Results in the identification of 110 missing or abused children and the arrest of 8 perpetrators of child abuse and the rescue of 51 children

ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA (JULY 2, 2024) — The International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC), in conjunction with Clearview AI, conducted an international operation from March 4th 2024 through March 8th 2024, resulting in the location and positive identification of 110 previously unknown child sexual abuse victims, resulting in 8 arrests of perpetrators of child sexual abuse, and the rescue of 51 children.

The operation was held in Ecuador and hosted by ICMEC, with Clearview AI providing its facial recognition technology as a main resource. Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Perú, and the Dominican Republic were among the international law enforcement agencies who worked together on hundreds of cold cases involving previously unknown victims of online child sexual exploitation and abuse.

Through the use of specialized technologies and collaborative work between the HSI offices of the countries, the police, the prosecutor’s office and the judges of some of the countries, important results were achieved.

ICMEC and Clearview collaborated with Child Rescue Coalition, Inc., and The Jensen Project for working together within the framework of the Child Digital Guardians Task Force. Collaboration between actors, including civil society and law enforcement, is essential to achieve satisfactory results.

“As we continue to pursue justice for survivors worldwide, our recent operation in Ecuador highlights the importance and transformative impact of collaborative efforts to identify victims. Each identification serves as a beacon of hope, guiding us toward a safer world for vulnerable children. Our success in this operation owes much to the invaluable support of Clearview and the effectiveness of their technology.” said Guillermo Galarza, Vice President, Partnerships & Law Enforcement Training of International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children.

“It is gratifying for us to be able to assist law enforcement in identifying missing and exploited children,” said Hoan Ton-That, Founder & CEO of Clearview AI. “Clearview AI is committed to continuing our work with law enforcement partners to identify and rescue victims while bringing to justice those criminals who exploit children.”

Law enforcement partners of ICMEC analyzed 2,198 photos and 995 videos from 74 confiscated devices related to child exploitation cases. These files contained previously seized unidentified images and video series depicting child sex abuse material. The objective was to identify both the victims and offenders, as well as determine the locations where the abuse occurred.

Through the use of specialized technologies and collaborative work between the HSI offices of the countries, the police, the prosecutor’s office and the judges of some of the countries, important results were achieved.

The operation resulted in the identification of 110 missing or abused children and the arrest of 8 perpetrators of child abuse.

Images obtained from a governmental database of international missing and exploited children were searched through Clearview AI which was used to generate leads. These investigative leads were followed up with investigative work and then the results were disseminated globally to the corresponding law enforcement agencies.

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ICMEC

The International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC) is a non-governmental organization working to make the world a safer place for all children by defending against child sexual exploitation, abuse, and the risk of going missing. ICMEC provides training and technology to law enforcement partners globally to help combat child exploitation.

To date, ICMEC has provided such training to more than 16,000 individuals from 128 countries.

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Clearview AI

Clearview AI’s mission is to help reduce crime, fraud and risk, to create safer communities, ensure secure commerce, and enhance our national security and military defense. TIME Magazine named Clearview AI one of the world’s “100 Most Influential Companies.”