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Research in the field of criminal law science deals with the question of whether the legal provisions on the criminality of dealing with child pornography also restrict scientific research. The article examines in particular the scope of the social adequacy clause according to § 184b para. 5 StGB. It is discussed whether research projects that require dealing with such content are exempt from the offense. The interpretation of the law and the consideration of constitutionality are crucial to determine whether research privileges exist. It is emphasized that academic freedom as a fundamental right must also be protected in the context of criminal laws. [Extracted from the article]

Although some studies have investigated personality pathology in individuals who have committed sexual contact offenses against children, few examined whether personality pathology relates to different groups, including individuals who have committed child sexual exploitation material (CSEM) offenses. This study compared four male groups, namely a CSEM (n = 33), sexual contact (n = 30), non-sexual violent (n = 64), and community group (n = 143) using self-report questionnaires assessing personality pathology, including impairments in personality functioning (i.e. self-control, identity integration, responsibility, relational capacities, and social concordance), and pathological personality traits (i.e. psychopathic and narcissistic traits). Correlational and multivariate analyses of variance were conducted to examine group differences. No significant differences were found between the CSEM and sexual contact groups. Compared to the community group, the other three groups showed more impairments in personality functioning. The violent group reported higher levels of psychopathic and narcissistic traits than the other groups. The community group showed more overt narcissistic traits compared to the other groups. This study indicates no differences in personality pathology between the CSEM and sexual contact groups, suggesting that interventions may not need to vary between these groups. Replication and exploration of additional constructs are necessary before drawing definitive conclusions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Young people’s social media use has long been scrutinised, contested, and the subject of sustained moral panics. Schools play an important role in socialising young people into specific forms of social media use, both in and out of the classroom. In this paper we examine 38 secondary school (‘high school’) policies that seek to govern how social media is used by students in Australia. We examine the themes and issues covered, and the broader discursive construction of social media within these documents. Our analysis reveals both opportunities and risks identified within these documents: from opportunities like social connection, self-expression, citizenship, and ‘digital skills’ through to an extensive focus on supposed ‘risks’ including sexting and child pornography, the consumption of alcohol and other drugs, mental health concerns, teacher-student relationships, and broad concerns about privacy and the persistence of digital disclosures. Narratives about young people’s imagined futures also emerge in these policy documents, centred on risk and proactive reputation management (for schools and individual students), pointing to a hidden curriculum of surveillance where reputational damage is linked to irreversable harm to professional and personal futures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Pedohebephilic disorder is characterized by intense sexual urges or fantasies involving children, which can lead to distress or sexual behavior with children. While theoretical and qualitative accounts suggest that accepting one's pedohebephilic sexual interests may help mitigate both distress and problematic behaviors, the only published quantitative study to date has linked acceptance with behavior but did not analyze its effect on distress. Methods: We examined the relationship between acceptance of sexual interests and child sexual abuse (CSA), the use of child sexual exploitation material (CSEM), and psychological distress in 238 pedohebephilic and teleiophilic men outside the judicial system (i.e., in the "Dunkelfeld"). Results: Compared to teleiophilic individuals, pedohebephilic individuals showed lower acceptance of their sexual interests. No significant differences were found between groups regarding past sexual offending. In a subsample of 197 pedohebephilic individuals (n = 197), correlations with recent sexual behavior were minimal. In another subsample of pedohebephilic men (n = 84) with data on psychological distress, increased acceptance was associated with decreased psychological distress, although this association weakened among those reporting recent offenses. Discussion: Acceptance of one's sexual interests is associated with reduced distress in pedohebephilic disorder among non-offending individuals. However, its role among offending individuals remains unclear. Efforts to improve measuring the acceptance of one's sexual interests and further explore its role in pedohebephilic disorder are warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Objectives: Forensic psychiatric expertise significantly contributes to clinical criminology. Interdisciplinary investigations, evaluation tactics, and the use of criminology indices are essential for psychosocial prognostic assessments of conflict, aggression, adaptability, and recovery. Methods: This study aims