Latest news with #Rouse
The Advertiser
17-07-2025
- The Advertiser
AI turbocharges child abuse as image-creation made easy
Australia needs to re-examine how it tackles child sexual exploitation as experts warn rapid development in artificial intelligence is widening gaps exploited by perpetrators. International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children chief executive Colm Gannon said the organisation had received a 1325 per cent spike in reports involving AI-generated child sexual abuse material in a year. The centre received more than 67,000 reports on the matter in 2024. Experts and government officials convened at Parliament House for a round table to address the increasing use of AI in the sexual exploitation of children. Child safety advocates called for the explicit criminalisation of the use and possession of software designed to generate child sexual exploitation material. "I have been involved in investigations where there is active trading and profiteering from using these models, it's a pay-as-you-use design that's happening within child sexual offender communities," Mr Gannon told reporters in Canberra on Thursday. "There is no social-positive reason why people are going to be in possession of this software except to generate child sexual abuse material." A 10-year government plan released in 2021 to address child protection needed to be updated to capture new technology as it didn't mention AI and associated harms, he said. Child abuse survivor Grace Tame said there needed to be a broader review into tackling child sexual exploitation with a royal commission into institutional child sexual abuse more than a decade ago failing to examine key issues. "It was very specifically focused on institutional child sexual abuse and the responses of institutions," the former Australia of the Year said. "Incest accounts for the overwhelming majority of all child sexual abuse. "A lot of this is taking place in home, a lot of the online content that we're seeing is often filmed by parents and distributed by parents and there's no institution involved in that." Jon Rouse, who worked in law enforcement for nearly four decades and tackled online child exploitation material, called for authorities to be given greater resources and new tools to quickly identify victims and combat the crime. "The tragedy about that is that if we don't find them quickly, they get buried in a landslide of new content," he said of child abuse content. Mr Rouse also demanded risk assessments for new technology as social media algorithms pushed users toward disturbing and harmful content. "The tragedy is we're at a point now where we're having to ban our kids from social media, because we can't rely on any sector of the industry to protect our kids, which is pretty sad," he said. One social media app kept suggesting AI-generated content of scantily clad mothers with young children, he said, showing reporters a series of photos. "They're not sexually explicit but they are telling you something about the people that created them," Mr Rouse said. There also needed to be community-wide education on how to spot problem behaviours and precipitating actions from offenders, Ms Tame said. "We've been talking about early childhood education - these kids are pre-verbal, so they're even more vulnerable," she said. Lifeline 13 11 14 Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800 (for people aged 5 to 25) 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028 Australia needs to re-examine how it tackles child sexual exploitation as experts warn rapid development in artificial intelligence is widening gaps exploited by perpetrators. International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children chief executive Colm Gannon said the organisation had received a 1325 per cent spike in reports involving AI-generated child sexual abuse material in a year. The centre received more than 67,000 reports on the matter in 2024. Experts and government officials convened at Parliament House for a round table to address the increasing use of AI in the sexual exploitation of children. Child safety advocates called for the explicit criminalisation of the use and possession of software designed to generate child sexual exploitation material. "I have been involved in investigations where there is active trading and profiteering from using these models, it's a pay-as-you-use design that's happening within child sexual offender communities," Mr Gannon told reporters in Canberra on Thursday. "There is no social-positive reason why people are going to be in possession of this software except to generate child sexual abuse material." A 10-year government plan released in 2021 to address child protection needed to be updated to capture new technology as it didn't mention AI and associated harms, he said. Child abuse survivor Grace Tame said there needed to be a broader review into tackling child sexual exploitation with a royal commission into institutional child sexual abuse more than a decade ago failing to examine key issues. "It was very specifically focused on institutional child sexual abuse and the responses of institutions," the former Australia of the Year said. "Incest accounts for the overwhelming majority of all child sexual abuse. "A lot of this is taking place in home, a lot of the online content that we're seeing is often filmed by parents and distributed by parents and there's no institution involved in that." Jon Rouse, who worked in law enforcement for nearly four decades and tackled online child exploitation material, called for authorities to be given greater