News
As cyber crimes targeting children rise, authorities seek to raise awareness
View(s):By Dilushi Wijesinghe
Recent statistics from the Sri Lanka Computer Emergency Readiness Team (SLCERT) reveal an increase in cyber crimes targeting children.
SLCERT’s Senior Information Security Engineer Charuka Damunupola told the Sunday Timesthat ‘sextortion’ was on the rise. “Last year we received around 270 cases related to children on the cyber space. Currently, up to July, we have around 80 cases reported to us, which involve children, and half of them are mainly related to cyber sexual harassment,” he said.
Charuka Damunupola - Senior Information officer at SL CERT
The complaints primarily revolve around the sharing of intimate images, often linked to ‘revenge porn’ scenarios. In these cases, individuals, typically following a breakup, threaten to publicise private and intimate images to blackmail the other party. “Recently, we’ve observed a concerning trend where artificial intelligence (AI) tools are used to alter victims’ images, removing articles of clothing,” Mr Damunupola noted.
He highlighted that most images used are profile pictures on various platforms, mainly in student groups such as mass tuition class and Telegram groups which accommodate nearly 1,000 students.
“They are using some kind of a Telegram bot, saying that they are also a victim of this case, and through this bot, by registering to that channel, they have managed to remove their photos” Mr Damunupola explained. “Let’s say that bot’s name is “photo remover”, so that perpetrator sends that username to the victim saying they have removed their photos through this bot, and the students who are victimised will send a message to that specific bot,” he added.
Sajeewani Abeykoon - Director, Law Enforcement - NCPA
“Instructions are defined in that bot, like what to send, one by one, so when any chat is initiated, the bot will reply with a set of instructions. The instructions will say something like, “in order to verify your new photo, you need to send actual photos of you” for example, standing in front of a mirror, and side view, and the front view, holding an NIC and even a video of an introduction of yourself,” he said.
Mr Damunupola added that the perpetrators using Telegram instead of a meta-verified platform such as WhatsApp posed a threat to SLCERT and even the Computer Crimes Investigation Division (CCID) to identify them, and where they operate from as he says “in Telegram you can completely hide your identity”. He further noted that the actual number of cases could be higher than reported.
In response to such crimes, Police Spokesman DIG Nihal Thalduwa said that the Police are collaborating with social media agencies to curb the spread of such harmful content. He noted an agreement with Google to swiftly address and remove any pornographic content involving children uploaded from Sri Lanka. “We have successfully removed a significant amount of such content recently,” he said, emphasising that this agreement has been in effect for a year.
Speaking on action taken by the Police to prevent cyber sexual crimes against children, DIG Thalduwa said, “We conduct awareness programmes and lectures for children whenever we get a chance. When we receive a complaint, the CID and the Women and Child Protection Bureau coordinate and attend to it by conducting an inquiry on a priority basis”.
National Child Protection Authority (NCPA) Director, Law Enforcement, said that the NCPA conducts awareness campaigns to prevent child harassment among schools such as their Student Ambassador programme where prefects of the schools are educated and trained to prevent such incidents within the schools. “We have child psycho-social officers at district level and child protection officers at divisional secretariat levels to educate teachers and children, along with child protection committees in schools” she said.
Former Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe emphasised the need for judicial discretion, stating, “If the judges are permitted to exercise their discretion by taking into consideration the circumstances in each and every case, I think that there will be some justice”.
Complaints regarding child exploitation can be lodged with the NCPA via hotline 1929 and with SLCERT via hotline 101.
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