to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on forensic psychiatric expertise by analyzing demographic variables such as age, gender, background, and other relevant data including criminal records, forensic antecedents, personal pathological antecedents, diagnosis, and discernment. Our study included 186 patients categorized into pandemic and post-pandemic periods. Results: Most participants were male, with no significant rural–urban distribution differences. During the COVID period, common criminal acts included aggression and child pornography, followed by attempted murder. A significant association was found between discernment and psychiatric disorders (p < 0.0011), with 67.6% of the patients lacking discernment having mental illnesses. Legal outcomes varied with discernment; 60.3% of patients without discernment required mandatory hospitalization (p < 0.0011). Conclusions: Medico-legal antecedents were more frequent during the pandemic, and safety measures were more commonly applied to those lacking discernment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes incident characteristics and dynamics associated with six specific forms of image-based sexual exploitation and abuse of children (IBSEAC). Data were collected on a national sample of 2639 individuals aged 18-to-28 from a probability-based online panel. Respondents completed a self-administered survey questionnaire, providing detailed follow-up information on their experiences of image-based sexual victimization before the age of 18. A total of 607 incidents of IBSEAC were included in the analyses. Findings show substantial diversity in incident characteristics within and across the six forms of IBSEAC (nonconsensual sharing of sexual images, nonconsensual taking or making of images, forced image recruitment, threatened sharing, voluntary image sharing with an older adult, and commercial sexual exploitation involving images). Some notable patterns include frequent involvement of perpetrators who are other youth or young adults, who are known in-person to the victim, and who are intimate partners. The diversity and complexity of dynamics revealed in this study underscores the need for careful design and evaluation of prevention programs and the core messages directed at youth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Web-based interventions have been shown to be effective for various health and mental health problems. However, the effectiveness of interventions is often limited by the fact that individuals do not start or complete them. Using data from an intermediate analysis of the randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial to evaluate the effectiveness of @myTabu, the current study investigated engagement with a web-based intervention for 113 individuals convicted of child sexual abuse and/or for child sexual exploitation material. @myTabu is a human-supported, web-based intervention for individuals who have been convicted for sexual abuse of children or the use of child sexual exploitation material with the goal of reducing the risk factors for recidivism and actual recidivism. The results of the present study indicate that (a) 81% of the participants logged into the web-based intervention within 8 weeks after login credentials were sent; (b) there was a trend toward lower treatment readiness and lower belief in their own technical prerequisites in individuals who did not login; (c) 15% of the participants completed all requested sessions within the first 5 weeks of participation, and the average participant logged in on 6 different days and completed two sessions; (d) the number of login days and completed sessions could be predicted by treatment readiness. We discuss these findings and their implications for the development and implementation of further web-based interventions in the forensic context. Trial registration: German Clinical Trial Register (DRKS00021256). Prospectively registered 24.04.2020. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) and child sexual abuse (CSA), employing a rapid evidence assessment of research on the uses of AI for the prevention and disruption of CSA, and the ways in which AI is used in CSA offending. Research from January 2010 to March 2024 was reviewed, identifying 33 empirical studies. All studies that met inclusion criteria examined AI for CSA prevention and disruption--specifically, how technology can be used to detect or investigate child sexual abuse material or child sexual offenders. There were no studies examining the uses of AI in CSA offending. This paper describes the state of current research at the intersection of AI and CSA, and provides a gap map to guide future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

U.S. legislators are taking aim at technology companies for their role in the nation's fentanyl crisis. Members of Congress recently introduced the Cooper Davis Act, which would require electronic communications service providers to report evidence of illicit fentanyl, methamphetamine, and counterfeit drug crimes on their platforms to the Drug Enforcement Administration. For the first time, such companies would be obligated to report suspected criminal activity by their users directly to federal law enforcement. While the Cooper Davis Act is modeled after a federal statute requiring providers to report child sexual abuse material (CSAM), the proposed bill targets a qualitatively different kind of crime--one highly dependent on context. By requiring providers to report directly to the government and by prohibiting deliberate blindness to violations, the Cooper Davis Act would incentivize providers