resources and new tools to quickly identify victims and combat the crime. "The tragedy about that is that if we don't find them quickly, they get buried in a landslide of new content," he said of child abuse content. Mr Rouse also demanded risk assessments for new technology as social media algorithms pushed users toward disturbing and harmful content. "The tragedy is we're at a point now where we're having to ban our kids from social media, because we can't rely on any sector of the industry to protect our kids, which is pretty sad," he said. One social media app kept suggesting AI-generated content of scantily clad mothers with young children, he said, showing reporters a series of photos. "They're not sexually explicit but they are telling you something about the people that created them," Mr Rouse said. There also needed to be community-wide education on how to spot problem behaviours and precipitating actions from offenders, Ms Tame said. "We've been talking about early childhood education - these kids are pre-verbal, so they're even more vulnerable," she said. Lifeline 13 11 14 Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800 (for people aged 5 to 25) 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028 Australia needs to re-examine how it tackles child sexual exploitation as experts warn rapid development in artificial intelligence is widening gaps exploited by perpetrators. International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children chief executive Colm Gannon said the organisation had received a 1325 per cent spike in reports involving AI-generated child sexual abuse material in a year. The centre received more than 67,000 reports on the matter in 2024. Experts and government officials convened at Parliament House for a round table to address the increasing use of AI in the sexual exploitation of children. Child safety advocates called for the explicit criminalisation of the use and possession of software designed to generate child sexual exploitation material. "I have been involved in investigations where there is active trading and profiteering from using these models, it's a pay-as-you-use design that's happening within child sexual offender communities," Mr Gannon told reporters in Canberra on Thursday. "There is no social-positive reason why people are going to be in possession of this software except to generate child sexual abuse material." A 10-year government plan released in 2021 to address child protection needed to be updated to capture new technology as it didn't mention AI and associated harms, he said. Child abuse survivor Grace Tame said there needed to be a broader review into tackling child sexual exploitation with a royal commission into institutional child sexual abuse more than a decade ago failing to examine key issues. "It was very specifically focused on institutional child sexual abuse and the responses of institutions," the former Australia of the Year said. "Incest accounts for the overwhelming majority of all child sexual abuse. "A lot of this is taking place in home, a lot of the online content that we're seeing is often filmed by parents and distributed by parents and there's no institution involved in that." Jon Rouse, who worked in law enforcement for nearly four decades and tackled online child exploitation material, called for authorities to be given greater resources and new tools to quickly identify victims and combat the crime. "The tragedy about that is that if we don't find them quickly, they get buried in a landslide of new content," he said of child abuse content. Mr Rouse also demanded risk assessments for new technology as social media algorithms pushed users toward disturbing and harmful content. "The tragedy is we're at a point now where we're having to ban our kids from social media, because we can't rely on any sector of the industry to protect our kids, which is pretty sad," he said. One social media app kept suggesting AI-generated content of scantily clad mothers with young children, he said, showing reporters a series of photos. "They're not sexually explicit but they are telling you something about the people that created them," Mr Rouse said. There also needed to be community-wide education on how to spot problem behaviours and precipitating actions from offenders, Ms Tame said. "We've been talking about early childhood education - these kids are pre-verbal, so they're even more vulnerable," she said. Lifeline 13 11 14 Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800 (for people aged 5 to 25) 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028 Australia needs to re-examine how it tackles child sexual exploitation as experts warn rapid development in artificial intelligence is widening gaps exploited by perpetrators. International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children chief executive Colm Gannon said the organisation had received a 1325 per cent spike in reports involving AI-generated child sexual abuse material in a year. The centre received more than 67,000 reports on the matter in 2024. Experts and government officials convened at Parliament House for a round table to address the increasing use of AI in the sexual exploitation of children. Child safety advocates called for the explicit criminalisation of the use and possession of software designed to generate child sexual exploitation material. "I have been involved in investigations where there is active trading and profiteering from using these models, it's a pay-as-you-use design that's happening within child sexual offender communities," Mr Gannon told reporters in Canberra on