Google refuses to reinstate man’s account after he took medical images of son’s groin

Experts say case highlights dangers of automated detection of child sexual abuse images

Google has refused to reinstate a man's account after it wrongly flagged medical images he took of his son's groin as child sexual abuse material (CSAM), the New York Times first reported. Experts say it's an inevitable pitfall of trying to apply a technological solution to a societal problem.

Experts have long warned about the limitations of automated child sexual abuse image detection systems, particularly as companies face regulatory and public pressure to help address the existence of sexual abuse material.