to conduct large-scale automated searches for drug-related activity, raising novel questions about the Fourth Amendment's applicability to mandatory reporting laws for crimes other than CSAM. This Note examines the implications of extending practical and legal frameworks for regulating CSAM--such as the private search doctrine, which has created a circuit split in online CSAM cases--to other contexts. This Note argues that courts should adopt a narrow interpretation of the private search doctrine, in line with the Second and Ninth Circuits, in cases involving automated searches for criminal activity. This approach would resolve the circuit split in CSAM cases and clarify the doctrine's scope for other kinds of warrantless digital searches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The process of advancement of artificial intelligence (hereinafter: AI) seen in recent years results in breakthroughs in many areas of human life, such as medicine, agriculture, and science. However, despite its many advantages and benefits, it also inevitably creates room for abuse. This is particularly true of child pornography, where AI systems are increasingly being used to generate nude images of minors — both existing in reality and fictional. These cases, given much attention in the public debate, cause doubts as to whether existing normative solutions are suitable to combat this new phenomenon. The article aims to answer the question of whether the existing law makes it possible to successfully prosecute perpetrators who use AI systems to generate child pornography (including that depicting fictional charac ters). In addition, it also offers an analysis of the criminal liability of the developers of the AI systems used in this process and of the hosting providers managing the websites used to distribute such pornographic content.

The process of advancement of artificial intelligence (hereinafter: AI) seen in recent years results in breakthroughs in many areas of human life, such as medicine, agriculture, and science. However, despite its many advantages and benefits, it also inevitably creates room for abuse. This is particularly true of child pornography, where AI systems are increasingly being used to generate nude images of minors – both existing in reality and fictional. These cases, given much attention in the public debate, cause doubts as to whether existing normative solutions are suitable to combat this new phenomenon. The article aims to answer the question of whether the existing law makes it possible to successfully prosecute perpetrators who use AI systems to generate child pornography (including that depicting fictional charac ters). In addition, it also offers an analysis of the criminal liability of the developers of the AI systems used in this process and of the hosting providers managing the websites used to distribute such pornographic content.

This paper focuses on methods from a 17-month ethnography in UK group programmes for 81 users of online child sexual exploitation material. It analyses the affordances and restrictions of conducting research in a defined programme/service and professional setting segmented from participants’ everyday lives, as well as procedures put in place for enhanced participant anonymity, confidentiality, privacy, and boundaries. The article demonstrates that the setting and methods resulted in limitations that were simultaneously assets, arguing that information about online sexual offending would likely not have been gleaned otherwise. As a result, the typical ethnographic trajectory was turned on its head: sensitive information rarely told to anyone was divulged in detail, while basic elements about participants, their social networks, and their lives were not. This invites researchers to consider which tenets of ethnography are immovable versus flexible, and the types of information that can/should be obtained through certain methods for specific topics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Offenders who commit sexual offences against children are progressively recognised, prosecuted, assessed and treated. As technology advances, internet child sexual abuse material (I/CAM) offences increase in pertinence to forensic assessment and treatment. A new proposal in I/CAM therapeutics, the Estimated Risk of Internet Child Sexual Offending (ERICSO) is a framework for individualised, risk-relevant treatment formulation based on identified risk factors. An international scoping review of I/CAM treatment programmes was conducted prior to elucidating our proposed treatment model for I/CAM offenders. Combining risk-relevant and compassionate therapies, we propose a treatment framework based on the risk–needs–responsivity model and relevant factors, recognising diversity of I/CAM offenders. Incorporating proven constructs in offender assessment and treatment with specific application to the I/CAM offender cohort, the ERICSO assists professionals to formulate risk-relevant, individual therapy and set meaningful goals. The delivery of compassionate therapeutic interventions to I/CAM offenders will improve rehabilitative outcomes and community protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The narratives of individuals using child sexual exploitation material (CSEM) highlight the individual and unconscious functions of this type of sexual offense. Fluid cycles of projection into and identification with the children in the imagery were evident, as were marked differences in the intensity and exclusivity of pedophilic sexual preference. Anger was a common trigger, but conscious awareness of any