Magnet Forensics and NCMEC: Expanding intelligence sharing to safeguard victims

In 2023, Magnet Forensics delivered a major breakthrough for internet crimes against children (ICAC) investigations by partnering with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC). The partnership gave investigators the unprecedented ability to instantly match suspected child sexual abuse material (CSAM) case data against NCMEC’s multiple repositories of suspected CSAM data in real time. 

Today, our partnership takes another important step forward with expanded querying capabilities in the Magnet Griffeye product suite. Investigators can now submit suspected CSAM hashes for comparison and validation to NCMEC through a streamlined, integrated workflow.

This new capability allows them to quickly and reliably determine whether content matches known CSAM, which can dramatically reduce investigative time and increase efficiency.

Partnering for stronger collaboration and intelligence sharing

The exclusive integration of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children’s Griffeye Intelligence Database (NCMEC GID) into the Magnet Griffeye product suite is transformative.

Investigators can instantly match case material against NCMEC’s trusted repository of CSAM, turning what was once a time-consuming process into a streamlined workflow, allowing them to:  

• Verify illegal files against NCMEC’s database
• Prioritize evidence by automatically surfacing known CSAM 
• Reduce exposure to harmful material to protect investigator well-being
• Streamline investigative workflows and strengthen intelligence sharing on known CSAM

What are hashes and why is hash matching important in ICAC cases?

A hash is a digital fingerprint that is a unique string of characters that represents a specific piece of digital content such as an image, file, or other dataset. Hashes play a critical role in digital investigations, from ensuring the integrity of the case to verifying suspected CSAM against known datasets.

Given the overwhelming volume of data that law enforcement processes, leveraging Magnet Forensics software and NCMEC data is a significant win for those who investigate crimes against children.

The ability to share hashes allows more efficient collaboration within, and between, agencies, and makes it easier to share intelligence across jurisdictions—all to help investigators prioritize and focus on critical evidence.

Learn more about our partnership with NCMEC and its potential for ICAC cases

Our partnership with NCMEC continues to grow stronger, now giving users of Magnet Griffeye the ability to match against the NCMEC GID for improved workflows during media analysis, and immediate feedback for charging decisions through a SHARE submission. We look forward to an ongoing partnership.

Join us for an upcoming webinar on March 11 that goes into more detail about our partnership with NCMEC. See for yourself how the latest integrations within Magnet Griffeye are helping advance ICAC investigations.

Register for “A unified workflow for modern CSAM investigations” here.