Online Predators Target Children’s Webcams, Study Finds

The Internet Watch Foundation has reported a significant rise in the production of sexual abuse images using webcams and similar recording equipment across the globe. The increase has been staggering, with the number of such images having multiplied ten times since 2019. 

Social media platforms and chatrooms are frequently utilized by perpetrators to initiate contact with minors, and the abuse may take place both in virtual and real-world settings. With the ongoing advancements in technology, predators are increasingly resorting to technology-based means to carry out sexual exploitation of children. Predators can exploit a child’s webcam to produce, capture, and distribute child pornography. 

The approach researchers followed was to develop a set of automated chatbots impersonating 13-year-old girls. These bots were deployed as bait to lure online predators present in various chatrooms typically frequented by children.

The chatbots were designed to remain passive and respond only to individuals indicating that they were above 18 years of age. 

At the outset of each conversation, the bots revealed their age, sex, and geographical location, adhering to established chatroom norms. This ensured that the conversations were exclusive with adults knowingly and voluntarily conversing with an underage individual.

Although it is plausible that some chat partners were u

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