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Thorn

Thorn is a non-profit organization building technology to defend children from online sexual abuse.

Lobbying Activity

Meeting with Magnus Brunner (Commissioner) and

4 Sept 2025 · Protection of children from child sexual abuse

Meeting with Axel Voss (Member of the European Parliament)

21 Oct 2024 · Child safety online

Meeting with Hilde Vautmans (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur) and Stichting ECPAT International

14 Oct 2024 · The fight against CSA

Thorn urges more specific and consistent child safety reporting rules

4 Sept 2024
Topic — The Commission is standardising report formats for providers processing data to combat child sexual abuse.
Message — Thorn requests specific reporting templates to prevent a deluge of broad, irrelevant information. They propose adding missing metrics such as timeframe data and percentages of data reviewed. The NGO demands consistent terminology to prevent platforms from using their own interpretations.123
Why — Linking these requirements to other regulations would streamline reporting and help track progress effectively.4
Impact — Vague terminology allows online platforms to use their own interpretations, potentially undermining transparency.5
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Meeting with Lena Düpont (Member of the European Parliament)

10 Jul 2024 · Combatting child sexual abuse online

Thorn Urges Quick Extension to Protect Children From Online Abuse

5 Feb 2024
Topic — Amending temporary exemptions to the e-Privacy Directive for detecting online child sexual abuse.
Message — Thorn calls for a quick adoption of the extension to prevent a protection gap. They also advocate for a long-term regulation that formalises legal obligations for platforms.12
Why — This would ensure the legal viability and industry use of Thorn's child protection technology.34
Impact — Privacy advocates lose legal protections against the monitoring of communication by service providers.56
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Meeting with Malik Azmani (Member of the European Parliament)

11 Sept 2023 · Exchange of views on CSAM Regulation, meeting by APA

Meeting with Juan Fernando López Aguilar (Member of the European Parliament, Committee chair)

30 May 2023 · Children rights

Meeting with Heléne Fritzon (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur for opinion)

21 Mar 2023 · Möte med Thorn

Meeting with Hilde Vautmans (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur)

20 Mar 2023 · Regulation to prevent and combat child sexual abuse

Meeting with David Lega (Member of the European Parliament)

20 Mar 2023 · Childrens's rights, safety online

Meeting with Catharina Rinzema (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur for opinion)

20 Mar 2023 · CSAM

Meeting with Ylva Johansson (Commissioner) and

20 Mar 2023 · Efforts to tackle Child Sexual Abuse

Meeting with Marcel Kolaja (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur for opinion) and Meta Platforms Ireland Limited and its various subsidiaries and

8 Mar 2023 · discussion about protection of children on-line and encryption

Meeting with Catharina Rinzema (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur for opinion)

23 Feb 2023 · CSAM

Meeting with Paul Tang (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur) and Internet Watch Foundation and Discord Inc.

8 Feb 2023 · Staff Level: Policy Breakfast: Combining Forces to Combat Child Harm Online

Meeting with Jeroen Lenaers (Member of the European Parliament)

26 Jan 2023 · CSAM

Meeting with Heléne Fritzon (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur for opinion) and Google and

12 Jan 2023 · Rundabordssamtal

Meeting with Paul Tang (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur) and Google and

12 Jan 2023 · Closed door stakeholders meeting on Child Sexual Abuse Regulation with MEP Alex Agius Saliba and MEP Helene Fritzon

Meeting with Alex Agius Saliba (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur) and Google and

12 Jan 2023 · Prep CSA Regulation Stakeholders meeting

Meeting with Javier Zarzalejos (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur)

16 Nov 2022 · Meeting with Thorn, to discuss the proposal on preventing and combating child sexual abuse online

Meeting with Paul Tang (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur)

26 Oct 2022 · Staff Level: Child Sexual Abuse Regulation

Meeting with Tiemo Wölken (Member of the European Parliament)

28 Sept 2022 · CSAM

Thorn urges EU to preserve voluntary child abuse detection

17 Jun 2022
Topic — New EU rules for online platforms to detect and report child sexual abuse material.
Message — Thorn supports mandatory detection but urges the EU to protect existing voluntary safety efforts. They request clearer guidelines on risk assessments and the new EU Centre’s coordination with other groups.123
Why — The organization gains legal clarity and a centralized research hub for child protection technology.45
Impact — Children face risks if detection gaps occur or companies stop innovating new child protection technologies.67
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Meeting with Monika Maglione (Cabinet of Commissioner Ylva Johansson)