associated hostilities toward the child in the imagery was vigorously defended against. The Internet, the now dominant context of child sexual abuse, offers a distinct type of environment, on the porous boundary between the internal and the external, that seems to encourage regression to early, varied paraphilic sexuality and part‐object relations. Interactions in online forums facilitated the projection of pedophilic interests and sadistic impulses into other users. Broad empirical findings on the characteristics of those who use CSEM, coupled with this study and clinical experience, suggest that many who engage in this activity have an essentially neurotic structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Sakarya University Journal of Law Faculty (SHD) is the property of Sakarya University Journal of Law Faculty (SHD) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Although the escalation in online child sexual abuse material (CSAM) is not a novel problem, recent digital proliferation has brought about new alarming challenges in addressing the issue. CSAM poses significant risks to children and society in general, the most serious being the long-lasting harmful effects on depicted victims. The already distressing problem is exacerbated by the worldwide appearance and spread of AI-driven or virtual CSAM, as AI offers a fast and increasingly profitable means for the sexual exploitation of children. The paper aims to provide a comprehensive review of current legislative measures focusing the European Union for combating online CSAM. With a particular focus on AI-driven CSAM, we will systematically evaluate the effectiveness and applicability of these regulations in addressing virtual CSAM. The paper will conclude with policy recommendations to address identified gaps in the European legislative framework concerning virtual CSAM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The document "United States AI Law Developments: A Late 2024 Update" discusses the current state of AI regulation in the United States. With over 120 AI-related bills under consideration in Congress, federal inaction has led to states taking the lead in crafting AI-specific laws, often following the EU's risk-based approach. The report highlights examples of AI causing harm in high-risk sectors and emphasizes the urgent need for comprehensive regulations to ensure ethical AI deployment. Various federal agencies have taken steps to shape AI governance through enforcement actions, guidelines, and voluntary standards, but the lack of comprehensive federal legislation has created a fragmented regulatory framework. States like California, Colorado, New York, Texas, Pennsylvania, and Utah have implemented their own AI regulations, addressing issues such as election integrity, privacy, healthcare, education, and workforce development. The document concludes by stressing the importance of coordination between federal and state approaches, along with public input, to establish a coherent regulatory framework for AI in the US. [Extracted from the article]

Police officers and staff who investigate child sexual abuse material (CSAM) may be at elevated risk for mental health problems, which may be mitigated or exacerbated by institutional and interpersonal factors. The current work examined mental health in a large sample of UK CSAM investigators (N = 661). Results suggest substantially elevated rates of depression and anxiety but not posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Feeling successful and supported powerfully buffered against negative outcomes, whereas moral injury—particularly feelings of institutional betrayal—predicted worse outcomes. Although exposure to CSAM and contact with victims predicted worse outcomes, these effects were much smaller. Regarding coping styles, self‐blame, rumination, catastrophizing, withdrawal, ignoring, and negative religious coping predicted worse outcomes, whereas positive refocusing, seeking distraction, and social support were effective. These results held controlling for demographics. These results suggest that UK CSAM police officers and staff experience elevated depression and anxiety, but institutional and interpersonal support can buffer outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the legal policy significance of § 184b of the German Criminal Code, which regulates the possession of child pornography. Reforms of the sentencing framework in the years 2021 and 2024 are discussed to ensure appropriate penalties. The debate about minimum sentences and the criminalization of possession and distribution of child pornography content is the focus. It is proposed to adjust the sentencing framework and not punish legitimate behavior. [Extracted from the article]

PRACTICE IMPACT STATEMENTPossession and distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) is a serious criminal offence facilitated by online technologies. To prevent, investigate, and treat online CSAM offending, comprehensive knowledge of potential risk factors for these crimes is required. Given the large body of relevant research, a systematic overview of the risk factors typically considered in research and their link to (testable) theories is lacking. We present a review of 43 quantitative studies (sample sizes ranging from N = 60 to N = 14,804) identified from 56 meta-analyses, reviews, and book chapters on online CSAM offending. Risk factors were extracted and grouped into 12 categories and 75 subcategories via qualitative clustering. The most frequent categories were Criminal History, Socio-Demographics, and Social Relations, whereas genuine psychological constructs were rare. Comparing risk factors for online CSAM offending to those for general (sexual) offending, the need for more specific theories of online CSAM offending is discussed along with implications for future research.This review reports risk factors for online CSAM offending that have been researched in the psychological literature between 2011 and 2023, highlighting a lack of theory and an overreliance on historic factors. From this finding, requirements for future research are derived, which should advance our knowledge in correspondence with the identified shortcomings to understand and prevent future CSAM offending. