Google Builds Custom Tech for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children

On Monday, Google and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) announced that Google has built custom video and image search technology for the center, to be used in the fight against child porn. Google had joined NCMEC's Technology Coalition Against Child Pornography in August of 2006.

In their press release, NCMEC said:

"Criminals are using cutting edge technology to commit their crimes of child sexual exploitation, and in fighting to solve those crimes and keep children safe, we must do the same," said Ernie Allen, president and CEO of NCMEC. "That is why we are so grateful to Google for providing new tools that will enable the National Center to better serve law enforcement in battling exploitation and rescuing children."

The Google technology will enable NCMEC analysts to more quickly and easily search NCMEC's systems to sort and identify files that contain images of child pornography victims. New video tools from Google will streamline analysts' review of video snippets from files seized in child pornography cases. Comparing these images and videos through an automated process enabled by custom-built Google technology has a real potential to assist law enforcement in child pornography investigations.

Managing, organizing, and searching vast amounts of data has always been Google's strength. Obviously, of course, since it's that effectiveness that has led, at least in part, to Google's dominance in search. It's great to see that expertise put to use against one of the more heinous types of crimes.