Wall Street Journal: Instagram Connects Vast Pedophile Network

[Blue Horseshoe 348]

Instagram Connects Vast Pedophile Network

....Instagram, the popular social-media site owned by Meta Platforms, helps connect and promote a vast network of accounts openly devoted to the commission and purchase of underage-sex content, according to investigations by The Wall Street Journal and researchers at Stanford University and the University of Massachusetts Amherst.... Instagram doesn’t merely host these activities. Its algorithms promote them. Instagram connects pedophiles and guides them to content sellers via recommendation systems that excel at linking those who share niche interests....Though out of sight for most on the platform, the sexualized accounts on Instagram are brazen about their interest. The researchers found that Instagram enabled people to search explicit hashtags such as #pedowhore and #preteensex and connected them to accounts that used the terms to advertise child-sex material for sale. Such accounts often claim to be run by the children themselves and use overtly sexual handles incorporating words such as “little slut for you.”

....Instagram accounts offering to sell illicit sex material generally don’t publish it openly, instead posting “menus” of content. Certain accounts invite buyers to commission specific acts. Some menus include prices for videos of children harming themselves and “imagery of the minor performing sexual acts with animals,”.... At the right price, children are available for in-person “meet ups.”  The promotion of underage-sex content violates rules established by Meta as well as federal law....

....The Journal also approached UMass’s Rescue Lab, which evaluated how pedophiles on Instagram fit into the larger ecosystem of online child exploitation. Using different methods, both entities were able to quickly identify large-scale communities promoting criminal sex abuse. ...Test accounts set up by researchers that viewed a single account in the network were immediately hit with “suggested for you” recommendations of purported child-sex-content sellers and buyers, as well as accounts linking to off-platform content trading sites. Following just a handful of these recommendations was enough to flood a test account with content that sexualizes children....The Stanford Internet Observatory used hashtags associated with underage sex to find 405 sellers of what researchers labeled “self-generated” child-sex material—or accounts purportedly run by children themselves, some saying they were as young as 12. According to data gathered via Maltego, a network mapping software, 112 of those seller accounts collectively had 22,000 unique followers....

....Current and former Meta employees who have worked on Instagram child-safety initiatives estimate the number of accounts that exist primarily to follow such content is in the high hundreds of thousands, if not millions....Instagram, estimated to have more than 1.3 billion users, is especially popular with teens. The Stanford researchers found some similar sexually exploitative activity on other, smaller social platforms, but said they found that the problem on Instagram is particularly severe. “The most important platform for these networks of buyers and sellers seems to be Instagram,”....Internet company algorithms check the digital fingerprints of images posted on their platforms against that list, and report back to the center when they detect them, as U.S. federal law requires. In 2022, the center received 31.9 million reports of child pornography, mostly from internet companies—up 47% from two years earlier....Meta, with more than 3 billion users across its apps, which include Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp, is able to detect these types of known images if they aren’t encrypted. Meta accounted for 85% of the child pornography reports filed to the center, including some 5 million from Instagram....

....Hashtags are a central part of content discovery on Instagram, allowing users to tag and find posts of interest to a particular community—from broad topics such as #fashion or #nba to narrower ones such as #embroidery or #spelunking....Pedophiles have their chosen hashtags, too. Search terms such as #pedobait and variations on #mnsfw (“minor not safe for work”) had been used to tag thousands of posts dedicated to advertising sex content featuring children, rendering them easily findable by buyers, the academic researchers found....In such cases, a pop-up screen for users warned that “These results may contain images of child sexual abuse,” and noted that production and consumption of such material causes “extreme harm” to children. The screen offered two options for users: “Get resources” and “See results anyway.” 

....The pedophilic accounts on Instagram mix brazenness with superficial efforts to veil their activity, researchers found. Certain emojis function as a kind of code, such as an image of a map—shorthand for “minor-attracted person”—or one of “cheese pizza,” which shares its initials with “child pornography,” according to Levine of UMass. Many declare themselves “lovers of the little things in life.” ...Accounts identify themselves as “seller” or “s3ller,” and many state their preferred form of payment in their bios. These seller accounts often convey the child’s purported age by saying they are “on chapter 14,” or “age 31” followed by an emoji of a reverse arrow....

....Sarah Adams, a Canadian mother of two, has built an Instagram audience discussing child exploitation and the dangers of oversharing on social media. Given her focus, Adams’ followers sometimes send her disturbing things they’ve encountered on the platform. In February, she said, one messaged her with an account branded with the term “incest toddlers.” ...Adams said she accessed the account—a collection of pro-incest memes with more than 10,000 followers—for only the few seconds that it took to report to Instagram, then tried to forget about it. But over the course of the next few days, she began hearing from horrified parents. When they looked at Adams’ Instagram profile, she said they were being recommended “incest toddlers” as a result of Adams’ contact with the account....A Meta spokesman said that “incest toddlers” violated its rules and that Instagram had erred on enforcement.... 

