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by smeeth 1548 days ago
Two thoughts.

1) Good, simple politics. Protecting kids from predators is about as cut and dry an issue as you will ever find. Harry Potter vs Voldemort might be a more complicated moral issue.

2) I suspect that a few very well connected activists in the Bay Area have made it their life's work to get CSAM tools on sites.

Ashton Kutcher and his organization Thorn [0] are probably the best example of this. Thorn is an interesting example because it has been VERY good at making its case in the non-tech media e.g. [1], [2], [3] and in front of congress [4]. It should be said, Thorn makes technology that helps track down child exploitation and has had some great results, which deserve plaudits.

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thorn_(organization)

[1] https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2019/04/15/7126530...

[2] https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/02/opinion/sway-kara-swisher...

[3] https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/reliable-source/wp/2017/...

[4] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsgAq72bAoU