The Swedish government wants to launch an inquiry into AI tools to identify children in online pornographic material, drawing inspiration from Norway. Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer (M) highlights the need for more effective methods against the widespread issue. The tools require legal changes due to data protection rules.
The Swedish government, inspired by Norwegian police work featured in SVT's investigative program "Jakten", plans to appoint an inquiry. The program showed how Norwegian police use AI to quickly identify victims in child pornography material, while Swedish police efforts are far more time-consuming.
The Tidö parties are pushing to equip Swedish law enforcement with similar tools. The aim is automated facial recognition matching children to passport photos in the registry. Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer (M) stated: "I see a huge need for tools that enable us to effectively tackle this very extensive problem."
Current data protection rules prevent implementation, requiring further legal changes. Strömmer explained: "We see that we need additional legal changes to use this data to identify crime victims." He added that AI will be combined with human assessment to ensure quality.
The exact timing for appointing the inquiry remains undecided. "We want to signal that we are ready to take the next step," Strömmer said.
