File Upload Feature FAQ
A. What is Project Arachnid?
Project Arachnid is a set of tools designed to help victims and survivors of CSAM. Part of what Project Arachnid does is crawl the internet and send removal requests whenever it detects an image or video depicting CSAM to the website administrator and/or hosting providers. For more information, see projectarachnid.ca.
B. What is the File Upload Feature?
The Canadian Centre for Child Protection Inc. (“C3P”, “we”, “our”) is committed to assisting victims and survivors of child sexual abuse material, and we created Project Arachnid to help reduce child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on the internet.
The File Upload Feature accepts information about images and videos that an individual wishes to request be included in Project Arachnid.
C. Who can use the File Upload Feature?
If you are a person who, as a child, was depicted in an image or video you believe is or may be illegal, or the parent or guardian of such an individual, you can likely use the File Upload Feature. We ask that you have had prior contact with C3P, another organization that supports victims and survivors, or police. If you have not had prior contact with C3P, another organization, or police, and wish to use the File Upload Feature, click here.
Organizations that support victims and survivors or members of law enforcement can also submit images or videos through the File Upload Feature if they:
- have permission from one or more persons who are depicted in images or videos that may be CSAM (or that person’s parent or guardian if the person is under 18 or not able to provide consent for any reason); OR
- are authorized by applicable laws to prevent crime, act in the public interest, or protect the vital interests of the person(s) depicted in the image or video, or the interests of children generally, and reasonably believe such authorization permits them to use the File Upload Feature.
D. What information about me do I have to share to use the File Upload Feature?
If you have had prior contact with C3P, we require a reference number or your email address or phone number. If you have not had prior contact with C3P, we require the name of the organization or agency you have had contact with and a reference number for your contact with them, OR if you do not have a reference number, we require the name of the organization or agency and the name of the individual you spoke with and/or their email address or phone number.
E. Why do you need my information?
We require the information identified in Question D to facilitate the classification of Your image or video, and so we can verify you if you ask us to remove your image or video from Project Arachnid (see “M. Can I get my image or video removed from Project Arachnid?”). We also require this information so we can contact you:
- if there is a technical issue with your submission; or
- to confirm that we successfully received the image or video if that is something you request;
- if you have requested new, continuing, or additional support from C3P or one of the organizations that works with C3P;
- if we require more information to classify your image or video; or
- to provide you with additional information when we believe this is necessary and in your best interests.
We also require the age (or approximate age) of the child depicted in the image or video at the time it was taken. This will assist us in the classification process.
F. Do I have to be in Canada to use the File Upload Feature?
No. The File Upload Feature was designed for Canadian residents, however, we will accept submissions from parents or guardians, survivors, and organizations and police around the world who are assisting victims and survivors of CSAM. C3P operates in Canada, and Project Arachnid is based in Canada. We operate in accordance with Canadian law, and personal information provided through the File Upload Feature will be processed and stored in accordance with the Project Arachnid Privacy Policy.
G. Who can see the image or video?
In order to classify the images or videos, those working within Project Arachnid are able to see the image or video in question. C3P also works with organizations in other countries, which are child-protection focused and act in the public interest to reduce the availability of child sexual abuse material online. These organizations work with C3P under the terms of a written agreement to assess and classify images and videos used by Project Arachnid which work supports the issuance of removal requests to providers. Some of their trained staff may also be granted access to the image or video you provide for the purpose of classification and removal activities. See projectarachnid.ca for a list of these organizations.
H. What happens to information I give you?
We will review the image or video to classify it for removal.
We will calculate a hash value (a digital fingerprint) from the image or video. For those classified as child sexual abuse material or harmful-abusive material of a child, if Project Arachnid detects the exact image or video online, we are able to send automated removal requests to the host so long as their contact information is available. For more information, please see the Project Arachnid Privacy Policy.
The term harmful/abusive images of children encompasses all images or videos associated with the abusive incident, nude or partially nude images or videos of children that have become publicly available and is used in a sexualized context or connected to sexual commentary. It also includes publicly available images or videos of children being physically abused, tortured or restrained.
I. What is a hash value?
Think of a hash value like a digital fingerprint. Each image or video has a unique hash value that distinguishes it from other images and videos. It is a series of letters and numbers, not an image.
