By participating as a collaborator, ASACP will be in a position to advise the coalition on processes for combating child pornography. ASACP also will lend its support for the coalition’s recruitment efforts.
Founding members of the coalition include AOL, American Express, the Bank of America, Chase, Citigroup, Discover, MasterCard, Microsoft, PayPal, Visa, Wells Fargo and Yahoo.
ASACP’s partnership with the coalition was cemented after Executive Director Joan Irvine traveled to Washington to meet with representatives of member companies, Department of Justice officials, Congressional staffers and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
“We’re very excited to be participating in the Coalition,” Irvine said. “ASACP has learned a lot during the past 10 years of operating our online CP reporting hotline. We want to share that information and explore ways to improve our interaction with financial institutions and government. It’s also a great opportunity for ASACP to showcase the adult industry’s efforts to protect children online.”
ASACP technical consultant Brandon Shalton of Cydata Services also was in attendance. Shalton participated on behalf of the ASACP in the coalition’s Detection and Action working groups.
The Financial Coalition Against Child Pornography was announced earlier this year. Its stated goal is to eliminate commercial child pornography by 2008.