Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force

ICE arrests child predators in Operation iGuardian, May 12, 2012

Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC Task Force) is a task force started by the United States Department of Justice's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) in 1998.[1] The ICAC program is a national network of 61 coordinated task forces representing more than 5,400 federal, state, and local law enforcement and prosecutorial agencies to prevent Cybercrime against children.[1][2] The aims of ICAC task forces are to catch distributors of child pornography on the Internet, whether delivered on-line or solicited on-line and distributed through other channels and to catch sexual predators who solicit victims on the Internet through chat rooms, forums and other methods.

On November 2, 2017, the Providing Resources, Officers, and Technology to Eradicate Cyber Threats to the Protect Our Children Act of 2017 was signed into law, reauthorizing the ICAC Task Force Program through 2022.[3]

In 2020, the attorney of Davis County, Utah Troy Rawlings said that "a local nonprofit was conducting illegal fundraising efforts by taking credit for arrests", which had actually been made by the Davis County ICAC Task Force. He alluded to Operation Underground Railroad.[4]

On November 15, 2022, the PROTECT Our Children Act of 2022 was passed by the United States Senate, reauthorizing ICAC and the National Strategy for Child Exploitation Prevention and Interdiction through 2024.[5] On December 6, Congress motioned to agree without objection.[5]

  1. ^ a b "Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Program". Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
  2. ^ "Senate Passes Bill to Reauthorize Task Force Combating Child Exploitation". United States Senator for California Dianne Feinstein. November 17, 2022. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
  3. ^ "Public Law 115 - 82 - Providing Resources, Officers, and Technology To Eradicate Cyber Threats to Our Children Act of 2017 or the PROTECT Our Children Act of 2017". GovInfo. November 2, 2017. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
  4. ^ Adam Herbets, Nate Carlisle (2020-10-08). "Anti-human trafficking group Operation Underground Railroad under criminal investigation by Utah prosecutor". Fox 13 Salt Lake City. Retrieved 2023-09-08.
  5. ^ a b "S.4834 - PROTECT Our Children Act of 2022". Congress.gov. Retrieved December 15, 2022.