Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin calls for DOJ investigation into Twitter's handling of child sexual exploitation
Musk previously said removing child exploitation was the platform’s number-one priority
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Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., on Tuesday called on the Department of Justice to investigate Twitter over its handling of child sexual exploitation.
Durbin said Elon Musk and the social media giant he acquired in October for $44 billion "must be held to previous promises to stop child sexual exploitation on its platform."
"Now, I’m calling on the Department of Justice to investigate troubling reports that Twitter is failing to do so."
Per NBC News, Durbin sent Attorney General Merrick Garland a letter, calling the DOJ’s apparent failure to address the issue "unacceptable."
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"Sadly, Twitter has provided little confidence that it is adequately policing its platform to prevent the online sexual exploitation of children," he reportedly wrote. "This puts children at serious risk."
FILE: U.S. Senate Minority Whip Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL) speaks to members of the media as he arrives at a weekly Senate Democratic Policy Luncheon at the U.S. Capitol February 5, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Alex Wong/Getty Images / Getty Images)
The letter cited previous reports of dozens of Twitter accounts that were alleged to have used hashtags to promote the sale of "child sexual abuse material" or CSAM.
"I further urge you to consider whether an online platform can be held liable under federal criminal law for failing to take reasonable steps to prevent the foreseeable proliferation of CSAM on its platform, and, if not, to inform the Senate Judiciary Committee whether the Department needs any additional legislative authority to address such criminally negligent behavior," Durbin wrote said.
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FOX Business has reached out to Twitter and the DOJ for additional comment.
Musk tweeted back in November that removing child exploitation was the platform’s number one priority.
Still, Durbin criticized the company for gutting its Child Safety Team and dissolving its Trust and Safety Council, implying that these moves were responsible for allowing child exploitation to continue on the platform.
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Musk has said previously that "almost no one was working on child safety" when he took over the company in late October.