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PRACTICE IMPACT STATEMENTIllegal material is increasingly appearing on popular mainstream websites. Many commentators worry about the impact of such material on adolescents' psycho-sexual development and the potential for some legal pornography to act as a gateway to child sexual exploitation material for users of any age. In this study, we collected publicly available data from a popular legal pornography website to assess the risk of adolescent exposure to content that may hinder healthy psycho-sexual development. We analysed over 27 million customer searches involving 149 video tags from this site. Five international experts on the effects of pornography rated the tags, categorising them into five overlapping genres: mainstream, incestuous, underage, aggressive and non-consensual. They also assessed the potential risk each genre posed. Our analysis found a significant positive correlation between the harm ratings and the frequency of tags used as search terms. Additionally, eleven of the twelve tags with the highest mean risk scores involved potential underage and/or incestuous content. This study highlights a concerning relationship between the harm ratings of various pornographic genres and their popularity as search terms. While exploratory, these results emphasise the need for regulatory measures to address the presence of harmful material on mainstream websites.The study has practical implications for the regulation of potentially harmful pornography by legal pornography sites. The sites should (a) control the use of tags and how new tags are developed in order to prevent content creators from advertising potentially illegal material, (b) vet all content before it is uploaded for public consumption, and (c) implement screening systems to retrospectively find and eradicate all illegal or harmful content already in their collection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Manipulated media – images, video, and audio – have proliferated online. Widely available modification software, rudimentary practices, and advanced techniques involving machine learning and artificial intelligence have been used to manipulate media. This article critically explores illegal and nonconsensual nude and sexually explicit (NSE) deepfakes and the measures implemented to counter them. The motivating questions for this analysis are: What measures are in place to counter illegal and nonconsensual NSE deepfakes? Are these measures sufficient? The objectives of this article are three-fold: (1) to identify illegal and nonconsensual NSE deepfakes and illegal uses of them; (2) to critically evaluate the current legal and technological countermeasures available in various jurisdictions to combat illicit and nonconsensual NSE deepfakes; and (3) to make recommendations based on challenges and deficits in existing legal and technological mechanisms employed to tackle them. Ultimately, our findings indicate that there are technologies and legal measures that could effectively reduce the harm experienced by victims if: there is a collective will from the corporate, legislative, and political spheres to effectively execute these changes; and legal liability to remove NSE deepfakes is placed on the online platforms and websites that host and distribute this content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Senegalese-French filmmaker Maïmouna Doucouré's resistance project, Cuties (2020), aimed to alert adults about the dangers of hypersexualization on social media and its harm to young girls. However, the film content and its suggestive Netflix marketing campaign led to it being misinterpreted and maligned as "child pornography." This study examines these controversies, arguing that the heightened gaze stems from "othering" Black girlhood and polarizing views circulating in the digital space. We contend these occurrences, evident in our selected data sources, speak to a larger phenomenon wherein human and nonhuman actors across various media channels and news cultures worked to quiet historically marginalized voices. Furthermore, the movie's controversy allows for a critique of the media ecosystem and its role in a market-driven economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is global demand for methods to prioritize child sexual exploitation material (CSEM) investigations. Previous research comparing online CSEM offenders based on how they were detected found potentially meaningful differences in offense and individual characteristics, including factors relating to targets for prioritization, such as risk of other offending. The present study builds on this work by providing an in-depth comparison of the individual characteristics and offending behavior of a sample of 336 men convicted of CSEM offenses, divided into four detection groups: (1) those reported by others; (2) those identified during another police investigation; (3) those identified due to their online