Project Intercept is a collaboration between the Lucy Faithfull Trust in the UK and huge technology firms like Google and TikTok, which posts warning messages to users who enter search terms suggesting an interest in sexualized depictions of minors or having explicit conversations with minors online. The messages advise users of the serious legal ramifications of accessing such materials and refer them to therapy-centered organizations like Stop It Now! This commendable effort has so far reached over 70 million users internationally, at least 700,000 of whom have clicked through to therapeutic resources. Studies show that many consumers of such materials are unaware of how closely monitored sources offering it online may be by law enforcement authorities and how severely punished this crime is. Surely it makes more sense to caution vulnerable individuals before they commit a crime than to spend vast public resources on prosecuting and incarcerating them after they have done so.
See a description of the program by its originator and announcement of a June 3 webinar.