Thursday. "There is no social-positive reason why people are going to be in possession of this software except to generate child sexual abuse material." A 10-year government plan released in 2021 to address child protection needed to be updated to capture new technology as it didn't mention AI and associated harms, he said. Child abuse survivor Grace Tame said there needed to be a broader review into tackling child sexual exploitation with a royal commission into institutional child sexual abuse more than a decade ago failing to examine key issues. "It was very specifically focused on institutional child sexual abuse and the responses of institutions," the former Australia of the Year said. "Incest accounts for the overwhelming majority of all child sexual abuse. "A lot of this is taking place in home, a lot of the online content that we're seeing is often filmed by parents and distributed by parents and there's no institution involved in that." Jon Rouse, who worked in law enforcement for nearly four decades and tackled online child exploitation material, called for authorities to be given greater resources and new tools to quickly identify victims and combat the crime. "The tragedy about that is that if we don't find them quickly, they get buried in a landslide of new content," he said of child abuse content. Mr Rouse also demanded risk assessments for new technology as social media algorithms pushed users toward disturbing and harmful content. "The tragedy is we're at a point now where we're having to ban our kids from social media, because we can't rely on any sector of the industry to protect our kids, which is pretty sad," he said. One social media app kept suggesting AI-generated content of scantily clad mothers with young children, he said, showing reporters a series of photos. "They're not sexually explicit but they are telling you something about the people that created them," Mr Rouse said. There also needed to be community-wide education on how to spot problem behaviours and precipitating actions from offenders, Ms Tame said. "We've been talking about early childhood education - these kids are pre-verbal, so they're even more vulnerable," she said. Lifeline 13 11 14 Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800 (for people aged 5 to 25) 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028
7NEWS
17-07-2025
- 7NEWS
Child abuse images a click away as experts warn predators are using AI
Australia needs to re-examine how it tackles child sexual exploitation as experts warn rapid development in artificial intelligence is widening gaps exploited by perpetrators. International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children chief executive Colm Gannon said the organisation had received a 1325 per cent spike in reports involving AI-generated child sexual abuse material in a year. The centre received more than 67,000 reports on the matter in 2024. Experts and government officials convened at Parliament House for a round table to address the increasing use of AI in the sexual exploitation of children. Child safety advocates called for the explicit criminalisation of the use and possession of software designed to generate child sexual exploitation material. 'I have been involved in investigations where there is active trading and profiteering from using these models, it's a pay-as-you-use design that's happening within child sexual offender communities,' Gannon told reporters in Canberra on Thursday. 'There is no social-positive reason why people are going to be in possession of this software except to generate child sexual abuse material.' A 10-year government plan released in 2021 to address child protection needed to be updated to capture new technology as it didn't mention AI and associated harms, he said. Child abuse survivor Grace Tame said there needed to be a broader review into tackling child sexual exploitation with a royal commission into institutional child sexual abuse more than a decade ago failing to examine key issues. 'It was very specifically focused on institutional child sexual abuse and the responses of institutions,' the former Australian of the Year said. 'Incest accounts for the overwhelming majority of all child sexual abuse. 'A lot of this is taking place in home, a lot of the online content that we're seeing is often filmed by parents and distributed by parents and there's no institution involved in that.' Jon Rouse, who worked in law enforcement for nearly four decades and tackled online child exploitation material, called for authorities to be given greater resources and new tools to quickly identify victims and combat the crime. 'The tragedy about that is that if we don't find them quickly, they get buried in a landslide of new content,' he said of child abuse content. Rouse also demanded risk assessments for new technology as social media algorithms pushed users toward disturbing and harmful content. 'The tragedy is we're at a point now where we're having to ban our kids from social media, because we can't rely on any sector of the industry to protect our kids, which is pretty sad,' he said. One social media app kept suggesting AI-generated content of scantily clad mothers with young children, he said, showing reporters a series of photos. 'They're not sexually explicit but they are telling you something about the people that created them,' Rouse said. There also needed to be community-wide education on how to spot problem behaviours and precipitating actions from offenders, Tame said. 'We've been talking about early childhood education — these kids are pre-verbal, so they're even more vulnerable,' she said.
