't think that facebook should be punished since they didn't know what was going on but . . then again, how could something this horrifying slip through the filters? I do not think that facebook is safe at all. Maybe people who have had records of doing this kind of stuff should be prohibited from friending facebook users under 18? There really is no perfect solution to this problem. I just think it is sad that there are people out there who will actually spend time and money to get this stuff out there. This story especially was an eye opener for me about how sick people can be.
ReplyDeleteOut of Bounds, I do say. This is really not ok but like many other people said, I’m truly not surprised. I am not surprised because the sick minded human beings who look at this kind of stuff have been shut down on several legal accounts and will go to any extent and use any possible form of website to see it even if it is the whole hearted happy facebook that we all know. That is why I am not at all surprised. But what I am surprised about, is facebook not trying extra hard to crack down on this kind of content. That is what bothers me the most.
ReplyDeleteTo answer questions 3 and 4, I do not believe that this changes my thoughts about cyber communication because everything I post on facebook, I say to myself, "would i tell my grandmother this?" and if I deem in acceptable I will post it. And for question 4, most of my information of facebook is pretty public and if it wasn’t I probably wouldn’t post it. I just think, when ever i am online, there are risks but the internet is a very useful thing and it has many more pros than cons. Even if the cons are as bad as what happened to facebook.
Facebook has its goods and bads. It is a chance where you can connect with old friends, family friends, and people you haven't seen in a long time. But it also has some privacy issues. You think its cool to have a lot of friends but most of the time you do not end up knowing half of them. One of these people could be stalking you and would not even notice because you accepted them as a "friend". Even though Facebook has security filters it does not always pick up on bad things that are happening. However Facebook is a chance to chat with relatives or old friends that you may miss or haven't seen in a long time. Most kids don't realize that what they post on Facebook can pretty much be seen by anybody who wants to see it. If you post bad pictures or swears someone can save it and use it against you. That person has whatever you posted and it never goes away.
ReplyDeleteI am horrified by this information. Like other people, though, I am not completely surprised. We live in a world where these sorts of people do exist. I mean, we can say that everyone should live to our ideals and standards, but you can't control what people think. However, people doing this sort of stuff in a huge public website is just sickening. I know that most of us probably tend to be unsympathetic towards all of the stories we're told about creepy stalkers on the internet, thinking that it wouldn't affect us or it doesn't happen very often, but this just shows that it is serious. I personally do not use Facebook, so I admittedly tend to be a little scornful of the kind of people who do, and of these kinds of stories. But this is real, this is happening, and this is appalling. I'm not sure about what should be done, though. I don't think that Facebook use should be restricted. I mean, maybe known pedophiles' accounts should be banned, and anything like what was mentioned in the article closed, but I don't think that the registration age should be raised. At this age, Facebook is a major way of connection and so on. I don't participate, but a lot of people do. I am sure that child safety is a major concern of Facebook, but there was some sort of technological mishap, and their filters failed. I tend to be wary of the internet in general, so this article hasn't changed that, maybe just added to it. I don't get all hyped up about internet safety, but I am careful. When posting in formation, the poster should know that this is something that anyone can see. Hopefully, they have the morals to understand whether what they are doing is right or wrong, but this article shows that at least some people don't. Facebook is all about connection, so it would be stupid to block connection off completely. On any sort of social website, there are sure to be some sick people who do this sort of thing. I don't think that Facebook should be held accountable. Their filters just didn't work. That is the surprising thing. Presumably, though, this was a technological accident. Hopefully, they are still working on improving these filters, to make the site safer for everyone. By joining Facebook, or any sort of social networking site, you should be aware of the risks you are taking. You should know that this information is public. You should know the sort of stuff that could go on. Your safety is your responsibility. Facebook should aim for improved filters, but should not be entirely blamed.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, virtually anything done on the internet can put the user at the risk of danger (i.e identity theft, harrassment, etc). Until the advent of social networking, searching of explicit materials was the number one online activity. Therefore it's only logical that these two would intertwine.
