Telegram Channels Selling Child Porn Are Openly Promoting To M’sians On Twitter
Thousands of Twitter's dark side accounts are tweeting contents of child pornography, with some asking Telegram sellers for more content.
The Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) revealed in September that 106,764 IP addresses in Malaysia have been sharing child pornography since 2017 until August 2022
Before we begin, it is critical to understand what child pornography is.
According to the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017, "child pornography" refers to any representation, in whole or in part, whether visual, audio, written, or any combination of these, depicting a child engaging in sexually explicit behaviour.
When we talk about child pornography, we are not referring to children who have access to watch pornography.
The data shared by PDRM is concerning as it reveals that a large number of Malaysians are not only watching underage children and minors being raped (minors cannot give consent to sex), but they are also sharing this content with others.
Child pornography is easily accessible to paedophiles via Malaysian Telegram channels that sell minors' explicit photos and videos
In October of 2020, SAYS exposed a local Telegram group that was spreading women's photos without their consent.
The case was reported to the police and that particular Telegram group, V2K, was immediately banned by Telegram as it was violating their policy.
While it has been two years since that case was reported, Telegram groups selling people's explicit photos are now back in operation, with some even selling content specifically catered to paedophiles.
Subscriptions to these Telegram channels are now being sold and advertised publicly on Twitter
In June 2022, JUICE reported that Twitter’s seedier underbelly, known as the DS (Dark Side) is the primary location for these criminals to sell and promote their illegal Telegram channels and groups.
While the majority of these DS accounts sell subscriptions to their channels that contain photos of adult women and men without their consent, some sell explicit content involving minors.
Entering a specific keyword into your Twitter search bar would reveal thousands of DS accounts tweeting contents of child pornography.
One Twitter account this SAYS writer discovered was advertising their child porn collection, which included over 100 photos and videos of boys under the age of 15.
The seller also asked their buyers to send them a message on Telegram in order to receive a "special promotion".
Image via Screenshot/Aqasha Aiman
The same seller also promoted their Telegram channel in the Twitter replies of other DS accounts that shared videos of young boys engaging in sexual activities.
"Send me a DM if you want to watch videos of school kids under the age of 15. You can check the tweets on my Twitter account or send a text to me directly on Telegram," they said in a tweet.
Image via Screenshot/Aqasha Aiman
These criminals would not be able to sell their such content if there was no demand
Another Twitter thread in which a different seller tweeted a video of a high school girl performing a sexual act was flooded with disgusting comments from people who said they would like the young girl to do it to them.
Image via Screenshot/Aqasha Aiman
Tapping on one of the commenters' Twitter accounts also reveals a man who has fantasised about raping a high schooler on top of a classroom table.
Image via Screenshot/Aqasha Aiman
Unfortunately, while revealing the worrying statistic found by PDRM, the topic of child pornography was not accurately addressed by Malaysia, Women, Family, and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Rina Harun
In September, Rina Harun was slammed by netizens for not understanding the definition of child pornography, reported JUICE.
While speaking about child pornography, Rina said, "My ministry views this trend as an unhealthy development, especially as it involves a vulnerable group since exposure to child pornography leads to sex addiction, which can eventually lead to other sexual issues."
In her closing remarks, she linked the rise in child pornography to the decline in parental control over children's internet browsing activities.
Twitter users pointed out that she was "confused" and expressed their frustrations online.
Image via Ameera Rosli/JUICE
If you or someone you know may be at risk or has experienced sexual abuse or assault, please reach out to these Malaysian organisations:
1. WOMEN'S AID ORGANISATION (WAO)
Operating hours: 24-hour
Contact: +603-30008858
SMS/WhatsApp: +6018-9888058
Website | Facebook | Twitter
2. ALL WOMEN'S ACTION SOCIETY (AWAM)
Operating hours: Monday to Friday (9.30am - 5.30pm)
Contact: +603-78770224
WhatsApp/Telegram: +6016-2284221 | +6016-2374221
Email: telenita@awam.org.my
Website | Facebook | Twitter
3. WOMEN'S CENTRE FOR CHANGE PENANG (WCC PENANG)
Operating hours: Monday to Friday (9am - 5pm)
Contact: +604-2280342 | +604-3988340
WhatsApp: +6011-31084001 | +6016-4180342
Email: wcc@wccpenang.org
Website | Facebook | Twitter
4. SARAWAK WOMEN FOR WOMEN SOCIETY (SWWS)
Operating hours: Monday (7pm - 9pm),Tuesday to Thursday (9.30am - 11.30am), Saturday (2pm - 4pm)
Contact: +6082-368853
SMS/WhatsApp: +6016-5822660 | +6013-8044285
Email: sarswws@gmail.com
Website | Facebook | Twitter
5. SABAH WOMEN'S ACTION-RESOURCE GROUP (SAWO)
Operating hours: Monday to Friday (9am - 5pm)
Contact: +6088-280200 | +6011-27908020
Email: sawo.women@yahoo.com
Website | Facebook | Twitter
6. PROTECT AND SAVE THE CHILDREN (PS THE CHILDREN)
Operating hours: Monday to Friday (3pm - 12am)
WhatsApp: +6016-7213065
Email: protect@psthechildren.org.my
Website | Facebook | Twitter
7. INTERNET WATCH FOUNDATION (IWF)
Anonymously and confidentially report child sexual abuse content and non-photographic child sexual abuse images with IWF's Reporting Portal.
In October 2020, netizens brought attention to a Telegram group that was spreading women's photos without their consent:
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