....Sometimes user reports of nudity involving a child went unanswered for months, according to a review of scores of reports filed over the last year by numerous child-safety advocates.
Earlier this year, an anti-pedophile activist discovered an Instagram account claiming to belong to a girl selling underage-sex content, including a post declaring, “This teen is ready for you pervs.” When the activist reported the account, Instagram responded with an automated message saying: “Because of the high volume of reports we receive, our team hasn’t been able to review this post.” After the same activist reported another post, this one of a scantily clad young girl with a graphically sexual caption, Instagram responded, “Our review team has found that [the account’s] post does not go against our Community Guidelines.” The response suggested that the user hide the account to avoid seeing its content. A Meta spokesman acknowledged that Meta had received the reports and failed to act on them....

https://www.wsj.com/articles/instagram-vast-pedophile-network

[Blue Horseshoe 348]

 

Documents reveal Facebook targeted children as young as 6 

Facebook was hiring employees to build out programs for children and young adults...Internal documents show that Facebook has been actively hiring employees to build products that target children as young as 6 to expand its user base....Diagrams illustrate proposed new target age groups, ranging from kids 6 to 9 years old and tweens 10 to 12 years old -- along with existing targets of early teens from 13 to 15 years old, late teens from 16 to 17 years old, and adults....

...Critics of the company say these documents are part of a long-standing pattern of Facebook attempting to attract younger users as early as possible. ...“Facebook and Instagram have repeatedly shown that they simply can’t be trusted when it comes to the well-being of children and teens....They need to focus on cleaning up their existing platforms instead of trying to hook more children to their addictive platforms at younger and younger ages.....”

Facebook responded... “Companies that operate in a highly competitive space — including the Wall Street Journal — make efforts to appeal to younger generations. Considering that our competitors are doing the same thing, it would actually be newsworthy if Facebook didn’t do this work....” ...The documents were included in disclosures made to the Securities and Exchange Commission and provided to Congress in redacted form by legal counsel for Frances Haugen, who worked as a Facebook product manager until May and has come forward as a whistleblower.....

.....A diagram from an April 9 internal post at Facebook titled “The internet wasn’t built with young people in mind, but we’re about to change that” describes how products are offered to different age groups and a vision for future offerings.... explaining how the company plans to expand to audiences below its current threshold of 13. The document cites the Federal Trade Commission’s current regulations around online services directed to children under 13 years old, called the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule, or COPPA..... “Despite Facebook’s claims that their motivation for Instagram for Kids is to create a safer experience for preteens, it’s clear the real reason is Facebook is fixated on kids to drive growth. Facebook products aren’t safe for younger children, and a company that consistently puts profits ahead of young people’s well-being has no business building platforms for kids.....”

https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/social-media/facebook-documents-reveal-company-targeted-children-young-6

[Blue Horseshoe 348]

Facebook used Big Tobacco playbook to exploit teens and children

....“In truth, Facebook has taken Big Tobacco’s playbook....It has hidden its own research on addiction and the toxic effects of its products, it has attempted to deceive the public and us in Congress about what it knows, and it has weaponized childhood vulnerabilities against children themselves....Instagram is that first childhood cigarette meant to get teens hooked early, exploiting the peer pressure of popularity and ultimately endangering their health....”

...Orrin Hatch, a Republican senator from Utah who has since retired, asked Zuckerberg, “How do you sustain a business model in which users don’t pay for your service?”...It’s commonly known that Facebook has become one of the world’s most valuable companies through its sophisticated advertising that’s used by most of the largest businesses to target potential customers....“Senator, we run ads,” Zuckerberg said.

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/09/30/senators-say-facebook-used-big-tobacco-playbook-to-exploit-kids.html

 

Facebook documents show how toxic Instagram is for teens

Facebook has repeatedly found that its Instagram app is harmful to a number of teenagers, according to a Wall Street Journal report...cited Facebook studies over the past three years that examined how Instagram affects its young user base, with teenage girls being most notably harmed. One internal Facebook presentation said that among teens who reported suicidal thoughts, 13% of British users and 6% of American users traced the issue to Instagram.....“Thirty-two percent of teen girls said that when they felt bad about their bodies, Instagram made them feel worse,”.... Facebook also reportedly found that 14% of boys in the U.S. said Instagram made them feel worse about themselves....

.... Still, Facebook has reportedly struggled to manage the problem while keeping users engaged and coming back. Facebook is also building a version of Instagram for kids under age 13....Young users are a key to Instagram’s success. More than 40% of Instagram’s users are 22 years old and younger....Rep. Lori Trahan, D-Mass., has made children’s mental health concerns in connection with social media use a key priority and previously rebuked Facebook for considering such a product....Following the Journal’s report, Trahan called for Facebook to “immediately abandon plans for Instagram for Kids” and focus instead on protecting existing young users.....“Facebook’s internal documents show that the company’s failure to protect children on Instagram – especially young girls – is outright neglect, and it’s been going on for years....Facebook has no business developing additional social media platforms explicitly designed for our children when they can’t be trusted to keep their current house in order.....”

Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers... said Facebook “refused to comply” with a request from Republicans on the committee in March asking for its internal research on its products’ impact on kids’ mental health....“This also leaves us wondering what else they are hiding.....We will continue to demand transparency from Facebook and other Big Tech companies, especially as it relates to the harm their products have on our children....”

....Democratic FTC Commissioner Rohit Chopra later tweeted, “Given the financial incentives embedded in its surveillance-based business model, it is yet another sign that the company cannot be trusted with our data....”

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/09/14/facebook-documents-show-how-toxic-instagram-is-for-teens-wsj.html

[seafoam1 3,497]

Liberals again.

[Blue Horseshoe 348]

 

[Blue Horseshoe 348]

 

 

And, of course, I will invite @Sean Mooney into this thread to participate. 

[seafoam1 3,497]

Wait, what about Trump?

[weepaws 3,411]

Just keeps getting worst.  

[Sean Mooney 2,057]

8 hours ago, Blue Horseshoe said:

 

 

And, of course, I will invite @Sean Mooney into this thread to participate. 

Of course I will invite you to refer back to what I've already said on this topic. 

[TBayXXXVII 2,677]

Personally, I think the Republicans should approach this in an entirely different manner.  Instead of protecting the children, since liberals are fighting for pedophilia, let them have it.  To ensure child safety, what Republican's should do in their states, is make any sex crime against a minor a capital offense.  So, when a priest molests a 10 year old, death penalty.  When a teacher has sex with her 14 year old student, death penalty.  Watch how fast these people leave that state.  It's a great way to remove the leftist element from your state.

[GutterBoy 2,900]

27 minutes ago, TBayXXXVII said:

..liberals are fighting for pedophilia

...Watch how fast these people leave that state.  It's a great way to remove the leftist element from your state.

This is why you can't be taken serious.  You repeat the same BS lie that your leaders tell you to for political points, and it's disgusting.

[seafoam1 3,497]

2 minutes ago, GutterBoy said:

This is why you can't be taken serious.  You repeat the same BS lie that your leaders tell you to for political points, and it's disgusting.

I have no problem with capital punishment. 

[edjr 7,022]

When Priests and the catholic church were playing ping pong with the little boys, was that also liberals?

[seafoam1 3,497]

12 minutes ago, edjr said:

When Priests and the catholic church were playing ping pong with the little boys, was that also liberals?

What Catholic church/school did you go where you were letting yourself get diddled?

[Hawkeye21 2,457]

What about the Boy Scouts?  That's quite the pedo network as well.  Why doesn't anyone ever talk about them?

[Hardcore troubadour 16,013]

If you’re boycotting Bud Light and not Instagram, you’re half assing it.  

[thegeneral 3,699]

12 hours ago, seafoam1 said:

What Catholic church/school did you go where you were letting yourself get diddled?

You can just use your Grinder account, Peefoam. 

[BuckSwope 654]

13 hours ago, Hawkeye21 said:

What about the Boy Scouts?  That's quite the pedo network as well.  Why doesn't anyone ever talk about them?

Flaming libs the lot, I'm sure.  

[lickin_starfish 2,027]

The Catholic Church and Boy Scouts were infiltrated by liberal ghays. Lefty predators are always seeking ways to victimize the vulnerable.

[Hawkeye21 2,457]

Why do the republican child molesters get ignored here?  It's not left or right problem.

[GutterBoy 2,900]

21 minutes ago, Hawkeye21 said:

Why do the republican child molesters get ignored here?  It's not left or right problem.

The right doesn't actually care about any of this.  They just want to score political points.  This is what happens when your party runs out of ideas.

[Hawkeye21 2,457]

Just now, GutterBoy said:

The right doesn't actually care about any of this.  They just want to score political points.  This is what happens when your party runs out of ideas.

They both want to score political points.  It's all about getting the W and seeing the other side get the L.  Few will admit it though.

[Wade Garrett 155]

The party of Trump needs their boogeyman to keep the sheep nice and scared.  Dude literally announced his candidacy by calling Mexicans rapist and murderers. 

He then spent every speech scaring his cultist about how liberals are trying to destroy the country.  Listen to any alt right show and it's all "destroy the country this" and "liberals are trying to eradicate the white man that" and "they're coming for your children!!!!!"

Deplorables are like children, easily controlled through fear. 

[Hawkeye21 2,457]

20 minutes ago, Wade Garrett said:

how liberals are trying to destroy the country.

