Protecting kids is a priority
Last fall, I had the opportunity to serve as the Vice Chair of the Legislative Task Force on Protecting Kids in a Digital Age. As children exponentially gain access to online content at the click of a button, the task force studied the many risks kids face online.
One of the most compelling speakers we heard from was the team at DOJ’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC), a key partner in investigating cyber-crimes involving children. They work tirelessly to protect children from online exploitation and bring criminals to justice.
We live in an unprecedented era where cyber-crimes involving children have become all too common. In recent years, the tips that ICAC receives have skyrocketed. We depend on their work to keep our kids safe, but the funding that ICAC receives has not kept pace with our increased reliance on them. It is because of this that providing more resources to ICAC became one of my top priorities in this task force.
My team and I worked across the aisle to draft Assembly Bills 957, 958, and 964. These bills fund additional positions to the department, as well as clarify their subpoena authority to improve the investigative process.
We spent months having conversations with our colleagues about the importance of this work in hopes of moving these bills forward through the legislative process. In early April, I was thrilled to see Governor Evers sign them into law as Wisconsin Acts 216, 217, and 218.
This is a step towards protecting kids online, but I want to be clear: there is still more work to be done. We must build on this momentum and do more to hold big tech accountable. In our ever-evolving digital world, ensuring kids remain safe must remain our top priority.
