Signy Arnason

Executive Director - Safe Sport Canada

[Signy Arnason @SignyArnason]

Imagine if this level of effort was put into making platforms safe for children.

[William Fitzgerald @william_fitz]

Big tech corporations have some amount of lobbyists. This is a photo of Google's Europe policy team, posted by their global policy head. As the post says: this is just one of their 4 regions. This doesn't include their consultants, or PR teams, DevRel team, marketing teams, etc

[Habib Khan @HabibKhanT]

'Today in Kabul, a female cat has more freedoms than a woman.'
Kudos to Meryl Streep for speaking out for Afghan women.

[Signy Arnason @SignyArnason]

Survivors being left to their own devices to locate CSAM on tech platforms should shock us all. Big tech isn't prioritizing preventing the upload nor the removal of this abusive material even though tools exist to do this job for them. The only way forward is gov'ts legislating.

[Protect Children @CdnChildProtect]

Survivors of child sexual abuse material are searching for their own material to get it taken down because tech companies are not doing enough to keep it off their platforms.

We have concrete, survivor-centric policy recommendations for gov'ts & tech.
https://t.co/zdheT8or7X

[Signy Arnason @SignyArnason]

👏👏Fantastic news from our southern neighbours! KOSA has passed the Senate and the US is one step closer to better protecting children online. Similar changes are needed in Canada ASAP.

[Fairplay @fairplayforkids]

🚨BREAKING: Senate PASSES the Kids Online Safety and Privacy Act!

[Signy Arnason @SignyArnason]

78% increase in make/distribution of CSAM incidents, 71% increase in extortion, 24% increase in NCDII cases – harms against children online continue to climb. Big tech’s guardrails are needed more than ever.

[Protect Children @CdnChildProtect]

Children will continue to be harmed online with increasing severity and violence if big tech is not regulated.
Read our summary of the most recent data from @StatCan_eng: https://t.co/iJIR4LOtFZ

[Signy Arnason @SignyArnason]

Deepfakes of teens and youth are rampant and can have such a traumatic impact on them. It feels ridiculous how easily accessible the tools to make deepfakes are.

We need these companies to be regulated. We need standards put in place to protect our children.

[CTV News Calgary @CTVCalgary]

There's been an increase in deep fakes involving explicit images and videos of children and teens reported across the country. @TeriFikowski has more. #yyc #calgary https://t.co/1uI5luFhBt

[Signy Arnason @SignyArnason]

This round up of headlines from the Wall Street Journal says it all.

[Signy Arnason @SignyArnason]

https://t.co/BsdChSTSiA processed almost 4,000 reports of deepfakes in the last 12 months. AI-generated sexually explicit images are being used to sextort youth – we have a new resource to help adults make teens aware of this online threat.

[Protect Children @CdnChildProtect]

We're seeing an alarming⬆️in reports of sexually explicit deepfakes-made with AI-being used to exploit youth online.
With @OPP_News, we're releasing new resources for parents & teachers to help talk to youth before summer when kids spend more time online. https://t.co/YyRcenXqXv

[Signy Arnason @SignyArnason]

Important presentation today to Education Ministers across Canada to advise them on harms facing children online including emerging issues with AI generated material.

[Protect Children @CdnChildProtect]

Our Noni Classen is presenting to education ministers from across the country at @CCMEC today, sharing data on the real harms children and youth are experiencing online that we are seeing through https://t.co/NEgsJcEmU3 and https://t.co/JUTa8nnji9.

[Protect Children @CdnChildProtect]

New study from @Childlight_ shows 300 MILLION children globally have experienced online child sexual abuse IN THE LAST YEAR.

The data is clear - this is a public safety emergency.

THIS is why social media platforms must be regulated to protect children.
https://t.co/uRaZd4vU74

[Protect Children @CdnChildProtect]

Statement on the #STOPCSAM Act that was hotlined today:
@SenateGOP @SenateDems

[Signy Arnason @SignyArnason]

You know you are out of step when pro-pedophile organizations in your country are “delighted” by this decision.https://t.co/R3CzOKx81K

[Signy Arnason @SignyArnason]

It's fascinating @Meta @Google @tiktok_us @X & @Snap can help people in ONE province remove nudes. If they can do this in BC why not for ALL Canadians? This is why we need online regulation. Child safety efforts should apply to all Canadian children.

https://t.co/dINd4w3hC2

[Protect Children @CdnChildProtect]

The Phoenix 11 on Meta's response to their question submitted by Sen @LindseyGrahamSC at January's Big Tech hearing:
"We cannot emphasize enough how insufficient & irrelevant this response is to the ongoing threats & revictimization we continue to suffer." https://t.co/jvXd75Eysd

[Signy Arnason @SignyArnason]

Appalling headline from @CTVNewsNorthern. You should know better.

An adult was charged with sexually assaulting a child but you chose to call it an "inappropriate sexual relationship".

The way we talk about child sexual abuse matters. Try again. @CTVNews
https://t.co/B5seOEufUq

[Protect Children @CdnChildProtect]

Today is Old Navy Super Safety Day! Come visit us Old Navy at Outlet Collections Winnipeg for free safety resources 🙌

[Signy Arnason @SignyArnason]

No one is more deserving of this honour than Noni! Sport desperately needs her wisdom and expertise.

[Protect Children @CdnChildProtect]

We are so proud that our Noni Classen was named a Special Advisor to the Future of Sport in Canada Commission.
Noni brings years of expertise in trauma-informed processes & victims' rights. She will add immense value to the Commission's work. Congrats!
https://t.co/jspsWtBDT0

[Thomas Carrique @OPPCommissioner]

Fantastic work by the #OPP-led Provincial ICE Strategy team in holding predators accountable and protecting children across Ontario. Their tireless efforts continue to make our communities safer.

[Signy Arnason @SignyArnason]

Thank you @OPPCommissioner Carrique, Det S/Sgt Tim Brown & all 27 Ontario Provincial ICE Strategy units for your hard work on these online child sexual exploitation investigations.
Your dedication led to the safeguarding of 30 children in need of protection-incredible results!

[Ontario Provincial Police @OPP_News]

Project AQUATIC https://t.co/fBMOlLIB9z

[Signy Arnason @SignyArnason]

Sporting entities continue 2 fail children/youth by not prioritizing their safety. The lack of transparency & half-hearted (at best) effort 2 address systemic issues mirror what we see with social media and child sexual abuse and exploitation. The whole system needs an overhaul.

[Rick Westhead @rwesthead]

A former gymnast alleges in a new lawsuit that she was sexually abused for years by her coach.
Months before the coach was hired at her club in Oakville, he was fired by a different club in Ottawa, the lawsuit alleges, for sending inappropriate social media messages to a 12-year-old athlete at that gym, telling her that he “loved her” and “was going to kiss her one day.”
The former gymnast alleges the public was never told of the coach's behaviour in Ottawa and says the coach had access to her and other children only because the Ottawa gym kept the coach's behaviour a secret.
The majority of national and provincial sport organizations in Canada still are not transparent with the public about adults who are banned or suspended for bad behaviour.