Child sexual abuse material (CSAM): New technologies and monetisation Child sexual exploitation (CSE) offenders are rapidly adapting to new technologies, expanding their crimes, upscaling abuse opportunities, and making the exchange of CSAM more efficient, while simultaneously complicating law enforcement efforts. The trade in CSAM is growing, with offenders exploiting online platforms for both the production and distribution of illicit material. Live distant child abuse (LDCA) in particular, remains a persistent challenge as the lack of evidence in these crimes makes them difficult to investigate.
The trade in CSAM for financial gain is increasing, and multi-layered extortion models are also becoming more common, with offenders manipulating victims to produce more content, send money or commit violent acts. The rise of AI-generated CSAM poses additional challenges for victim identification and investigative capabilities. As the trade grows, more platforms selling CSAM also emerge.
The exploitation of E2EE platforms by CSE offenders and online extortion communities such as The Com network pose extremely serious threats to children and to society, creating a complex criminal landscape where CSE, cyber-attacks, extortion, assault, rape, murder, and violent extremism intertwine.