8 Jun 2022 · The participant’s and the EU efforts to prevent and tackle child sexual abuse.

Meeting with Birgit Sippel (Member of the European Parliament)

31 May 2022 · Exchange of Views on Child Sexual Abuse Online Proposal

Meeting with Natasha Bertaud (Cabinet of Vice-President Margaritis Schinas)

29 Mar 2022 · Child sexual abuse

Response to Combating child sexual abuse

22 Oct 2021

Thorn welcomes the opportunity to provide feedback on the Commission's review of Directive 2011/93. Thorn is a US-based nonprofit organization that builds technology to defend children from sexual abuse and online exploitation. At Thorn, we believe in the power and potential of government, NGOs, and tech companies working together to eliminate child sexual abuse material online. That goal cannot be achieved by just one of these entities alone, and we are grateful for the European Union’s leadership. We believe that tailored and precise legislative and non-legislative solutions are necessary to ensure that child users' privacy and safety is protected. The Directive 2011/93 was a groundbreaking piece of work to harmonize legal structures across the EU. It brought together prevention, investigation, prosecution, and victims support efforts into a single Directive aimed to combat child sexual abuse. Since that time we have seen huge strides by member states to implement this Directive and further safeguard the most vulnerable group of their populations — the children. As this crime has evolved we support all efforts to ensure the EU and member states have a coherent framework in order to continue tackling this crime. Thorn supports option 4 in the roadmap proposed by the Commission. New legislation on prosecuting offenders, protecting victims, and preventing offences plus non-legislative measures are needed. This crime has evolved so much in the last 10 years, and looking forward to the next 10 years an all encompassing holistic approach is necessary to future proof legal certainty and protect EU children. Since 2011, we have seen the criminals in this space evolve and find new more technical ways to abuse and spread abuse material of children throughout both the open and dark web. As a technology company building solutions in this space, we need a clear legal framework across member states that allows for the creation of new and innovative solutions that can effectively tackle this crime. Against this background, we welcome this review and the Commission´s expressed objective to maintain coherence with the long-term legislation to combat child abuse online. Ensuring coherence, full compatibility, and smooth coordination between these files will be paramount for the success of this fight. Further harmonization of member states’ legal systems will aid in the fight to protect children from sexual abuse. We know from law enforcement partners that the criminals in this space are looking for legal loopholes in order to exploit children in jurisdictions that have loser legislative frameworks. Member states’ cooperation in closing these loopholes makes it harder for perpetrators and simply too risky for them to operate. Legislative solutions alone will not solve this problem though. In order to prevent child sexual abuse a holistic approach will be necessary, and should encompass preventative measures as well as victim support across all member states. Solutions in this area will not be legal fixes, but rather things such as preventive education schemes, support for innovation, and the work of researchers as well as care programmes for victims. These will be critical in the long term success of efforts in this space. We thank the Commission for the opportunity to comment on this roadmap and look forward to the full proposal.
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Meeting with Filomena Chirico (Cabinet of Commissioner Thierry Breton)

18 Oct 2021 · Fighting Child sexual abuse online

Meeting with Werner Stengg (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager) and FGS Global (Europe) GmbH

