My Lords, Amendment 271A is in my name and I support the other amendments in this group. As this is the first time I have spoken on the Bill, I draw attention to my interests on the register, particularly the fact that I am an investor in a wide range of companies, including many software companies.

My Amendment 271A, if passed, would have the effect of software being used to screen out all child sexual abuse material, including live-streaming, on smartphones and tablets, and in due course on all devices. It would also apply to private communications, which is where the Majority of live-streamed child sexual abuse takes place and which is not covered by the Online Safety Act.

There is a vast, ghastly industry where children, generally in the Far East or South America, are put in a room with a camera, and people—I would call them perverts—in another country pay to see them sexually abused. I am ashamed to say that this country is the third-largest consumer of this stuff. Men who indulge in viewing child sexual abuse material are two and a half times more likely to commit child abuse themselves and, of course, children might view it online.

Historically, it has been difficult to screen this stuff out because it happens in real time and will often be taken down quickly. However, AI-powered detection technology offers a breakthrough. This technology can be embedded directly into the operating system of the internet-connected, camera-enabled smart device. It identifies and disrupts child sexual abuse material in real time, preventing it being captured or viewed. As detection happens entirely on the device, it preserves user privacy and is fully compatible with end-to-end encryption.

The UK Government should therefore now legislate to require device manufacturers and operating system services to incorporate safeguards which disrupt child sexual abuse material, including live-streaming, into the operating systems of devices sold in the UK, putting a stop to the abuse before it starts. That is what my amendment would do.

Europol states that live-streamed child sexual abuse is

“the main form of commercial sexual exploitation of children” and it is rising. It involves hundreds of thousands of children. These are children such as Joy. When she was eight, her parents moved away from the Philippines for work, meaning she had to stay with relatives and neighbours. She babysat, did laundry, cleaned floors—whatever she was asked to do. Joy passed from home to home, saying she felt

“like a dog … I lived wherever I can possibly stay – with my relatives that will accept me”.

A woman she trusted invited her and her friends into her home. Joy explains what happened next.

“I was surprised when she asked us to go naked, and then she said she will take pictures of us together. I was so scared, nervous and confused. I didn’t know what to do. But since we were already inside her house, we were left with no choice but to follow her instructions”.

She was then sexually abused, while the abuse was live-streamed for demand-side offenders from countries such as the UK, who paid to watch online.

When Cassie was 12 years old, she followed a family friend’s promise of new clothes, school supplies and a chance to get a good education in Manila. For nearly five years, she was trapped with other young women and children, including a two year-old child, who were subjected to horrific abuse. By day, she went to school, but at night and on weekends, she was raped and forced to perform sex acts in front of a webcam broadcast to customers located all around the world.

Before, perverts had to physically travel to the Philippines or elsewhere to sexually abuse children. Now, they can search online, anonymously wire a payment and direct live sexual abuse of a child from the safety of their homes. Nearly 500,000 Filipino children were trafficked to produce child sexual exploitation material in 2022—roughly one in every 100 Filipino children.

We surely must now legislate to screen out all child sexual abuse material, including live-streaming. The technology is now available to do this, and I commend my amendment to the Committee.