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Instagram 'most important platform' for child sex abuse networks: report

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Agence France-Presse

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Display of smartphone shows frozen Instagram application, in Berlin, Germany, 04 October 2021. EPA-EFE/FILIP SINGER" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/business/06/09/20230609-instagram-epa.jpg"/><figcaption>Display of smartphone shows frozen Instagram application, in Berlin, Germany, 04 October 2021. <em>EPA-EFE/FILIP SINGER</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>SAN FRANCISCO - Instagram is the main platform used by pedophile networks to promote and sell content showing child sexual abuse, according to a report by Stanford University and the Wall Street Journal.</p><p>&quot;Large networks of accounts that appear to be operated by minors are openly advertising self-generated child sexual abuse material for sale,&quot; said researchers at the US university&#x27;s Cyber Policy Center.</p><p>&quot;Instagram is currently the most important platform for these networks with features like recommendation algorithms and direct messaging that help connect buyers and sellers.&quot;</p><p>A Meta spokesperson on Thursday told AFP that the company works &quot;aggressively&quot; to fight child exploitation and support police efforts to capture those involved.</p><p>&quot;Child exploitation is a horrific crime,&quot; the Meta spokesperson said in response to an AFP inquiry.</p><p>&quot;We&#x27;re continuously exploring ways to actively defend against this behavior, and we set up an internal task force to investigate these claims and immediately address them.&quot;</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/06/06/23/senegal-arrests-koran-teacher-accused-of-raping-27-girls">Senegal arrests Koran teacher accused of raping 27 girls</a></li></ul><p>Meta teams dismantled 27 abusive networks between 2020 and 2022, and in January of this year disabled more than 490,000 accounts for violating the tech company&#x27;s child safety policies, the spokesperson added.</p><p>&quot;We&#x27;re committed to continuing our work to protect teens, obstruct criminals, and support law enforcement in bringing them to justice,&quot; the Meta spokesperson said.</p><p>According to the Journal, a simple search for sexually explicit keywords specifically referencing children leads to accounts that use these terms to advertise content showing sexual abuse of minors.</p><p>The profiles often &quot;claim to be driven by the children themselves and use overtly sexual pseudonyms&quot;, the article detailed.</p><p>While not specifically saying they sell these images, the accounts do feature menus with options, including in some cases specific sex acts.</p><p>Stanford researchers also spotted offers for videos with bestiality and self-harm.</p><p>&quot;At a certain price, children are available for in-person &#x27;meetings&#x27;,&quot; the article continued.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/video/spotlight/02/18/23/why-parents-must-also-brush-up-on-internet-use">&#x27;Amid prevalence of online sexual abuse of children, parents must brush up on internet use&#x27;</a></li></ul><p>Last March, pension and investment funds filed a complaint against Meta for having &quot;turned a blind eye&quot; to human trafficking and child sex abuse images on its platforms.</p><p>As of the end of last year, technology put in place by Meta had removed more than 34 million pieces of child exploitation content from Facebook and Instagram, all but a scant percentage of it automatically, according to the Silicon Valley tech firm.</p><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2avQLFBnHoI?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>

A Meta spokesperson on Thursday told AFP that the company works 'aggressively' to fight child exploitation and support police efforts to capture those involved.