ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on classes of technological intervention and explores what might be considered the state of the art – namely machine learning and intelligent systems that are proposed to provide solutions to issues that have long plagued the safeguarding arena, for example, image recognition and natural language processing. A common emerging thread among the new class of online safeguarding tools for both home use and also specialist domains such as law enforcement is they generally claim some form of artificial intelligence. Within law enforcement there is growing reliance upon machine-learning systems to tackle the proliferation of child abuse images online that is both worthy and concerning. The algorithm can merely confirm whether the image is the same as a known image, identified as indecent through human intervention. There is an apocryphal tale often told about an image detection system that tried to detect tanks hidden in cover such as trees.
