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6 min read

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Donor Spotlight: A Conversation with Lauren Bush Lauren on Protecting Children in the Digital Age

Why Lauren Gives to Thorn In an increasingly interconnected and digital world, the safety of our children online has never been more critical. We recently had the privilege of sitting […]

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What’s trending now?

6 min read

Research

Deepfake Nudes and Other Trends in Youth Behavior Online in 2023: New Research From Thorn

  Kids’ digital lives are flush with positive experiences, but also with very real risks — some of which are emerging so fast, society is racing to grasp them. Yet […]

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11 min read

News

Thorn and All Tech Is Human Forge Generative AI Principles with AI Leaders to Enact Strong Child Safety Commitments

Originally published April 2024 We are at a crossroads with generative artificial intelligence (generative AI). In the same way that the internet accelerated offline and online sexual harms against children, […]

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5 min read

Research

New Research from Thorn: Financial Sextortion on the Rise, Targeting Teen Boys

  The headlines are gut-wrenching. Young boys, targeted online by perpetrators in disguise, are being manipulated to produce sexual imagery only to be immediately exploited for monetary gain under the […]

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News

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4 min read

News

Thorn’s Safety by Design for Generative AI: Progress Reports

Safety By Design: Industry Commitments As part of Thorn and All Tech Is Human’s Safety By Design initiative, some of the world’s leading AI companies have made a significant commitment […]

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2 min read

News

Thorn Welcomes Two New Board Members

We are thrilled to announce the addition of two exceptional leaders to Thorn’s Board of Directors: Mike Abbott and John Bennett. Their combined wealth of experience in technology, artificial intelligence, […]

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6 min read

News

Thorn’s Safety by Design for Generative AI: 3-Month Progress Report on Civitai and Metaphysic

Three months ago, some of the world’s most influential AI leaders made a groundbreaking commitment to protect children from the misuse of generative AI technologies. In collaboration with Thorn and […]

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36 min read

News

TrustCon 2024 Panel: Enacting Generative AI Safety by Design Principles to Combat Child Sexual Abuse

Reflections on enacting the principles At 2024 TrustCon, Thorn’s Vice President of Data Science, Rebecca Portnoff, hosted a panel including some of the generative AI leaders who made commitments this […]

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Technology for Good

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5 min read

Technology for Good

Introducing Safer Predict: Using the Power of AI to Detect Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Online

Our ability to upload content to our favorite apps or chat with others online is part of how we socialize with our digital communities. Yet, these same features are also […]

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6 min read

Technology for Good

How Thorn Helps Investigators Find Children Faster

It’s a common scenario in the fight to identify and defend children from sexual abuse: A popular social media platform discovers child sexual abuse material (CSAM) circulating on its site. […]

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6 min read

Technology for Good

Why we research: Connecting and moving the entire child safety ecosystem

  These days, technology moves faster than ever, and the ways in which young people use it evolve rapidly with it. New apps, social trends, and cultural norms constantly shift […]

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4 min read

Technology for Good

We’re Creating a Safer Internet, Together

At Thorn, we’re dedicated to building technology to defend children from sexual abuse. Key to this mission is our CSAM detection solution, Safer, which allows content-hosting platforms to find and […]

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Support Us

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6 min read

Support Us

Donor Spotlight: A Conversation with Lauren Bush Lauren on Protecting Children in the Digital Age

Why Lauren Gives to Thorn In an increasingly interconnected and digital world, the safety of our children online has never been more critical. We recently had the privilege of sitting […]

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3 min read

Support Us

Thorn Messages of Support

What keeps professionals dedicated to defending children from sexual abuse? Collaboration, grit, and vision. Hear four diverse perspectives from our team.

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4 min read

News Support Us

Thorn’s 2023 Achievements To Date

Thorn addresses child sexual abuse from three focus areas: accelerate victim identification, equip platforms to stop the viral spread of CSAM, and empower the public with resources for youth and their caregivers to navigate digital safety conversations.

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4 min read

Support Us

How to Create a Facebook Fundraiser for Thorn

Here at Thorn we’re inspired by you—our supporters. And we’re really proud of the number of supporters fundraising for us on Facebook. Here’s how you can join in rallying your […]

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The Issue

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7 min read

The Issue

Lennon Torres: I was groomed online, youth deserve a safer internet

Lennon shares how she was groomed online Transcripts are autogenerated Cindy Peralta: Today, we have the privilege of hearing from survivors and advocates who have lived through these harms and […]

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6 min read

The Issue

Pauline Stuart: I Want Parents to Know the Truth About Sextortion

Pauline shares how her son was financially sextorted Transcripts are autogenerated Cindy Peralta: Today, we have the privilege of hearing from survivors and advocates who have lived through these harms […]

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5 min read

The Issue

“Will I be Believed?” How deepfakes risk eroding kids’ confidence in the people around them

