A tool for the detection Child Sexual Abuse Materials and harmful/abusive images
by Project Arachnid of the Canadian Centre for Child Protection Inc. in Winnipeg, Canada
TLDR;
Project Arachnid is a toolset designed to detect known child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and harmful/abusive images of children online, then issue removal (takedown) requests to the relevant sites and service providers. It combines automated detection with trained analysts and a global collaboration network.
Shield is the industry-facing component of Project Arachnid: a no-cost API that lets electronic service providers compare incoming or existing media against Project Arachnid’s “digital fingerprints”. This allows them to detect known CSAM, prevent their distribution or accelerate removal as part of a broader content moderation strategy.
Use cases
What use cases does Shield provide?
Shield can be used for the following use cases:
- Scan media for known CSAM before they are posted (Upload prevention / proactive detection).
- Find known CSAM / harmful-abusive content in existing media (Retroactive scanning).
- Initiate takedown requests to operators/hosts of identified content to remove violating content (Takedown workflow enablement).
- Support survivors to request removal of their images/videos (Survivor support).
- Cross-border collaboration among hotlines/child-protection organizations to classify suspect content and improve notice issuance.
Key features
Which features does Shield provide?
Shield offers the following key features:
- Hash-based matching for images/videos, including exact and close matches (perceptual hashing / PhotoDNA).
- API access to compare content against Project Arachnid’s hash list (“digital fingerprints”).
- Software Development Kits (SDKs) – There are TypeScript, Python, Rust, and PHP SDKs available on GitHub.
- Generate removal notices when violating content is detected.
- Submission for analyst review + global partner network through hotlines/child-protection organizations to classify suspect media.
Integration
How do product teams access the functionality of Shield and how is Shield integrated?
- API (Shield): product teams can sign up/log in to obtain an API key and integrate Shield functionality through an API.
- Software Development Kits (SDKs): product teams can embed functionality using TypeScript, Python, Rust, PHP SDKs that are published on GitHub.
- Local hash databases: Product teams developing high-volume services can apply to Project Arachnid to obtain a local hash list instead of having to access an API for every request.
Supported laws and requirements
With which laws and requirements does the solution seek to support compliance?
On the basis of the information provided by the developer of the solution:
- Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (“PIPEDA”) and other Canadian private-sector privacy laws
Disclaimer: for this review we rely on public information released by the solution developer. We have not assessed whether the solution complies with all applicable laws. We also make no assertion as to the adequacy of the solution for your specific situation in this general review. It is your responsibility to assess the suitability of the solution for your specific use case and to obtain appropriate legal advice before procuring, implementing or using the solution.
Pricing
- Product teams can use Shield at no cost (“No Cost Tool for Industry”).