ARICA aims to support law enforcement agencies in their fight against child sexual abuse. The original platform was built during two year project (1.2023 to 12.2024) funded by the European Union's Internal Security Fund. Subsequent work was funded by the European Anti-Cybercrime Technology Development Organisation (EACTDA) and development is receiving ongoing support from End Violence. ARICA develops and deploys technologies that enhance the LEAs’ capabilities in investigations on online child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
Cases of child sexual exploitation and abuse continue to grow in scale and complexity worldwide. In 2024, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children’s CyberTipline received over 20 million reports, encompassing nearly 63 million files such as images and videos linked to suspected exploitation and abuse, and substantial increases in reports of online enticement and AI-related child sexual abuse material.
The European Commission distributes grants to member states and research programs that can help deliver a safer Europe, especially for children. Through an EU grant, a consortium of research institutions, technology companies, and law enforcement agencies is developing a program to identify risks that pose an imminent danger to children and society.
ARICA began as a 2-year program, developing a research-backed and tested application for the use of LEAs. It symbolises the European Commission’s firm priority in the fight against child sexual abuse and exploitation. Today, ARICA is in operational use, with users at 50 law enforcement agencies from 25 countries, and remains under active development.
