On the Senate floor, Durbin asked for unanimous consent to pass his bipartisan STOP CSAM Act alongside Sen. Hawley, before Sen. Wyden objected
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, asked for unanimous consent (UC) for the Senate to pass his bipartisan STOP CSAM Act alongside the bill’s cosponsor U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO).
“I come to the floor today to ask the Senate to pass the STOP CSAM Act, bipartisan legislation that would finally open the courthouse doors to survivors of child exploitation and their families. Too many parents feel a pit in their stomachs every time their child logs onto a phone, tablet, or video game console. They know that the internet has become a hunting ground for predators,” began Durbin.
Earlier today, the Senate Judiciary Committee learned more about the horrors facing our children online at a committee hearing featuring a victim impact family.
“Three years ago, 17-year-old James Woods, an honor student and accomplished track athlete from the state of Ohio, died by suicide after being targeted by predators on Instagram. We asked his mother today how long this relationship online lasted. Start to finish, which was the end of her son’s life, was 19 hours. They tricked James into sending them sexually explicit photos and they threatened to ruin his life if he did not pay them. His tormentors sent him 200 messages in 19 hours, encouraging him to end his life, which he ultimately did,” shared Durbin.
In 2014, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, or NCMEC, received 1.1 million CyberTips of child sexual abuse material, also known as CSAM. By 2023—less than 10 years later—the number of CyberTips had exploded to 36 million.
“As I have learned more about the horrors of online child sexual exploitation, I have made it my mission to try to put an end to it. That’s why I have worked with survivors, prosecutors, law enforcement, victim advocates, and my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to write a bill that responds with the urgency that this situation demands. That bill is the STOP CSAM Act,” said Durbin.
“I would like to thank Senator Hawley for being the lead sponsor on this bill, who voted unanimously with the Judiciary Committee who voted unanimously to advance this bill out of Committee earlier this year. And I want to recognize the extraordinary survivors and advocates who have fought to make this legislation possible. Unfortunately, due to Big Tech’s deep pockets, it has not been easy to pass a law to finally hold the tech industry accountable for the harms they cause… So, when the STOP CSAM Act didn’t pass the full Senate last year, Senator Hawley and I were determined to bring it up this year. Because Big Tech has failed to keep kids safe online, it is imperative that Congress do something,” continued Durbin.
Hawley then spoke, and Durbin made the unanimous consent request. U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) objected.
The STOP CSAM Act will crack down on the proliferation of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) online by allowing victims of child sexual exploitation to sue companies that promoted or facilitated the exploitation, or that host or store CSAM or make it available. It will also support victims and increase transparency for online platforms by, among other things:
The Senators announced the legislation's reintroduction in February ahead of their joint hearing highlighting witnesses impacted by CSAM, including survivors, advocates, and law enforcement experts. They originally introduced the legislation last Congress and garnered the votes to unanimously advance it through the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Video of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor is available here.
Audio of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor is available here.
Footage of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor is available here for TV Stations.
Durbin has used his role on the Senate Judiciary Committee to prioritize child safety online through hearings, legislation, and oversight efforts. Earlier today, Durbin joined U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, to hold violent criminals accountable and combat the disturbing rise in online child exploitation.
On January 31, 2024, while Durbin was serving as Chair, the Committee held a hearing featuring testimony from the CEOs of social media companies Discord, Meta, Snap, TikTok, and X (formerly known as Twitter). This hearing highlighted the ongoing risk to children and the immediate need for Congress to act on the bipartisan bills reported by the Committee.
In addition, Durbin’s bipartisan Disrupt Explicit Forged Images and Non-Consensual Edits Act of 2024 (DEFIANCE Act) passed the Senate in July 2024—and was reintroduced in the Senate this year. The legislation would hold accountable those responsible for the proliferation of nonconsensual, sexually-explicit “deepfake” images and videos. The volume of “deepfake” content available online is increasing exponentially as the technology used to create it has become more accessible to the public. The overwhelming majority of this material is sexually explicit and produced without the consent of the person depicted.
Earlier this year, the Judiciary Committee held a hearing entitled “Children’s Safety in the Digital Era: Strengthening Protections and Addressing Legal Gaps.” Durbin’s opening statement from that hearing is available here, and his questions for the witnesses are available here.
-30-