ReplyDeleteMost technology users believe in a false sense of security. All these new advances are stopping online threats and cyber bullying, right? False. There will always be crime in the world, and internal corruption on facebook has been present since its start. The creator, Mark Zuckerberg, is known for allegedly hacking into the emails of rivals and for being the source of many other troubles (citations needed).
People on the internet often take drastic actions and do things that they would normally avoid in real life. Therefore one should always be weary of anonymous users.
As Dominique said, it is really disturbing that people feel that they should put types of things like child pornography on Facebook. Facebook is a way to communicate with your friends. It has become one aspect of my social life because most of my best friends live in London. Calling over-seas everyday would cost a lot and so Facebook has become really handy. I’ve always known that Facebook isn’t safe so I wasn’t that surprised about this article. However that is why, normally, kids get introduced to Facebook around the teenage age. Teenagers are more aware of the security risks of Facebook making it a less surprising topic.
ReplyDeleteIt is hard to police Facebook because the only “rule” is to have a valid email, which is very easy to make. There is no identification required making it easy for people to pretend to be something or someone they’re not. It would be very complicated to change rules for Facebook.
People are making code words to put content on Facebook that would initially be recognized and blocked. This is one part that I found very surprising. Now that I think about it, it is actually quite smart. However, I find this absolutely horrific. The fact that a person or people try so hard and do so much just to put disturbing images and video’s of things on Facebook totally repulses me.
Yes, Facebook should be held accountable, but is there any way at all to do this?
I do not blame Facebook, or believe Facebook should be punished for the horrible things happening on the site. When creating a social networking site where each individual has so much freedom and independence to post and upload personal information, there will always be people who find loopholes. I also do not blame Facebook because when signing up to have a Facebook you should be aware of the consequences that could come with having a Facebook. That being said, if you are being a "smart" Facebook user, Facebook can be very safe. By setting the proper privacy settings, and making sure your Facebook friends are all actually people you know, the problems stated in this article can be avoided.
ReplyDeleteEven though I do not blame Facebook for these problems, I do believe they should work towards solving it as quickly. It is a very serious issue that should be addressed as soon as possible.
You are always taking a risk when you enter a social networking site, risks you should be well aware of. Though I am appalled by what I am reading, I can't say I am surprised. When you hear just how many users are on facebook (the last estimate was more then 500 million), you can only imagine how difficult it is to monitor all those people and their pages, even with the help of modern technology. While I do hope facebook continues to work on updating their safety efforts, I don't think all the blame should fall on them. You should know what you are getting into before you sign-up and give your information to a website. Given how much information is shared on facebook, I would hope you do your research. You need to be aware what rights you are giving up by signing up. The easiest way to avoid dealing with these horrific images and people is to avoid facebook altogether. Don't simply complain and blame facebook, either get off facebook altogether, protect your account the best you can, or deal with the consequences.
ReplyDeleteThere are many facts that I found surprising in this entry. The main one was that though facebook is suppose to have great filters, there are still many ways for pedophiles, child pornography traffickers, and in general, creeps to see pictures of children on the social networking site. This article showed how there are many rules that should be changed on facebook, and they should be changed immediately, but I don’t believe that facebook is 100% unsafe. It is a great way for families and friends to stay connected with out it costing so much money and it’s a way for people to know what’s happening in town, or finding an event they might enjoy.
ReplyDeleteI do believe that I am at risk when I’m online. Because the Internet is so new, in terms of other inventions humans have made, there are many parts of it we have yet to find out about. Though engineers will continue to learn and find new information on how to make the Internet, computers, and all technology relating to this area safer, right now many people feel unsafe or at risk on the Internet, including myself sometimes. I do not believe facebook should be punished in anyway, this was a mistake and the company will learn from it.
