Victim of child sexual abuse has a plea for Musk
What's the story
A victim of child sexual abuse has appealed to Elon Musk, the owner of X, to remove links sharing images of her abuse. The woman, known as "Zora" for her safety, was first abused over 20 years ago by a family member. She expressed her anger at the continued circulation and commodification of such material on social media platforms like X.
Dark web
Links to her abuse are now on social media
Zora's images were initially only available on the dark web, but now links are being openly shared on X. This is a major concern as social media platforms struggle to remove illegal material from their sites. In 2022 alone, the US National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) received more than 20 million mandatory reports from tech firms about incidents of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on their platforms.
NCMEC's efforts
NCMEC's role in addressing child sexual abuse material
The NCMEC works to identify victims and perpetrators of child sexual abuse material. Once identified, the organization contacts law enforcement agencies. However, the scale of this problem is massive with many traders operating on social media platforms like X, selling "VIP packages" or collections of images and videos of abuse to pedophiles around the world.
Lasting impact
Zora feels 'bullied' over crime that robbed her childhood
Zora's abuser was prosecuted and imprisoned years ago, but not before footage of her abuse had been shared and sold worldwide. This has led to stalkers discovering Zora's identity and threatening her online. She said she feels "bullied over a crime that robbed me of my childhood." Despite these challenges, Zora is determined to fight against the circulation of such material on social media platforms like X.
Plea
Zora urges Musk to act swiftly
When informed about the trading of her photos on X, Zora urged Musk to act swiftly. "Our abuse is being shared, traded, and sold on the app you own. If you would act without hesitation to protect your own children, I beg you to do the same for the rest of us. The time to act is now," she said.