FROM THE OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS

Good afternoon. Thank you, Ernie, for your kind introduction. I want to begin by acknowledging the tremendous support that Senators Gregg and Hollings have provided on the issues of child exploitation and especially, for their support of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Their leadership and initiative in establishing the Cyber Tipline is the reason we are all here today. This TipLine will give investigators additional tools to identify those responsible for using the Internet to prey on children. Treasury law enforcement stands ready to fully participate in this effort.

We, at the Treasury Department are proud of our relationship with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Both the U.S. Customs Service and the U.S. Secret Service have worked in partnership with the Center to combat the scourge of child exploitation, both domestically and internationally.

Since 1987, Customs has investigated the leads provided by the Center on child pornography from the Center's Child Pornography Tip Line. And, in Fiscal Year 1997, Customs' enforcement against child pornography on the Internet resulted in 162 convictions and 167 seizures. Customs continues to make arrests each week.

Long before the Internet, Customs was making child pornography cases against importers who tried to smuggle the material into the U.S. The Internet is a faster, cheaper and safer way for child pornographers to move their products. As a result, child pornographers have found it to be a preferred medium for carrying out their illicit activities. That's why, Customs created the Cyber Smuggling Center to combat this phenomenon.

Over 60 percent of all child pornographic materials seen and seized by Customs are of international origin. Because of the international movement of pornographic materials, each of Customs 135 national and international offices has at least one investigator trained to identify and develop child pornography cases.

Customs has trained police officers, judges, border guards and prosecutors in child exploitation in several countries. This training has generated numerous electronic leads between U.S. Customs and its counterparts all over the world.

The Secret Service also lends its expertise to this fight. The Secret Service provides valuable forensic support to State and local law enforcement as well as the Center in the areas of age progression drawing, voice analysis, handwriting analysis, polygraph exams and chemical analysis of materials.

We at Treasury understand the profound importance of the Internet and have no interest in limiting its reach.

In order to strike a proper balance between access to the Internet for legitimate purposes, but prevention of exploitive activities, the continued partnership between the private sector and law enforcement is critical.

Thank you.