Posted by Bill HarmonAssociate General Counsel, Microsoft Digital Crimes Unit
The scale of the online child pornography problem and the amount of data associated with these types of investigations is massive. This is why we are proud to announce that we are partnering with NetClean to make our Microsoft PhotoDNA image matching technology available to law enforcement at no cost to help enhance their child sex abuse investigations – empowering them to more efficiently identify and rescue victims and bring abusers to justice.
Since 2002, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) has reviewed more than 65 million images and videos of child sexual exploitation reported by law enforcement. The images continue to grow increasingly violent and the victims younger, with 10 percent of the images reviewed by NCMEC today being infants and toddlers who can’t tell anyone about their abuse. When child pornography images are shared and viewed amongst predators online, it is not simply the distribution of objectionable content – it is community rape of a child. These crimes turn a single horrific moment of sexual abuse of a child into an unending series of violations of that child.
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Posted by Brad SmithExecutive Vice President & General Counsel, Legal & Corporate Affairs, Microsoft
One of the most important policy discussions emerging this year is the effort to update privacy laws in Europe and the United States. This is welcome news. Key laws governing privacy and security on both sides of the Atlantic have not been overhauled in a significant manner for two to three decades, yet technology – and society – has changed dramatically.
This morning I spoke at the International Association of Privacy Professionals’ Global Privacy Summit about these efforts. At Microsoft, we support the work here in the U.S. and in Europe to update privacy laws to reflect changes in technology, and the many new and different ways people and organizations gather and use information.
Posted by Fred HumphriesVice President, U.S. Government Affairs, Microsoft
As our country continues to rebound from the global economic crisis, more and more attention is being paid to our future – and in particular the future of the next generation. Will they have the tools and resources they need to succeed in a 21st century economy?
The challenges facing youth vary from community to community, but a fundamental challenge is emerging across the world. While some young people are thriving and succeeding in the classroom and out, others are struggling because they lack the education, skills or opportunities they need to succeed.
On March 27, Microsoft, in partnership with The Atlantic, will host a live digital town hall discussion with influential thought leaders on how we can address this opportunity divide to ensure that today’s generation can compete in tomorrow’s world.
Posted by Mark WhittingtonGeneral Manager, Worldwide Public Safety & National Security, Microsoft
Effective information delivery for both proactive and reactive response is one of the most frequent challenges I encounter across our industry. Sharing critical, real-time situational awareness is crucial for government agencies, and in particular public safety and law enforcement agencies around the world to succeed at their missions. Something as seemingly simple as linking two data points to a place on a map can provide the puzzle piece that thwarts a terrorist attack or warns a neighborhood in time to evacuate before flash floods hit.
Global corporations can face similar security challenges to those of nations, working to get the right information into the hands of those who can help secure or protect a company. Microsoft has invested heavily in securing our people, our facilities and our assets. Today at the Worldwide Public Safety Symposium, we announced we’re implementing our new data visualization and analysis technology across our three Global Security Operations Centers (GSOCs).
Posted by Jeff MeisnerEditor, Microsoft on the Issues
Join The Atlantic and Microsoft for a live digital town hall discussion on how to educate the next generation of Americans to compete in the 21st century economy at 8:45 a.m. ET on March 27. In the video below, Fred Humphries, Microsoft's vice president of U.S. government affairs, talks about tomorrow's panel and what will be discussed at the town hall:
Top policymakers, academics and business leaders will share their thoughts on how we can provide students with the skills they need to keep America competitive and improve economic opportunities for tomorrow’s workforce.