web purchases or downloads, and; (4) those detected during proactive online police investigations. As a group, the riskiest individuals were detected by reports of others and during other investigations (Cohen's f =.25). This finding suggests that it is important to search for CSEM when doing other police investigations, particularly those involving allegations of sexual offending or crimes against children. Risk relevant information may also assist prioritization, though it will depend on the information available at different points in an investigation and may require the use of professional judgement in approximating evidence of robust risk factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Foco (Interdisciplinary Studies Journal) is the property of Revista Foco and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The electric network frequency (ENF), often referred to as the industrial heartbeat, plays a crucial role in the power system. In recent years, it has found applications in multimedia evidence identification for court proceedings and audio–visual temporal source identification. This paper introduces an ENF region classification model named UniTS-SinSpec within the UniTS framework. The model integrates the sinusoidal activation function and spectral attention mechanism while also redesigning the model framework. Training is conducted using a public dataset on the open science framework (OSF) platform, with final experimental results demonstrating that, after parameter optimization, the UniTS-SinSpec model achieves an average validation accuracy of 97.47%, surpassing current state-of-the-art and baseline models. Accurate classification can significantly aid in ENF temporal source identification. Future research will focus on expanding dataset coverage and diversity to verify the model's generality and robustness across different regions, time spans, and data sources. Additionally, it aims to explore the extensive application potential of ENF region classification in preventing crimes such as telecommunications fraud, terrorism, and child pornography. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research aims to analyze the sexual exploitation through online pornography shows, that takes place in Romania, in the family environment. This type of abuse is represented by cases where children are involved in live pornographic shows on the internet, within which minors perform the sexual acts requested by adult clients who pay for the show. Although a relatively recent phenomenon in our country, this type of abuse has been prevalent for years in other disadvantaged regions of the world. The research focuses on in-family offences and aims to identify the factors that lead to the commission of such crimes. Data was obtained through 27 semi-structured interviews that were conducted with specialists involved in the management of online pornography offences: police officers and psychologists from child protection departments. The results of the study show that, although family sexual exploitation through live-streaming shows is not a very common modus operandi, it has extremely serious consequences for the victims. Discussions with specialists outline two distinct social situations in which this type of abuse manifests: a part of the perpetrators come from economically marginalized families, in the framework of which other deviant behaviors are also registered and within which pornography is used to provide the necessary income for day-to-day living; for the second category of perpetrators, this form of exploitation represents a quick source of substantial income, which is used to provide them with the material comfort they aspire to. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examination about the jurisprudential evolution of protection against all forms of child pornography, in relation to the principle of offensiveness in force in the Italian legal system.

PRACTICE IMPACT STATEMENTThis study sought to describe the characteristics of people who non-consensually forward sexts, to examine the overlap between the non-consensual forwarding of sexts and in-person sexual coercion, and to investigate what correlates were associated with each perpetration type (i.e. the non-consensual forwarding of sexts and in-person sexual coercion). In our online community sample of 2,780 emerging adults (i.e. aged 18–30), mostly from North America (97.9%), we found a prevalence of 9.2% for the non-consensual forwarding of sexts and a 13.7% prevalence for in-person sexual coercion. The two types of sexual coercion overlapped; however, more perpetrators of the non-consensual forwarding of sexts had also committed in-person perpetration than in-person perpetrators who also committed the non-consensual forwarding of sexts. Higher sex drive, being a man, greater susceptibility to peer pressure, and self-reporting the other type of sexual coercion were independently related with in-person sexual coercion and the non-consensual forwarding of sexts. Our findings suggest a possible overlapping etiology between in-person sexual coercion and the non-consensual forwarding of sexts and that programmes aimed at reducing in-person sexual coercion could be effective for reducing the non-consensual forwarding of sexts.Results from our online survey of 2,780 adults aged 18-30 suggest that using “revenge pornography” to refer to the non-consensual forwarding of sexual materials is unnecessarily restrictive and does not represent the nature of this phenomenon. Further, we found that positive beliefs about the non-consensual forwarding of sexts was a common motivation