J. What else do you do to get the image or video removed from the internet?
There are a number of companies around the world who want to filter and expeditiously remove CSAM from their services. A hash value (digital fingerprint) of the image or video, once classified, is shared with participating companies so that they can filter and remove an image or video with the same hash value from their services. We also regularly share URLs at which CSAM has been detected with participating companies, which URL may or may not display the image or video associated with your submission at any given time. C3P requires such companies comply with all applicable data protection laws and imposes strict privacy obligations on all organizations using C3P data.
The time it takes each participating company to filter and remove an image or video with the same hash value as the image or video associated with your submission will vary by company, and is dependent on many factors, including how often that participating company updates the list of hash values or URLs we make available to them, and whether or not they automatically remove material based on our list.
C3P has no control over whether participating companies will filter or remove images or videos, and bears no responsibility for the failure of any participating company to filter or remove images or videos. A list of participating companies who have agreed to be listed is set out at projectarachnid.ca.
K. Will having my image or video in Project Arachnid guarantee that it won’t turn up on the internet?
No. C3P is not able to make any guarantees. What we can do is request removal of those images or videos that we become aware of during Project Arachnid’s crawl. We cannot make anyone take down the image or video. We also may not detect all the places where the image or video is posted, as we can only take action in the places we can and do crawl. We are not able to crawl the entire internet so our efforts are focused on locations that are more likely to host CSAM and/or harmful-abusive material of children.
For example, there are places we cannot crawl, such as encrypted networks, and services that require password access. We also cannot detect images or videos that are not online, but saved only on a person’s phone or computer.
It is sometimes not possible to send a removal request, such as when the image or video is found in an online location that is anonymous (for example, there is no contact information for the hosting provider or website owner), or where C3P cannot reach the hosting provider or website owner.
L. I’m over 18 now, but the image or video shows me when I was under 18. Can I still use the File Upload Feature?
Yes. Prior to making a submission, you will be asked how old you were at the time the image or video was taken. As long as you were under 18 at that time, you can proceed.
M. Can I get my image or video removed from Project Arachnid?
At any time, you may request the removal of any submission you made through the File Upload Feature. We will comply with that request to the best of our ability if you are able to confirm you are either the person who made the submission, or are otherwise authorized to make such a removal request. To confirm you are able to make the request, we may ask you to provide the same information you provided when you made the submission, the approximate date(s) that you used the File Upload Feature, and/or a description of the image or video in question. To make a request for the removal of the image or video, contact C3P’s Privacy Officer.
N. How long will it take for Project Arachnid to send removal requests on my image or video?
Once you make a submission, the system generates a notification to us that an image or video requires assessment and classification. We prioritize the review and classification of submissions through the File Upload feature during business hours. If the submission is received after business hours (8:30am to 4:30pm Central Time Monday to Friday, excluding holidays observed at C3P), the necessary review will not start until the next business day.
The time it takes to send removal requests on the image or video will depend on the time it takes to classify, its classification, whether the image or video is detected by Project Arachnid and where it is detected.
O. How long will you store my submission?
We may keep the image or video within our system indefinitely to assist in future detection and removal efforts. Given how vast the internet is, it can sometimes take a long time before a particular image or video is detected.
P. Where will you store my image or video?
All images and videos used to operate Project Arachnid are stored in Canada within systems owned and managed by C3P. C3P has implemented strict security measures to protect the data within its systems from unauthorized access, and continuously monitors such systems to detect and prevent various network security threats.
Q. Will you send my image or video to the police?
The objective of the File Upload Feature and C3P is to protect children from harm, and there are laws requiring us to contact police or child welfare authorities if we have information that a person under 18 is at risk of harm or need of protection. If we are required by law to share information, we will only share information we believe is necessary to fulfill our legal obligations and protect or help the person at risk or in need of protection. We may also share the hash value of the image or video you upload (not the image or video itself) with police to assist with global efforts to remove CSAM from the internet.
If you want to make a report to police, contact your local police station. Using our File Upload Feature is not the same as reporting to police directly.
R. Is using the File Upload Feature the same as making a report to Cybertip.ca?
No. The File Upload Feature is separate from Cybertip.ca, Canada’s national tipline for the reporting of online child sexual exploitation.
If you want to make a report to Cybertip, visit Cybertip.ca.
S. I have other questions. Who do I ask?
If you live in Canada and have additional questions or want more help, you may contact us using the following form Support Services contact us form. Support services are intended for individuals in Canada and can be offered in either English or French.
If you are not in Canada, please contact the organization or police agency that referred you to us. You can also contact us using the following form Support Services contact us form.