Imagine a 14-year-old boy sitting in his bedroom, staring at his computer screen, his heart pounding. He’s just received a message from someone he thought was a friend — now […]

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Research

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4 min read

Research

New Research: Horizon scanning identifies technology evolutions in online child safety

Analyzing urgent technology threats and trends At Thorn, we know that nearly all technological innovation in our digital lives brings opportunities and risks – and often has safety implications for […]

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6 min read

Research

Deepfake Nudes and Other Trends in Youth Behavior Online in 2023: New Research From Thorn

  Kids’ digital lives are flush with positive experiences, but also with very real risks — some of which are emerging so fast, society is racing to grasp them. Yet […]

Read Article

5 min read

Research

New Research from Thorn: Financial Sextortion on the Rise, Targeting Teen Boys

  The headlines are gut-wrenching. Young boys, targeted online by perpetrators in disguise, are being manipulated to produce sexual imagery only to be immediately exploited for monetary gain under the […]

Read Article

Our Bold Goal

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6 min read

Our Bold Goal

12 Years of Thorn

12 years ago this month, Thorn set out with a bold purpose: to build technology to fight the sexual abuse and exploitation of children. It was an ambitious goal, but […]

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5 min read

Our Bold Goal

Thorn CEO Julie Cordua: My Vision for 2024

As we look ahead to 2024, I’m taking time to reflect on the significant strides Thorn has made last year in our vital mission to defend children from sexual abuse.  […]

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3 min read

Our Bold Goal

Thorn CEO Julie Cordua: My Vision for 2023

As we look ahead to 2023, I’m taking a moment to pause and reflect on the work Thorn is doing to create a different – a better – future for our children. 

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5 min read

Our Bold Goal

Thorn at Ten: A Decade of Progress

In Thorn’s first decade, the digital pioneer became a powerhouse in defending children from sexual abuse. Check out our proudest moments in our latest blog.

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4 min read

Our Bold Goal

Thorn CEO Julie Cordua: My vision for 2022

“​​A world where every child can simply be a kid—where they can live connected lives without being sexually exploited or revictimized.” This is a key message from what I call […]

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4 min read

Our Bold Goal

Thorn turns 9: Celebrating our top 9 moments from 2021

On this day 9 years ago, Thorn was born. It was comprised of a handful of people just beginning to understand the role of technology in child sexual abuse. Today, […]

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4 min read

Our Bold Goal

Two years after TED, we stand at a critical moment in the fight to eliminate CSAM

Two years ago, I stepped onto the TED stage to deliver a message about what my team at Thorn was working on:  “We’re building the technology to connect these dots, […]

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3 min read

Our Bold Goal

Thorn’s 2020 impact

Thorn’s impact in 2020 was only possible because of you — our partners, our supporters, and everyone working on the front lines to ensure children can be safe, curious, and […]

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5 min read

Our Bold Goal

A Bold Goal: Eliminating Child Sexual Abuse from the Internet

Julie Cordua, CEO of Thorn, on setting big goals, TED and The Audacious Project — At Thorn, our vision has always been clear, but the path has not. At every […]

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Prevention

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6 min read

Prevention

Online grooming: What it is, how it happens, and how to defend children

Finding something in common. Telling personal stories. Sharing something just a little bit vulnerable and creating a bond. We all do this to build trust. But what if someone takes that trust to a place where we never want it to go?

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6 min read

Prevention

Sextortion: What it is, How it Happens and Who’s at Risk

Sextortion is when someone’s sexual imagery is used to extort them. Put simply, it’s when someone blackmails or threatens to expose another person’s sexual imagery to make that person do something they don’t want to do, like send more compromising photos, maintain contact, or send money.

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5 min read

Prevention

Sextortion survivors share their stories to help other victims

Sextortion survivors want you to know that it can happen to anyone. Read the three pieces of advice they’d give to anyone being blackmailed for nudes.

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6 min read

Prevention

Sextortion: What to do if someone is blackmailing you with nudes

We discuss how sextortion happens and what to do if it happens to you.

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Life at Thorn

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Melissa

3 min read

Life at Thorn

Meet the Team: A Conversation with Melissa Stroebel

At Thorn, we bring together the best hearts and minds from tech, child protection, business and nonprofit fields to create powerful products and programs to defend children from sexual abuse. […]

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4 min read

Life at Thorn Prevention

Meet the Team: A Conversation with Dr. Rebecca Portnoff

Dr. Rebecca Portnoff, Head of Data Science at Thorn, shares more about her career and what working to defend children with tech is like.

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3 min read

Life at Thorn

10 Wellness Tips for World Mental Health Day

Once you know about child sexual abuse, you can’t un-know it. In order to stay resilient in the fight to defend children from sexual abuse, protecting mental health is paramount. 

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