30 Sept 2021 · Use of Digital Services Act and other EU policies to tackle online child sexual abuse

Response to Requirements for Artificial Intelligence

3 Aug 2021

Thorn welcomes the opportunity to provide feedback on the Commission's proposal for artificial intelligence regulation. Thorn is a US-based nonprofit organization that builds technology to defend children from sexual abuse and online exploitation. At Thorn, we believe in the power and potential of government, NGOs, and tech companies working together to eliminate child sexual abuse material online. That goal cannot be achieved by just one of these entities alone, and we are grateful for the European Union’s leadership. We believe that tailored and precise artificial intelligence legislation is necessary to ensure that child users' privacy and safety is protected. Legislation on artificial intelligence should allow for innovation and growth in technology that protects children online. If regulation does not allow for this kind of innovation, then we will continue to be behind the curve of individuals exploiting children online. At Thorn we are always working to innovate and refine our technology to protect children. We, and our partners in the child protection ecosystem, need the flexibility to continue to create cutting edge technologies to eliminate child sexual abuse material from the internet. If regulation becomes indiscriminate, or doesn’t provide necessary flexibility for this specific use case, it can create unintended consequences that could deter the development of new technologies to protect children online. In the space of child protection, there are well established technologies that have been tested and refined for over a decade but many of the most cutting edge technologies still need the space for further innovation. These technologies have proven results of finding and saving children from online sexual exploitation. Tailored technological solutions in this space are the future of protecting children from online exploitation and there needs to be a legislative framework that allows for this crucial work to continue. We understand the concerns that some AI applications could lead to the invasion of individual users' privacy but child advocacy organizations have always worked towards surgical and balanced solutions in order to protect children online. AI and machine learning are important tools when it comes to online child protection - from text analysis that can prevent the grooming of a child for abuse, to facial recognition technology that can identify missing and/or exploited children's photos. When a child is missing or exploited law enforcement needs the tools that can help them find these children in the quickest and most efficient ways possible. When leveraged safely and responsibly, facial recognition can be one of the tools used to identify child victims of sexual abuse. The ability to use tailored, specific, and regulated “after the fact” facial recognition technology on images and videos of child victims is vital to expedite law enforcement efforts to find and protect children. Child sexual abuse detection technologies are cutting edge and designed to protect the most vulnerable population in our society. Given this sensitivity, we agree that safeguards and greater transparency are necessary for artificial intelligence technology used in this space. The artificial intelligence regulation must find a balance that protects the general public’s privacy while still allowing for technology designed to protect children. We must not allow offenders the ability to reverse engineer technologies designed to keep our children safe. Any enhanced transparency should not impede the development of technologies that are used to protect children online.
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Response to Declaration of Digital Principles

9 Jun 2021

A Global Context: At Thorn, we believe in the power and potential of government, NGOs, and tech companies working together to eliminate child sexual abuse material online. That goal cannot be achieved by just one of these entities alone, and we are grateful for the European Union’s leadership, dedication, and essential role in the global ecosystem to protect children online. We are pleased to respond to the European Commission’s public consultation and submit our perspective on how the ‘European way’ for digital society can ensure the protection of children and children’s privacy. Thorn is a US-based non-profit organization that builds technology to defend children from sexual abuse and online exploitation. We are neither a tech company nor a government or law enforcement entity; we are an independent non-profit organization that sits at the unique nexus between child advocacy, law enforcement, and technology. For Thorn this issue revolves around child sexual abuse material, often abbreviated as CSAM, namely the documentation of the rape, torture, and sexual abuse of a child, many as young as infants and toddlers. Each image and video is a crime scene which contradicts the principle of human dignity on which the European society is grounded and must be treated as such. Additionally, the online recirculation of each image and video revictimizes the child depicted and can lead to lifelong trauma years after a child is recovered from an abusive environment. In debates around a digital society, we must be very clear that any society’s digital principles will have a global impact. We at Thorn want to ensure that the digital future has the interests of the child at heart and not only protects children in the EU but also all children globally. As one of these global stakeholders, we hope our expertise will prove helpful in developing digital principles that serve both the European Union and its Member States, and the existing global child protection ecosystem. Protecting Children’s Rights and the Privacy of Child Victims: Child victims of sexual abuse have a fundamental right to be protected from online offenders, and the right to privacy when their own abuse content is being virally disseminated online without their consent. These fundamental rights must be appropriately balanced, and not undercut, by digital principles and instead should be enshrined in them. As the European Union crafts its comprehensive digital principles, it must prioritize protecting children’s rights and the privacy of child victims. These rights must be pursued with the same vigor as the human rights and privacy rights of general adult users. One cannot take precedent over the other. Innovation and Future-Proofing: Threats against children online evolve rapidly, and so must the technological interventions to combat them. The nature of technology is that it changes and improves with time, and any legislative framework or principles must reflect that reality. It must also be technologically neutral and provide the necessary space for companies and child protection technologists to innovate. Thorn is at the forefront of those innovations. Together with our partners, we are constantly working to increase the efficiency and the speed of these child protection mechanisms whilst respecting the privacy of users. While we agree that transparency and safeguards must accompany the deployment of technology, they should not be so cumbersome that in practice they inhibit their ability to be utilized, or stifle the opportunity for innovation that could save children’s lives and improve existing technological tools
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Meeting with Charmaine Hili (Cabinet of President Ursula von der Leyen)

10 Feb 2021 · Protection of children against online abuse

Meeting with Ursula von der Leyen (President) and WeProtect Global Alliance

13 Nov 2020 · Videoconference with Chairman of WePROTECT Global Alliance and Co-founder of Thorn (Topic: Fight against child sexual abuse)