for non-consensually forwarding sexts, suggesting that social media campaigns educating emerging adults on the risks of the non-consensual forwarding of sexts may be effective in reducing this behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study analyses the characteristics of 71 individuals convicted of child pornography, who were incarcerated in the national penitentiary network between 2019-2022. The data presented below represents an analysis of the information provided by 21 prisons, who supported me in completing a questionnaire that included the following indicators: gender, residence area, age, education level, family situation, housing situation, criminal record, relationship between the offender and the victim, number of minors abused. The characteristics of the offenders were compared with those identified in studies conducted on the same topic in other countries. The results indicate a series of similarities with the research I referenced, as well as some differences. Romanian offenders are mostly men between the ages of 25-45 who, at the time they committed the crime, had started their own family or were involved in a serious long-term relationship. From an economic perspective, the data indicates a high proportion of individuals without stable employment, of those with a low level of education, and of those who had incomes below the average level. The most significant differences from other studies in the field are the higher proportion of female offenders, the large number of individuals with a low standard of living and of those without stable employment. The study is part of my Ph.D. thesis, "Sexual Behaviours in the Online Environment: Between Normality and Deviance." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The proliferation of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) online is a global epidemic. Recently, programs to prevent child sexual abuse perpetration are being developed, and mounting evidence suggests that these measures can mitigate the risk of abuse. This study investigates the factors associated with help-seeking among CSAM offenders to inform efforts to increase uptake and strengthen effectiveness of such interventions. We analyze survey responses from 4,493 individuals who self-report to use CSAM. 55.0% of respondents report that they would like to stop using CSAM; however, only 13.8% have sought help, and only 3.2% have accessed help. The respondents most likely to want to stop using CSAM are those who report difficulties with mental health, in daily life, and related to use of CSAM. The respondents most likely to have sought treatment include those who report that they have sought contact with children, have experienced self-harm or suicidal thoughts, are in contact with other offenders, experience difficulties related to CSAM and in daily life, and view CSAM depicting toddlers and infants. We complement the findings with insights from a survey of 255 help-seeking individuals participating in an online self-help program to stop CSAM use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public campaigns offer an opportunity to prevent child sexual abuse by raising awareness and promoting help available to bystanders, victims, and those at risk of perpetrating the abuse. This paper explores the impact of The Lucy Faithfull Foundation's 'Stop It Now!' campaign in the UK (2015–2018) on help-seeking. Helpline calls (11,190 unique callers), website analytics (109,432 new website visitors) and three website-hosted surveys (N = 252) provided data on help-seeking, awareness, and self-reported behavior. Results indicated that there were more visitors to the help website during active campaigning periods, and helpline callers and website visitors were more likely to seek help after viewing campaign materials during active than non-active campaign periods. Help-seekers were predominantly men concerned about their own behavior. Survey 2 respondents concerned about their own behavior (n = 53) indicated that their awareness of the law (75.5%), and legal and personal consequences (67.9%) had changed after hearing about the campaign, and 66% reported a change in behavior. Public health campaigns may be an effective way to promote help-seeking and prevent abuse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors give an overview of the basic breakdown of pornographic material according to its content and its features that differentiate it from erotica. The categorizations, such as mild, explicit, and violent, are important for the purposes of sexological research, where pornography serves as stimulus material. A more specific categorisation is for child pornography, which is useful for subsequent forensic work in assessing the offence. The dominant medium in recent years has been the Internet. Pornography has evolved into new alternative forms such as netporn, altporn and ethical porn. These are innovative approaches by the porn industry, not only in an attempt to portray sexual practices as realistically as possible, but also to provide more equal and pleasurable conditions for the actors involved. Amateur pornography, which is filmed by the actors themselves and posted on the Internet, is also growing in popularity due to its greater authenticity compared to 'classic pornography'. However, publishing content without the consensus of all those involved can be problematic. Unfortunately, this is also happening and is one of the other new phenomena in pornography - revenge porn. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, there has been a significant increase in the detection of child sexual exploitation material (CSEM), with perpetrators increasingly turning to advanced encryption technologies to conceal their activities. This study delves into data from a Brazilian Federal Police operation on the Tor network, aimed at disrupting these illicit activities. We uncovered patterns indicating strong user preferences for certain content categories, suggesting the existence of distinct groups with shared interests. Additionally, our findings reveal consistent activity patterns among users, including specific 24-hour, 12-hour, and 6-hour consumption cycles. This research offers insights into the online behavior related to CSEM, providing a foundation for further investigation and the development of effective policy measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aims to bring to the fore domestic law provisions and their interpretation in national judicial practice in four (4) countries with a long democratic tradition, namely the United States of America, France, the Netherlands and Belgium, with regard to pseudo-child pornography and virtual child pornography, in order to find answers to questions such as: Are pseudo-child pornography and virtual child pornography criminalised in the laws of these countries? What were the reasons considered for their criminalisation or non-criminalisation? What is the link between A.I. and these subspecies of child pornography and how can this technology be integrated into the fight against the phenomenon? How is pseudo-child pornography reconciled with the principle of legality of criminalisation? And more. The proposed objective is to update the local doctrinal studies in the field of pseudo-child pornography and virtual child pornography from the perspective of comparative law, in order to provide arguments for and against the criminalisation of these types of child pornography, including how to reconcile the competing social values at stake. New socio-technological realities also require addressing and understanding how I.A. technologies have influenced the proliferation of child sexual abuse material online, the extent of this phenomenon, and identifying effective solutions to prevent and combat the scourge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The communicative landscape is filled with representations of women filtered by a male gaze, in which space is given mainly to standardised female images, precisely sharing a central role in the body dimension. This paper examines the portrayal of women's bodies within cultural industries, focusing on the profound impact of these images on the socialization of gender and sexuality in young girls. It analyses how the hypersexualized media landscape, particularly images that are sexualizing children, affects self-perception and can contribute to serious social issues, including the proliferation of child pornography facilitated by digital technologies. The paper investigates the entrenchment of stereotypical gender images, leading to self-objectification and adult-like sexual self-presentation in female children, often pressuring them to meet restrictive beauty standards. Furthermore, the research underscores the limited scholarship particularly within Italian contexts on how media-driven sexualization connects to the sexual exploitation of minors. Emphasizing the urgency of counter-narratives, this paper advocates for balanced media representations that encourage positive gender and body image socialization, fostering spaces free from objectification for children and teenagers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Online child sexual abuse encompasses a range of offenses including the accessing, downloading, sharing and creating of images of child sexual abuse, often referred to as Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM). CSAM consumption has increased exponentially, and the lockdowns implemented as a response to COVID-19 have exacerbated this problem. CSAM offenders are more likely than other sex offenders to be married, to have children and to live with a partner and child(ren). Policy, practice and research has largely considered these families within the context of their protective properties, with little consideration for the individual and collective harms that they experience, and their unique support needs. Using data from 20 interviews with family members of those convicted of CSAM offenses in the UK, we propose seven key elements that characterize the impacts of CSAM offending on non-offending family members. We categorize these as: 1) Disenfranchised Grief; 2) Ambiguous Loss; 3) Ontological Assault; 4) Contamination by Causal Responsibility; 5) Wall of Silence; 6) No-Win Situation, and 7) Burden of Responsibility. We propose policy and practice responses to minimize these harms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores the governance considerations for open foundation models like GPT-4 and Llama 3.1, which are driving AI innovation and attracting significant investment. While these models have the potential to benefit society by promoting competition and distributing power, there are concerns about risks such as malicious use and the spread of disinformation. The article suggests that policymakers should carefully consider the impact of regulation on the innovation ecosystem surrounding open foundation models. It also discusses the potential risks associated with open foundation models in AI, including voice-cloning scams, NCII, and CSAM. The article emphasizes the importance of considering the interests of the open foundation model community when crafting regulations. [Extracted from the article]