As much as anyone, I understand the importance for adopted children of finding a safe and supportive home with a loving family. But when I was adopted many years ago, the internet as we know it didn’t exist.
Today, leveraging the exposure and reach of the internet is necessary to maximize the likelihood of adoption for many children. But that utility also comes with uncertainty. Adoption agencies are simply unsure where photos of children seeking homes will end up or what may be the implications for their future at school or work.
The potential for kids’ images on the public internet to be misused has existed for years. Now, with the advent of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI), images of children can be used without permission to create unmentionable synthetic content that clouds law enforcement efforts to find real victims of unthinkable crimes.
That’s why Digimarc is so very proud to partner with Raise the Future, a charitable organization dedicated to reducing the time youth in foster care live without a permanent family.
With more than 122,000 youth waiting to be adopted from foster care today, Raise the Future provides a safe, secure, online location, the Heart Galleries, for potential adoptive families to find and get to know children waiting for a forever home. Generous professional photographers donate their time, talent, and materials to help find families for youth.
Balancing protection of the children’s images without inhibiting potential connections is a top priority for the organization. By using Digimarc Validate, Raise the Future benefits from digital copyright protection powered by digital watermarks to communicate ownership, copyright, authenticity, provenance, and more. Combined with available search services, Raise the Future can discover where children’s images are distributed on the internet and determine whether those photos are being used appropriately.
Speaking for more than 200 peers at Digimarc, collectively we are so moved by Raise the Future’s mission that we are thrilled to donate Digimarc Validate to the deserving organization, helping them raise awareness for thousands of children in need with the responsibility that today’s digital realm demands. Please join us in supporting a truly wonderful organization by visiting RaiseTheFuture.org to learn more or donate.
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