Perth Now
17-07-2025
- Perth Now
AI turbocharges child abuse as image-creation made easy
Australia needs to re-examine how it tackles child sexual exploitation as experts warn rapid development in artificial intelligence is widening gaps exploited by perpetrators. International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children chief executive Colm Gannon said the organisation had received a 1325 per cent spike in reports involving AI-generated child sexual abuse material in a year. The centre received more than 67,000 reports on the matter in 2024. Experts and government officials convened at Parliament House for a round table to address the increasing use of AI in the sexual exploitation of children. Child safety advocates called for the explicit criminalisation of the use and possession of software designed to generate child sexual exploitation material. "I have been involved in investigations where there is active trading and profiteering from using these models, it's a pay-as-you-use design that's happening within child sexual offender communities," Mr Gannon told reporters in Canberra on Thursday. "There is no social-positive reason why people are going to be in possession of this software except to generate child sexual abuse material." A 10-year government plan released in 2021 to address child protection needed to be updated to capture new technology as it didn't mention AI and associated harms, he said. Child abuse survivor Grace Tame said there needed to be a broader review into tackling child sexual exploitation with a royal commission into institutional child sexual abuse more than a decade ago failing to examine key issues. "It was very specifically focused on institutional child sexual abuse and the responses of institutions," the former Australia of the Year said. "Incest accounts for the overwhelming majority of all child sexual abuse. "A lot of this is taking place in home, a lot of the online content that we're seeing is often filmed by parents and distributed by parents and there's no institution involved in that." Jon Rouse, who worked in law enforcement for nearly four decades and tackled online child exploitation material, called for authorities to be given greater resources and new tools to quickly identify victims and combat the crime. "The tragedy about that is that if we don't find them quickly, they get buried in a landslide of new content," he said of child abuse content. Mr Rouse also demanded risk assessments for new technology as social media algorithms pushed users toward disturbing and harmful content. "The tragedy is we're at a point now where we're having to ban our kids from social media, because we can't rely on any sector of the industry to protect our kids, which is pretty sad," he said. One social media app kept suggesting AI-generated content of scantily clad mothers with young children, he said, showing reporters a series of photos. "They're not sexually explicit but they are telling you something about the people that created them," Mr Rouse said. There also needed to be community-wide education on how to spot problem behaviours and precipitating actions from offenders, Ms Tame said. "We've been talking about early childhood education - these kids are pre-verbal, so they're even more vulnerable," she said. Lifeline 13 11 14 Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800 (for people aged 5 to 25) 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Summer of history in Clinton County starts today
