On October 17, Daniel G. Kim was arraigned on fifty counts of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and one count of criminal use of communication facility after allegedly uploading multiple files of CSAM to his Google account. At his arraignment, monetary bail was set at 10 percent of $200,000. Kim was unable to post bail and is currently housed in Cambria County Prison.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) began an investigation into Kim after Google filed a cybertipline report that in February 2025 an account uploaded over ninety files of child sexual abuse material. NCMEC’s CyberTipline is the national system for reporting suspected online child exploitation, including enticement, sexual abuse material, trafficking, and other forms of online sexual offenses against children.
Google provided police with the personal information related to the account—including date of birth, email, and phone number—which gave police enough information to file a subpoena against the cell phone provider, AT&T. AT&T answered the subpoena and reported Kim’s information as the user. This information was enough for Pennsylvania State Police to obtain a search warrant for Kim’s residence.
On May 23, 2025, troopers searched Kim’s residence confiscating multiple devices. Kim allegedly admitted to officers that he was the owner of the Google account and had saved files of child sexual abuse material. A forensic investigation of the devices collected revealed over 1,000 files of child sexual abuse material on Kim’s iPhone. Some of the files showed two young girls in sexually explicit positions.
Child sexual abuse material is the preferred term over child pornography because it better reflects the abuse that is depicted in the images and videos and the resulting trauma to the child. It is not “content,” it is a crime, and technology—AI, hidden encrypted apps, forums, and social media—are making the problem worse. From 2013 to 2021, the number of CyberTipline reports received by NCMEC increased from 500,000 to almost 30 million. According to a study from End Child Prostitution and Trafficking (ECPAT) International, over half of CSAM victims (56.2%) are pre-pubescent children and a majority (84.2%) of known CSAM involves severe abuse.
To find someone guilty of possessing child sexual abuse material, the government must prove that the person intentionally viewed or knowingly possessed or controlled any book, magazine, pamphlet, slide, photograph, film, videotape, computer depiction, or other material depicting a child under 18 years of age or artificially generated child engaging in a prohibited sexual act or in the simulation of a prohibited sexual act. In December 2023, the Pennsylvania legislature amended 18 Pa.C.S.A.§ 6312 with Act 125 to allow law enforcement to pursue investigations involving artificially-generated materials.
The CSE Institute commends Google for filing a report to NCMEC’s CyberTipline and the work of NCMEC and Pennsylvania officers investigating this crime. Tech companies have a unique role when it comes to CSAM: they are not required to proactively search for CSAM on their platforms but if they do find it, they must report it to NCMEC. This obligation is paired with a powerful shield: Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act—this law protects tech companies from most legal liability, even when their services are used to distribute or store CSAM.
Some argue that this protection, while originally intended to foster innovation and free expression, has an unintended consequence—reducing the incentive for companies to actively look for CSAM or invest in technologies that could strengthen detection efforts. Lawmakers have attempted to bring the tech industry into the fight against this crime through the Eliminating Abusive and Rampant Neglect of Interactive Technologies (EARN IT) Act. One provision of the EARN IT Act would remove immunity for social media and technology companies that knowingly facilitate or profit from the distribution of CSAM on their platforms.
In 2023, Senator Lindsey Graham and Senator Richard Blumenthal reintroduced this bill with bipartisan support and support from over 150 groups, survivors and stakeholders. The CSE Institute fully supports the passage of the EARN IT Act. The Senate Judiciary Committee has voted unanimously to advance the bill but it has not been voted on by the full Senate.
As this legislative effort moves forward, the fight against online exploitation continues in the courts.
Kim’s preliminary hearing date is scheduled for October 28, 2025. The CSE Institute will continue to provide updates as they become available.
All views expressed herein are personal to the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law or of Villanova University.