Cyber sexual crimes: 85 percent of victims are under 20 years old. Image: keystone
Teenagers and children are the most common victims of cyber sexual crimes. These crimes are constantly increasing, especially blackmail with real or AI-fake intimate photos and videos.
26.08.2024, 05:0026.08.2024, 06:49
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Mia* has long since stopped counting how many unsolicited dick pics have been sent to her on social media like Instagram or Snapchat. But she still remembers at what age it started: “When I was 13 years old,” she tells watson.
Today she is 17 years old and knows from her own experience and from her friends how quickly one can become a victim of cyber sexual crimes. Mia was once filmed by her ex-boyfriend during sexual acts, although she knew nothing about it. She only found out when he sent her the video a few days later without asking.
To this day, she doesn’t know what he did with it. She was afraid to do anything about it, because it could have been even worse for her – as one of her friends experienced.
“A friend sent nude photos to a guy she trusted. When they had an argument one time, he simply posted her nude photos on his Instagram and Snapchat stories,” says Mia. Her friend’s world collapsed at that time. She was afraid of being judged by others for it.
Sextortion is increasing
Women like Mia or her friend are not alone with their experiences and fears. 2,611 cyber sexual crimes were recorded in the crime statistics across Switzerland in 2023, 85 percent of the victims are under 20 years old. The number of unreported cases must be many times higher: According to the ZHAW’s 2022 James Study, every second teenager has already been sexually harassed online at least once.
The Federal Council also recognizes the growing problem: In January 2023, it stated in a report that cyber sexual offenses must be better recorded and that various educational measures should follow – within the framework of the national “Youth and Media” platform of the Federal Social Insurance Office.
Social Media: Every second teenager has been sexually harassed online.Image: imago-images.de
The first national awareness campaign by Child Protection Switzerland has been running since Monday in collaboration with “Youth and Media”, the Swiss Crime Prevention SKP and other partners. Under the motto “What you share online, you share with everyone. Protect what is important to you,” the actors involved are working together to ensure that children and young people are protected from sexual violence online. The awareness campaign and the associated measures were developed for a period of three years. In 2024, the campaign will focus on the topic of sextortion and images altered by artificial intelligence. Crimes that are on the rise.
According to the advice and reporting center clickandstop.ch, a joint project of Child Protection Switzerland and the Guido Fluri Foundation, sextortion already accounts for “almost half of all consultations.” Sextortion means that perpetrators blackmail their victims by publishing intimate photos and videos – usually with demands for money.
“This problem is now exacerbated by artificial intelligence, which blackmailers can use to quickly and easily transform harmless everyday images into sexual images,” says Regula Bernhard Hug, head of the Child Protection Switzerland office, to watson. Such AI cases are also becoming more and more common in counseling sessions.
Regula Bernhard Hug is committed to protecting children and young people online. Image: kinderschutz.ch
Delete images online
The intimate images created by artificial intelligence are so realistic that relatives often do not notice that they are not real. For example, a father was sent pornographic images and videos of his daughter. “The perpetrators blackmailed him by saying that they would publish the images of his daughter if he did not pay money. But what the father did not know was that the images were falsified and created by an AI,” says Bernhard Hug. The face was stolen from photos of the daughter on social media, and the naked body was created using AI. The blackmail material therefore depicted a scene that never existed.
“The chance of bringing the perpetrators to justice is relatively small.”
Swiss Crime Prevention
In these cases, Bernhard Hug advises contacting the police immediately. “Many people pay the money in the heat of the moment. But the perpetrators will never stop and will keep making new demands for money and threats – until you go to the police.” It is advisable to block the contacts on all channels, but to secure evidence such as chat histories for the police. The same applies to intimate photos or videos that were not created by AI.
In order to delete nude photos from the internet or prevent them from being distributed further, the police are working with telecommunications providers, says Bernhard Hug. Minors affected also have the option of contacting the non-profit organization National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. On their website Takeitdown.ncmec.org Those affected can use an online service.
This tool allows victims to select the images or videos they want to be blackmailed with. The website does not upload these files – they remain on the victim’s device – but instead creates a digital footprint, a type of code that is shared with secure online platforms. If a website or app then discovers that the code is identical to an image or video that was uploaded to the application, they can prevent publication or delete the post.
Chances of success against perpetrators
Mia’s friend went to the police and filed a complaint because her ex had posted her nude photos on social media. “There was a trial and the guy was convicted. He also had to delete her photos,” she says. But it often doesn’t go that far.
“The chance of holding the perpetrators to account and recovering any money already paid is relatively low,” writes the Swiss Crime Prevention Agency (SKP) on its website. Nevertheless, all cyber sexual crimes should be reported. The SKP writes:
“This is the only way the police can obtain information about the extent of the crime, establish connections and possibly find ways to investigate. Get over your shame and realize: the police punish crimes, not human weaknesses!”
*(Editorial name known)
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