| > NECMEC isn’t owned by the government Even though NCMEC describes itself as "private", it was established by and has been heavily funded by the U.S. government. From an archive of NCMEC's own history page, cited on Wikipedia (https://web.archive.org/web/20121029010231/http://www.missin...): > In 1984, the U.S. Congress passed the Missing Children’s Assistance Act which established a National Resource Center and Clearinghouse on Missing and Exploited Children. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children was designated to fulfill this role. > On June 13, 1984, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children was opened by President Ronald Reagan in a White House Ceremony. The national 24-hour toll-free missing children’s hotline 1-800-THE-LOST opened as well. $40 million/year of U.S. government funding from a 2013 bill (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missing_Children%27s_Assistanc...): > The Missing Children's Assistance Reauthorization Act of 2013 (H.R. 3092) is a bill that was introduced into the United States House of Representatives during the 113th United States Congress. The Missing Children's Assistance Reauthorization Act of 2013 reauthorizes the Missing Children's Assistance Act and authorizes $40 million a year to fund the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. |