ROUSES POINT — A lot went down in Rouses Point, and the Rouses Point History and Welcome Center interprets the village's history from its origins with Canadian settler Jacques Rouse (Rousse or Rowse) to the present. The center is featured on the cover of the 2025 Adirondack Coast Arts & History Passport, which visitors need today if they want to get their stamps on the 16th Annual Museum Day. 'Rouses Point was named after Capt. Jacques Rouse,' Brandon G. Racine, village historian, said. 'He wasn't a captain at the time. He fought in the Revolutionary War. He was born in Canada and fought with the Americans against the British. When the war was over, he didn't have a home anymore because the British considered him a traitor. So, he was like in limbo. So, they created the Nova Scotia Refugee Tract of 1783, and they gave lots according to time served.' In addition to his own allotment, Rouse purchased 13 lots from other soldiers, who would rather have cash. 'He established a tavern and a pier on the water in between where the bridge and the fort land is,' Racine said. 'He was the first settler, so they named the town after him. He was born in 1753 around Chipoudy. His mother was Marie Comeau. They were all Acadian families. They are not sure if he was English or French. But his father, Louis Rouse, was a French soldier.' Racine's great-great-great-great-great-grandmother was Marie Louise Rouse. 'Jacques' sister, younger by five years,' he said. 'I am a Rouse descendant.' TRAINS & THINGS Located in the former D & H station at 68 Pratt St., the center is replete with images and artifacts from the storied railroad's history there and beyond. 'We actually opened the station in 2014, once it was renovated through grants and everything through the village, whatever,' Robert St. John, president of the Rouses Point-Champlain Historical Society, said. 'The village actually owns the building, and then the historical society, along with the village Rouses Point historian, owns the artifacts that are inside here. This area here, which was the ticket master and station master's area, we are keeping this all railroad.' Many artifacts were left in the building by the railroad company, and others were sourced from village residents and Vermont collectors. The rear room features rotating two-year exhibits such as the current one on the village's history. 'We do have people that have loaned us artifacts to display, and we also have donations of artifacts that are on display,' St. John said. The Rouses Point History and Welcome Center always coordinates its seasonal opening with Museum Days, the brainchild of Bob Parks, former Press-Republican publisher. The event is hosted by the Adirondack Coast Cultural Alliance in conjunction with the Adirondack Coast Visitors Bureau. 'We have reduced it to one day instead of two,' Geri Favreau, ACCA president, said. 'The hours are different. The museums were finding it too difficult. You know, everybody is looking for volunteers and stuff. It was just too difficult to be open two days and long hours. That's why we made the change this year. We all agreed. People have to refer to the poster to see open hours. Everybody is open definitely from 11 to 3. Some are open earlier. Some are open later or whatever. I would like to stress that other than those hours only for this one Saturday. They need to refer to the Passport for the rest of the year. The hours are different for everybody.' From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, participating locations will offer demonstrations, tours, exhibits, hands-on activities and more. Each museum has a unique story to tell and most are run totally by volunteers. The Passport is available at all venues. 'Our museums help tell the unique story of the Adirondack Coast — from Indigenous roots and early settlement to military milestones, arts, and local industry. They are community treasures that thrive thanks to generous volunteers and engaged visitors,' Kristy Kennedy, vice president of marketing and tourism for the Adirondack Coast Visitors Bureau, said. Admission fees will vary from venue to venue. 'It will be different for everyone,' Favreau said. 'Some will be charging admission. Some will have a donation jar; actually they all have a donation jar. Some of the museums, that's how they survive is on donations that they get from their visitors.' This year's event coincides with the first of two New York State 'Path Through History' weekends, Saturday and Sunday, and Oct. 11-13.
