Groups use social media and online games to target victims, police say
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The Canadian federal police are warning of extremist online groups targeting Canadian youth.
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Police labelled these groups as ideologically motivated violent extremist groups (IMVE) and warned that they actively target youth in the country online, trying to get them to record or livestream self-harm, suicide, animal cruelty or depictions of child sexual abuse.
“The footage is then distributed on online networks and used to further control and blackmail the young victims,” says a press release from the RCMP and the National Center for Child Exploitation Crimes.
“In many cases, the perpetrators are themselves minors. The victims may be encouraged or coerced to bully others.”
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Members of these groups collect the footage to spread their message, gain exposure, or simply to expand their collection.
According to RCMP, groups use social media platforms or online games to reach their victims, including Minecraft, Roblox, Discord, Telegram, Twitch and Steam.
Law enforcement agencies have previously identified Telegram and Discord as the two main platforms used by these groups.
“This type of crime typically begins with a direct message on a gaming platform and can then move to more private chat rooms on other virtual platforms, typically those with video features, where the conversation quickly becomes sexualized or violent,” police said.
Sometimes victims are asked to carve group or user names into their skin, produce sexual material, or harm their pets.
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Sexual material involving children is usually used for sextortion, but instead of money or sexual gratification, perpetrators use it to coerce victims into creating more content.
While groups like the 764 Network are among the most common, there are other well-known groups that target children, such as Court, Kaskar, Harm Nation, and others.
In an article published by Wired Earlier this year, law enforcement officials said they believe these networks operate as an interconnected, international group of sex offenders.
Warning signs to look out for include the sudden appearance of anonymous gifts – be it physical or in-game currency or property – the appearance of unexplained injuries or wounds, a newfound interest in antisocial or extremist causes, and behavioral changes in pets.
Parents who suspect that their child has been contacted or is being abused by members of these groups are asked to contact cybertip.ca or local police.
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X: @bryanpassifiume
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