The news verification outlet Maldita.es has uncovered more than 1,100 videos and images of sexual assaults on minors circulating on TikTok, one of the most used social networks in Spain and the world.
In total, they have detected more than 200 profiles, which accumulate up to 48 million views of content related to sexual violence against minors. The images range from explicit rapes to other types of sexual assaults on minors, audio recordings of the assaults, or superimposed images or thumbnails where fragments of the assaults can be seen. The objective of these latter ones is to reach potential buyers.
Following the publication of this information, the Ministry of Youth and Childhood of the Government of Spain has asked the Prosecutor's Office to take action regarding the alleged cases of sexual violence against minors on the platform. The department managed by Sira Rego has also requested "an urgent meeting" with the platform's representatives in Spain.
Although within the framework of the investigation, the outlet reported a sample of 50 profiles, the platform only deleted 10% of the images.
This analysis exposes "catalogs of material" disseminated through different TikTok profiles that even publish prices for access to the complete recordings. Some profiles even use images of sexual assaults on minors as their profile picture.
The investigation reveals that the platform's own algorithm "ends up leading users to this content." In some cases, profiles exhibiting this criminal behavior use text superimposed on videos of child pornography.
The objective of this analysis is "to make society aware of what is happening on TikTok, visible to anyone, on one of the largest platforms in the world." At the same time, it exposes the shortcomings of the platform's detection mechanisms.
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