SWHT - CSAM and What it is and how it can affect your family.

This podcast provides a high-level overview of how U.S. states are updating criminal statutes to address harmful misuse of AI, Child Sexual Abuse Material(CSAM), and digital editing involving minors, including a referenced map/report that catalogs state-by-state legal approaches. It frames the topic as a public-safety and victim-protection issue, notes that legislation has accelerated recently, and highlights that definitions and coverage differ across jurisdictions (for example, whether laws require an identifiable real child or also cover realistic synthetic depictions). It also situates these legal developments within broader concerns about technology-enabled exploitation and the need for awareness, prevention, and accountability.

Transcript

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Welcome back to the secret world of human trafficking. I'm your host, David J. Story, and I'm also the author of the Omega book series. I hope you'll learn something from today's episode. Before we dive into our topic for today, I want to answer one of the Omega fans emails that I've received. Kim asks this question Will Shay and Jack ever become a couple? Well, their relationship is more of a very close brother and sister. They both have great mutual respect for each other. They joke around with each other, challenging each other, and sometimes bickering like normal brothers and sisters. And like brothers and sisters, they might go days without speaking with each other. One thing that I will tell you, you better not ever come between the two of them. You will not like the outcome. This deep bond they have is rooted in their past trauma and their work together in the Omega group. They both are survivors of childhood sexual abuse, and this shared experience creates a unique understanding and empathy between the two of them. So to answer your question, Kim, there are no plans in the near future for them to become a couple. But you never know what the future might hold. You'll have to keep reading to find out. Thank you for your question, Kim. If anyone else has any questions about the Omega Book Series or this show, please send me an email at DavidJStory at Hotmail.com with your questions or comments. Now, let's get started on today's topic. Today we're going to talk about the use of AI in human trafficking. State laws outlawing AI generated or computer edited child sexual abuse material. CSAM C S A M. This research by Enough Abuse. This is a citizen group committed to ending the sexual abuse of children. They've documented that forty-five states have enacted laws that make it a crime to AI generate or computer edit C sound against child sexual abuse material. In comparison, five states and District of Columbia have not, as of August 2025. I'll cover these states later on in this episode. More than half of these laws were enacted between 2024 and 2025. This reflects strong concern by government officials and advocates about the significant increase in the creation, production, and distribution of these AI-generated or computer edited child exploitation material. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children reports that in the past two years it received over 7,000 reports of CSAM involving this AI technology. Its number is expected to do nothing but grow. AI or computer generated CSAM poses many dangers to children with this technology. Criminals can now generate, alter, or collect pictures of children that are identical to images real in real life. Children off of the internet, social media or photography. They can use parts of images of real children to create and compose images that are identical to particular children. And in ways that prevents even an expert from concluding that parts of images of real children were used. They can take the headshots of a child and place it on another body that they choose. Think about that. They can take a picture of your child at the store, playground, or wherever. They disguise pictures of real children being abused by making the image look computer generated. Sexually explicit depictions involving children, this is even if no physical abuse or contact occurred during their creation of the pictures or video. This can have significant psychological and long-term impact on the children being depicted if these pictures were to get out. Artificially generated or computer edited C sound further re-victimize actual child victims. As their images are collected from the internet and analyzed by artificial intelligence tools to create new images, these pictures can be passed around from one pervert to another. Child predators can also use artificially generated or computer edited C sounds to extort minors and their families for financial gain. I talked about that on a previous show about the 764 using this tactic. So, in other words, a pervert can take your child's headshots and place it on a nude body of someone else. They can then use that photograph or video to blackmail your child and to do whatever they wanted. Again, this is another tactic that 764 uses. Or they can publish that photo all over the internet or send it to their parents. There are 45 states that do have laws that outlaw AI-generated or