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Va. lawmakers reject latest Youngkin appointees to university boards
Gov. Glenn Youngkin speaks with members of the media in Virginia's Capitol on Jan. 13, 2025. (Photo by Charlotte Rene Woods /Virginia Mercury) Senate Democrats rejected several appointees to Virginia's governing boards at various colleges on Monday, including former Virginia Attorney General Kenneth Cuccinelli and former state commerce and trade secretary Caren Merrick. The Monday vote by the Senate Privileges and Elections Committee removed all eight appointees made by Gov. Glenn Youngkin. The move, which Democratic leaders attributed to differences in political values, now puts the decision to find replacements in the governor's hands once again. 'The work and the oversight that we have and as chairman of this committee is to provide accountability and oversight to our prestigious institutions to ensure that those bodies align with our values and what we see in the political climate today, especially coming out of Washington, trying to make their way into our commonwealth,' said Senate Privileges and Elections Committee Chair Aaron Rouse, D-Virginia Beach. 'It is our job to stand up and protect those values, and that is what we are doing today.' In a statement after the meeting, Rouse referred to Cuccinelli and the other seven appointees as 'MAGA extremists' and 'Project 2025 supporters,' who are opposed to Democrats' progressive ideals. Cuccinelli's 'extreme' position on reproductive rights, his work Project 2025 — a conservative plan for how the country should operate under Republican control — and his 'hateful attacks' on LGBTQ Virginians prevented Rouse from lending his support to the governor's appointment for Cuccinelli to serve on the University of Virginia's Board of Visitors, the Democratic senator said. 'He's a Trump crony who is simply too extreme to have a role in shaping one of our commonwealth's flagship universities,' Rouse, who is running for lieutenant governor and facing five Democratic contenders, said of Cuccinelli. Merrick was slated to serve at George Mason University under the governor's appointment. The remaining seven nominees were to serve at Virginia Military Institute and George Mason, but they were all denied by the Democratic-controlled committee in an 8-4 vote. Three Senate Republicans were missing from the meeting. In response to their colleagues' action, Sen. Glen Sturtevant, R-Chesterfield, and Sen. Bill DeSteph, R-Virginia Beach, defended the governor's appointees, highlighting that the group is made up of former public servants on the state and federal levels, military service members, and private sector leaders. 'There is nothing about any of these individuals that makes them unqualified to serve the commonwealth of Virginia in any of these positions,' Sturtevant said at Monday's meeting. 'These are all highly qualified appointees.' DeSteph and Sturtevant also questioned why a joint subcommittee made up of members from both the Senate and House Privileges and Elections Committees had not met to review the statements and economic interests of the appointees, per state code. Rouse directed the question to the subcommittee's attorney who said he was not aware of if the subcommittee is active. 'We have to follow the law and what the law says,' Sturtevant said, adding that any motion on the appointees moving forward would be 'out of order,' 'improper' and 'not in compliance' with state law. DeSteph, who was uncertain if the committee was properly formed, added that the state law says that there 'shall' be a subcommittee. 'This isn't a 'may.' This isn't a 'you can ignore this.' This is a 'shall,' DeSteph said. 'Normally, when something is in code that strict we kind of do it. Otherwise this is Step A before Step B.' Staff was unable to determine when the subcommittee last met or how many of the governor's appointees have been confirmed. Rouse estimated hundreds. No, FEMA Helene funds aren't going to undocumented immigrants, despite Youngkin appointee's tweet Earlier this year, Democrats also blocked nine of Youngkin's appointees, including two Virginia Military Institute Board of Visitors nominees. In a June 9 letter, Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell, D-Fairfax, wrote to all the heads of Virginia's public universities that state code requires all governing body members to be confirmed by the General Assembly, stating that they 'will not confirm individuals who do not possess the judgment, character, or willingness to follow the principles' he outlined in the letter. Some of those principles require board members to understand their fiduciary duties, to commit to the independent governance of such institutions, and to avoid excessive partisan inclinations. 'The General Assembly takes seriously its oversight responsibilities regarding Virginia's public universities,' Surovell wrote. 'Should any Board of Visitors fail to exercise appropriate independent judgment or allow external influences to compromise their fiduciary duties, the General Assembly will not hesitate to examine the situation and take whatever legislative action may be necessary.' The letter went on to remind university heads that they are accountable to the General Assembly and that the boards must exercise independent judgment and are not obligated to the directives of the governor. 'Virginia is proud to maintain one of the strongest public higher education systems in America,' the letter states. 'Our commonwealth is home to some of the nation's oldest and most prestigious institutions, and they deserve governance that is independent, principled, and focused solely on their academic mission and service to the commonwealth.' State legislators are now considering other university BOV nominees, a process that is slated to continue through the end of the year. If Youngkin plans to appoint new members to fill expiring seats, he has until the end of his term in January. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