This is not Facebook’s problem – it’s the user’s problem. Facebook already has a reputation for not being a safe site with regards to safety and child abuse, but people keep signing up, many before they are mature and old enough, as we proved in 6th grade internet safety – back then over half of us already had one, regardless of the 13 or older rule. This disregard of the age limit is proof that it is impossible to enforce anything on the culture of today’s world. Extending this to the filters, it is obvious they wouldn’t work – there is ALWAYS a loophole. There’s always going to be bad people out there, and all you can do is use your common sense and stay away from it. I use this idea of “be smart” through the whole Internet, because as with any new technology, it’s not perfect. You're in potential danger every time you open a new site. As I said earlier, child predators are not Facebook’s fault, and there is no reason to prosecute the company. The only thing they can do is create filters – it doesn’t make sense timewise for them to go around killing every PTHT site that wasn’t exterminated by its filters. It's like sending the US army after a lone man, Osama Bin Laden. It's obvioiusly not going to work. There are too many sites, too many villages: too many users, too many civilians. The solution to this problem is not technological – its cultural. To many people today, a filter is just a filter – a rule is just a rule. This needs to change if this is to stop.
ReplyDeleteOkay, first off, I just got facebook a few days ago and i have never scene now and a few years ago anything like what was talked about in this article. I do agree that facebook is not the safest place, but it is still a great way to communicate. I don't think that the rules about using facebook should be a punishment. Also, I know for people who were in the lower school here at BB&N we had those talks about using facebook and myspace and how some of the outcomes of using facebook and results of some of the information that was shared in this article. I believe that this isnt focused for everyone. For the people who have been talked to about this, may know that you should treat these spaces carefully. I don't know about those other people, but it can be dangerous as it says in this article.
ReplyDeleteThis is not very surprising at all. People have been doing this for a long time, and it was just a matter of time before it got to Facebook. Freaks all over the world are doing this and it isn't right to say Facebook is "failing," because failing is when you have tried, things don't work out, and then you stop trying. People haven't failed to keep drugs off the streets. Things like these take time. It is not like the people at Facebook can snap their finger and *poof,* no more child pornography. They aren't failing per se, but it is a work in progress. As a user of Facebook, i would like to see it get done as fast as possible. I hate getting friend requests from creepy guys and girls that are 21, and are wearing barely nothing in their profile pictures.
ReplyDeleteHello All,
ReplyDeleteI feel this article is informative, yet very misleading. People are passing up the fact that facebook, a HUMONGOUS social networking site, has tons of security implemented into their application (web-based). Think about it. People are picking up the notion that their is no way that facebook can protect you from pedofiles and rapists and whatnot. But no public networking site can! Facebook has tons of settings in which you can set others from not viewing your personal information who are not your friends. Thus you can not just explicitly say that facebook is not 'secure.'
To be completely honest, I am disappointed in peoples' reaction to the ignorance of this article. It is clearly biased to the amazingness of facebook and how long it took to make. Thousands and thousands of lines of hard work and code went into this successful project and now you all are just trash talking it. You cant 'just' hack facebook. Its harder than you think.
ReplyDeleteI accidentally made a ton of grammatical errors in my previous posts...
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ReplyDeleteAlso, one more thing, I am sure that all of us are smart enough to not talk to random people on the internet and meet them in a dark alley.
ReplyDeleteI whole heartedly agree that this is awful and completely wrong. This article is a real eye opener to me because I knew that there were animals who were tested in laboratories and such, but what I didn’t know was how many were treated so poorly and used like rags makes it really concerning. I love animals (only some), consisting of dogs, cats, bunnies, and pretty much house pets. I find rodents like rats and mice disgusting and they should be used for these experiments but not as many. I have two dogs of my own and to know that either one of my dogs were treated that way, I would brutally attack these people. Now, thinking of it, no animal should be put through this kind of pain and suffering. I think that if there were exceptions to this, I think it would be on accepting rodents like rats and mice because most people, including me, hate these types of animals and find them disgusting and horrifying to look at, if that makes sense. I think this article is suitable for this blog because the blog will receive various comments that will have varying opinions based off of their personal situations regarding this topic. People should be able to vote or decide on what happens to these animals and how many they can “abuse” because the continuation of this will go nowhere and as more people find out about this, the more likely the people would rebel against this system.
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