computer generated or modified CSAMs. I'm not going to mention all of these states. It might be easier to list the states who do not have laws against computer generated CSAMs. Five states and DC currently do not include AI or computer generated images and their CSAM or child pornography statutes as of August of 2025. These states are Alaska, Colorado, Massachusetts, Ohio, Vermont, and yes, Washington, D.C. The various definitions of CSAM adopted in each state statute, along with the corresponding link, can also be found in the full report. Variations in these state CSAM laws. Some states have very detailed laws that specifically criminalizes AI generated CSAMs such as California. Other states have language that is simpler but does not include these computer generated images. For example, Colorado's statute defines sexually exportative material as any photograph, motion picture, video, or other mechanically, electronically, chemically, or digitally reproduced visual material. This does not qualify as outlawing AI generated seasound, because it simply states reproduced rather than produced or created. Several states have similar languages. Nebraska's language is very similar to Colorado's, but it goes a step further and clearly outlaws computer generated images. It states digital images or computer displayed images, videos or pictures, whether made or produced by electronic mechanical, computer, digital or other means. We, referring to Enough Abuse Group, question whether this qualifies since it is so close to the Colorado language. So Enough Abuse looked up whether any cases of AI generated CSAMs have been prosecuted. A man from Omaha, Nebraska was prosecuted for transportation of CSAM, including AI generated CSAM. A Kansas City Homeland Security agent stated that such action continues the exportation and abuse of innocent victims, and we will relentlessly pursue and prosecute those who engage in these activities. That statement, along with the laws in California and Alabama, explains why AI-genated CSAMs is a problem that involves real victims. Many of these states outlaw computer generated CSAMs if an image of an actual identifiable child is used. However, some of them go even a step further that says any images of a child who appears to be a minor under 18 involved in sexual activity is CSAM, and it does not have to be a real child. Some of these statutes do not specifically say computer generated or AI generated, but they will say morphed or produced by electronics or other means. Outlawing of deep fake nudes. Some states have laws that outlaw the non consensual sharing of deep fake nudes as harassment. Deep fake is defined as sexual images created with AI to look like a real person. Massachusetts passed such a law in 2024, an act to prevent abuse and exportation, House Bill 4744, which outlaws revenge porn, the non consensual sharing of another person's explicit images. Massachusetts was one of only two states that hadn't outlawed revenge porn. The Senate was able to add an amendment before it was passed. This also outlawed the sharing of deep fake nudes, which is the creation or modification of visual material, including but not limited to, through the use of computer generated images, in a manner that falsely would appear to a reasonable person to be an authentic representation of the person depicted. However, the Massachusetts and Ohio deep fake law do not amend their state's CSAM statute to include AI or computer generated CSAM. Sharing of deep fake nudes is only considered as harassment. The current Massachusetts CSAM statute does state that it includes depictions by computer, but that does not go far enough as there have been no prosecutions for AI or computer-generated CSAMs in Massachusetts. That is why Enough Abuse has worked with Massachusetts State Representative Natalie Baez and Senator Paul Mark to introduce Senate Bill 1174 and House Bill 1593, an act protecting minors from the creation of computer-generated child sexual abuse visual material. To address the rapidly growing problem of online child sexual abuse material, CSAM, these two bills would enable the prosecution of people for developing and sharing sexually explicit images of children that are technologically edited, collaged, morphed, or AI generated. These bills were drafted with input from Enough Abuse, which research statues in 38 states to date that have outlawed computer or AI-generated C sounds. Input was also received from parents of survivors whose images have been used this way and national policy experts at the National Center for Missing and Exported Children. I don't know if you have been noticing, but it's getting harder and harder to tell the difference between what is real and what is AI generated. But that's it for our show for today. Thank you for joining in. I hope you were able to learn something today that may help you understand what is going on around you, allowing you to be more aware of the dangers to yourself and perhaps a loved one. And maybe inspire you to get involved in the fight to stop human trafficking. Please follow me on Facebook, subscribe to my podcast, email me at David JStory.com with your questions or comments. Music by Toonreel dot com. Please remember, always watch your six and others too.