ABSTRACT
Technological solutions have often been proposed as a possible means for online child protection through the use of filtering software and, more recently, the use of software to detect problematic use by offenders in the context of illegal images. However, filtering technologies currently in use are often easy to bypass and more advanced solutions, such as the Child Protection System (CPS) from TLO, though effective, pose significant resourcing challenges for law enforcement agencies. More recent research seeks to develop tools to enable police officers to combat predators in online social networks by automating various resource-intensive analysis tasks as well as identifying the stylistic footprints of offenders to enhance the investigators' understanding of behavioural patterns and tactics. First, this chapter examines the key challenges that technological solutions must overcome both from the perspective of offender tactics and typical constraints that govern investigative practices. This is followed by a discussion of recent research breakthroughs in technical solutions to overcome some of the aforementioned challenges. The chapter culminates with a roadmap for key technological advances and shifts in investigative practices that are needed to ensure that protective strategies can keep pace with the increasingly sophisticated tactics being employed by offenders.
