Violent Online Groups Extort Minors to Self-Harm and Produce Child Sexual Abuse Material

Violent Online Groups

The violent online groups use many names, including 676, 764, CVLT, Court, Kaskar, Harm Nation, Leak Society, and H3ll, but continuously evolve and form subgroups under different monikers. They operate on publicly available platforms, such as social media sites or mobile applications. To gain access to a majority of these groups, prospective members are required to live-stream or upload videos depicting their minor victims harming animals or committing self-harm, suicide, murder, or other acts of violence. The key motivators of these groups are to gain notoriety and rise in status within their groups.

Targeting

The groups target minors between the ages of 8 and 17 years old, especially LGBTQ+ youth, racial minorities, and those who struggle with a variety of mental health issues, such as depression and suicidal ideation.

Extortion and Self-harm

The groups use extortion and blackmail tactics, such as threatening to SWAT¹ or DOX² the minor victims, if they do not comply with the groups’ requests, manipulate and extort minors into producing CSAM and videos depicting animal cruelty and self-harm. Self-harm activity includes cutting, stabbing, or fansigning³. Members of the groups threaten to share sexually explicit videos or photos of the minor victims with their family, friends, and/or post to the internet. The groups control their victims through extreme fear and many members have an end-goal of forcing the minors they extort into committing suicide on live-stream for their own entertainment or their own sense of fame.

Recommendations

The FBI urges the public to exercise caution when posting or direct messaging personal photos, videos, and identifying information on social media, dating apps, and other online sites. Although seemingly innocuous when posted or shared, the images and videos can provide malicious actors an abundant supply of content to exploit for criminal activity. Advancements in content creation technology and accessible personal images online present new opportunities for malicious actors to find and target minor victims. This leaves them vulnerable to embarrassment, harassment, extortion, financial loss, or continued long-term re-victimization. Further, the FBI recommends looking out for warning signs indicating a minor may be experiencing self-harm or suicidal ideations. Being able to recognize the warning signs of self-harm will help you provide immediate support.

The FBI recommends the public consider the following warning signs regarding self-harm or suicide:

• Sudden behavior changes such as becoming withdrawn, moody, or irritable.
• Sudden changes in appearance, especially neglect of appearance.
• Changes in eating or sleeping habits.
• Dropping out of activities and becoming more isolated and withdrawn.
• Scars, often in patterns.
• Fresh cuts, scratches, bruises, bite marks, burns, or other wounds.
• Carvings, such as words or symbols, on the skin.
• Wearing long sleeves or pants in hot weather.
• Threatening to commit suicide and openly talking about death, not being wanted or needed or not being around.

The FBI recommends the public consider the following when sharing content (e.g., photos and videos) or engaging with individuals online:

• Monitor children’s online activity and discuss risks associated with sharing personal content.
• Use discretion when posting images, videos, and personal content online, particularly those that include children or their information.
  • Images, videos, or personal information posted online can be captured, manipulated, and distributed by malicious actors without your knowledge or consent.
  • Once content is shared on the internet, it can be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to remove once it is circulated or posted by other parties.
• Run frequent online searches of you and your children’s information (e.g., full name, address, phone number, etc.) to help identify the exposure and spread of personal information on the internet.
• Apply privacy settings on social media accounts—including setting profiles and your friends’ lists as private—to limit the public exposure of your photos, videos, and other personal information.
• Consider using reverse image search engines to locate any photos or videos that have circulated on the internet without your knowledge.
• Exercise caution when accepting friend requests, communicating, engaging in video conversations, or sending images to individuals, you do not know personally. Be especially wary of individuals who immediately ask or pressure you to provide them photos or videos. Those items could be screen-captured, recorded, manipulated, shared without your knowledge or consent, and used to exploit you or someone you know.
• Do not provide any unknown or unfamiliar individuals with money or other items of value. Complying with malicious actors does not guarantee your sensitive photos or content will not be shared.
• Use discretion when interacting with known individuals online who appear to be acting outside their normal pattern of behavior. Malicious actors can easily manipulate hacked social media accounts.
• Secure social media and other online accounts using complex passwords or

  SDGs, Targets, and Indicators Analysis

  1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

  • SDG 5: Gender Equality
  • SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities
  • SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions

  2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

  • SDG 5.2: Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres, including trafficking and sexual and other types of exploitation.
  • SDG 10.2: By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic, and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion, or economic or other status.
  • SDG 16.2: End abuse, exploitation, trafficking, and all forms of violence against and torture of children.

  3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

  Yes, there are indicators mentioned in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets. These include:

  • Number of reported cases of violent online groups targeting minor victims
  • Number of victims extorted into recording or live-streaming self-harm or sexually explicit acts
  • Number of cases of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) produced and circulated
  • Number of warning signs indicating self-harm or suicidal ideations in minors
  • Number of individuals accessing mental health resources for self-harm or suicide prevention
  • Number of reported incidents and arrests related to violent online groups

  Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

  SDGs	Targets	Indicators
  SDG 5: Gender Equality	Target 5.2: Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres, including trafficking and sexual and other types of exploitation.	– Number of reported cases of violent online groups targeting minor victims – Number of victims extorted into recording or live-streaming self-harm or sexually explicit acts – Number of cases of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) produced and circulated
  SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities	Target 10.2: By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic, and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion, or economic or other status.	– Number of reported incidents and arrests related to violent online groups – Number of warning signs indicating self-harm or suicidal ideations in minors – Number of individuals accessing mental health resources for self-harm or suicide prevention
  SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions	Target 16.2: End abuse, exploitation, trafficking, and all forms of violence against and torture of children.	– Number of reported cases of violent online groups targeting minor victims – Number of victims extorted into recording or live-streaming self-harm or sexually explicit acts – Number of cases of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) produced and circulated

  Behold! This splendid article springs forth from the wellspring of knowledge, shaped by a wondrous proprietary AI technology that delved into a vast ocean of data, illuminating the path towards the Sustainable Development Goals. Remember that all rights are reserved by SDG Investors LLC, empowering us to champion progress together.

  Source: ic3.gov

   

  

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