Imagine a World Without Child Pornography and Pedophiles

The PROTECT organization and their Promise to Protect campaign has been steadily at work finding new and more effective ways to rid our nation of online predators who stalk innocent children in order to lure them into their web of deceit and depravity. Tens of Thousands of child sexual abuse victims could be rescued right now if law enforcement only had the equipment they need to do their jobs.

Imagine the Possibilities
The PROTECT organization is located in Knoxville, Tennessee. This group, along with law enforcement agencies has a new plan which involves the use of a renowned group of scientists and their supercomputers. The Oak Ridge National Laboratory located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee has long been known to possess one of the largest and most talented scientific staffs along with some of the most powerful supercomputers in the world. Imagine what a powerful and focused group this could be when they use their resources and talents to help find these Internet predators who spend their time searching for and luring children into their world-wide net of child pornographers.

Imagine the Importance
Oak Ridge National Laboratory says its mission is to "provide solutions to America's grand scientific challenges". With that thought in mind, imagine the importance of this group of 4,000 scientists and their supercomputers taking on the gigantic task of targeting hundreds of thousands of child pornography traffickers. Imagine how many child victims will be rescued from the hands of pedophiles and how many more will never fall into their sleazy hands. Also imagine the incredible importance this will place upon finding these child porn traffickers. The spotlight will be focused upon this crime against children in a way that has never happened before.

Imagine the Potential
This past spring, 2009, the PROTECT organization and the University of Tennessee's Law Enforcement Innovation Center brought together the scientists from Oak Ridge and anti-child exploitation investigators to talk about the ways they could work together toward this common goal. The scientists were given an in-depth look at the technological challenges faced by law enforcement. Within days following this first meeting and introduction into the challenges faced by local law enforcement, Oak Ridge scientists began making visits to the Knoxville Police Department and their Internet Crimes Against Children task force (ICAC). A few weeks later, a group of volunteer Oak Ridge developers began designing both software and hardware for law enforcement officials involved in this noble endeavor.

According to Grier Weeks, Executive Director of PROTECT, "Congress recognized the crucial importance of technology in the PROTECT Our Children Act of 2008, but federal progress on the technology front has not taken off." He further states that there has been "a government wide disconnect" which assumes "that volunteers and micro-grants are enough to drive child rescue technology".

I really like a comment made by David Keith, Child Advocate and Member of PROTECT:

"Just imagine the smartest people in the world . . . put on the worst problem in the world."

Yes, just imagine.

Sources:
http://www.protect.org/
http://www.promisetoprotect.org/
http://www.protect.org/Oak-Ridge-s-Manhattan-Project-II.html