You realize that democrats do the exact same thing, right?  That's like the #1 talking point.  The other side is always trying to destroy the country and only our side can fix it.  Bunch of BS.

[Hardcore troubadour 16,013]

7 minutes ago, Hawkeye21 said:

You realize that democrats do the exact same thing, right?  That's like the #1 talking point.  The other side is always trying to destroy the country and only our side can fix it.  Bunch of BS.

How can you destroy it by leaving it the way it is? Just do the maintenance. One side wants to tear it down.  There’s no denying that. They say so. Obama said he wanted to fundamentally change the country.  

[Wade Garrett 155]

9 minutes ago, Hawkeye21 said:

You realize that democrats do the exact same thing, right?  That's like the #1 talking point.  The other side is always trying to destroy the country and only our side can fix it.  Bunch of BS.

Negative boyo.  Trump's rhetoric about liberals and immigrants destroying the country isn't even close to Bidens.  What has Biden said, that MAGA extremist are a danger?  Not even close to the same ballpark as Tump's divisive rhetoric.  Want me to quote Trump's SOU speech where Nancy mogged him so bigly by ripping it up?

Literally 1/4 of the speech was hating on liberals. 

How about Trump's poorly attended inaguration speech.  Please compare that to Biden's and get back to me.

This whole "bof sidez!" bullchit is ridiculous. 

[Hawkeye21 2,457]

1 minute ago, Wade Garrett said:

How about Trump's poorly attended inaguration speech.  Please compare that to Biden's and get back to me.

What does this have to do with anything?

[Hardcore troubadour 16,013]

Trump didn’t say Mexicans are rapists and murderers when he announced his candidacy. Highly educated liberals continue to struggle with English.  

[MDC 8,069]

I bet the pedos follow their kids’ preteen friends first. For safety purposes. 

[Wade Garrett 155]

1 hour ago, Hardcore troubadour said:

Trump didn’t say Mexicans are rapists and murderers when he announced his candidacy. Highly educated liberals continue to struggle with English.  

When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best. They’re not sending you. They’re not sending you. They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with us. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.

 

lmfao.  You think the "some, I assume, are good people" isn't disparaging the vast majority of Mexican immigrants.  You cultist really can't see chit with your dumb heads in the sand can you?

He literally announced his candidacy using hate speech against non-whites and creating boogeymen for the alt right sheep to fear.

Pathetic really. 

[Dizkneelande 1,136]

On 6/9/2023 at 9:15 AM, edjr said:

When Priests and the catholic church were playing ping pong with the little boys, was that also liberals?

Being from the north shore you didn’t know any catholic democrats? I was surrounded by them. 

[Cloaca du jour 2,157]

Just finding this out now? Welcome to the party pal.  A bit late if it has grown this much.

[seafoam1 3,497]

1 hour ago, MDC said:

I bet the pedos follow their kids’ preteen friends first. For safety purposes. 

You would know. 

[Dizkneelande 1,136]

Of course pizzagate was real. Weird that every conspiracy theory ends up being true.

[GutterBoy 2,900]

8 minutes ago, Dizkneelande said:

Of course pizzagate was real. 

Wait what?

[Dizkneelande 1,136]

1 minute ago, GutterBoy said:

Wait what?

Did you read the article stupid?

[GutterBoy 2,900]

2 minutes ago, Dizkneelande said:

Did you read the article stupid?

Which article?  I don't read blue horseshoes crap.

[seafoam1 3,497]

It's always mdcack and gutternuts defending the pedos. Unreal. 

[BillyKing 83]

Anytime the right tries to fight against pedophiles you ALWAYS have the retards on the left exclaiming “wHaT aBoUt PrIeSts & TrOoP lEaDeRs”. Seriously , show me ONE conservative that is in favor of light or no punishments for those people. You can’t. Why? Because IT DOES NOT MATTER WHAT POLITICAL PARTY THEY BELONG TO. Pedophilia is WRONG and should be met with the death penalty. No rehabilitation. You knowingly rape a child you go straight to the executioner. Why is it ONLY you retards on the left that are defending practices that enable pedophiles? It’s literally ONLY you retards. And we’ve had enough. The f@gs that got their asses beat at Glendale when they tried to fight the Armenians are just the first. The more you sick freaks try to indoctrinate kids that don’t even have the brain capacity yet to understand simple arithmetic much less sixty thousand different genders, the more us on the right will proceed to beat the absolute dog Sh1t out of you leftists. So keep on trying. You’ll keep on getting your ass handed to you. Of course, most ppl that make threats for the left online are pusses and won’t ever do anything offline. They know they’ll catch an ass whoopin. The ones that DO go out in public to support pedophilia haven’t ever had someone punch them in their mouth. Which is what’ll happen if I see them or they try to keep sexualizing kids in school 
 

Had to put it in caps for the board retards to see it. 

[GutterBoy 2,900]