Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram: favorite social networks of pedophiles -

Geeko

While social media has its good sides - keeping in touch with loved ones, making new acquaintances, etc.

- they also have many negative sides.

Social platforms are indeed the scene of cyberstalking, allow the mass dissemination of false information and are unfortunately also favorite places for pedophiles.

Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp are the favorite apps for pedophiles to come into contact with minors, according to the latest report from the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC).

Over 52% of online child sex crimes in the UK in 2020 took place on Facebook-owned apps, with more than a third of cases on Instagram.

But Facebook apps aren't the only social networks used by pedophiles.

TikTok, an application particularly popular with (very) young people, would also be very popular with pedophiles.

Solutions to fight against these abuses

An issue that Facebook seems to be aware of.

Mark Zuckerberg's company has recently set up a new system on Instagram to protect minors.

From now on, adult users will no longer be able to send private messages to users under the age of 18 who do not follow them.

One way for Instagram to limit unsolicited messages from younger people.

There is also talk of a new version of Instagram emerging, like Messenger Kids.

This will only be reserved for children under 13 and will involve parental control.

End-to-end encryption in question

But if Mark Zuckerberg's company tries to put in place measures to protect the youngest, some of them do not always seem to serve the cause.

For the NSPCC, end-to-end encryption of messaging applications (Messenger, WhatsApp, Instagram private messaging) is a real problem since it makes identifying child abuse online more difficult.

In fact, end-to-end encryption strengthens the security and confidentiality of private conversations since only accounts used to exchange can decrypt and read messages sent through a messaging application.

A feature that ensures respect for the privacy of users, but which unfortunately has a perverse side, that of protecting pedophiles.

Several experts in child protection, law enforcement and even Facebook have indeed said that end-to-end encryption prevents the identification of child abuse online, reports the NSPCC.

This system acts, in spite of itself, as a shield for online pedophiles.

This is why WhatsApp only accounts for 1.3% of the cases where a Facebook app has been involved in reporting child abuse.

Due to end-to-end encryption, Facebook cannot see the content of messages and therefore cannot take action against abuse.

However, the merger announced between the various private messengers of Facebook could be a real problem in the fight against child abuse online since the future merged application could inherit end-to-end encryption from WhatsApp.

“End-to-end encryption risks blinding both social media companies and law enforcement agencies to these appalling crimes and tech companies need to put public safety at the heart of their systems design. heavy fines ”, declared a spokesperson for the British government.

The NSPCC wants a system to be put in place to protect young people from possible abuse they could be subjected to on social platforms.

She also wants tech companies to take responsibility for keeping young people safe online and for simpler processes to be put in place to report and deal with abuse.

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  • Social networks

  • WhatsApp

  • Pedocriminality

  • Instagram

  • TikTok

  • High-Tech

  • Facebook