DIGITAL LIFE

Research shows that thousands of men are asking hackers for help to spy on partners and ex-partners

Thousands of men participate in Telegram groups dedicated to buying and selling digital surveillance tools, accessing intimate images obtained without consent, and tracking services for partners and ex-partners. This is the conclusion of a report by AI Forensics, a non-profit European algorithmic auditing organization, published by Wired magazine.

The research tracked nearly 2.8 million messages exchanged in 16 Telegram communities in Italian and Spanish over six weeks. More than 24,000 members actively participated in sending 82,723 files — including images, videos, and audio — during the analyzed period.

Close victims...A central aspect of the survey is that the documented violence is not limited to public targets. Although celebrities and influencers are also targets, researchers identified that significant portions of the victims are women in the lives of the authors of the posts.

"We tend to forget that most victims are ordinary women who don't know their images are being shared or manipulated on these channels," said Silvia Semenzin, a researcher at AI Forensics who had previously documented similar behavior on Italian Telegram channels in 2019. "Most of this violence is directed at people the perpetrators know."

The AI ​​Forensics report classifies 13 categories of abusive content observed in the communities, ranging from the sharing of intimate images without consent, including those of minors, to doxing (public exposure of personal data) and targeted harassment. Victims were frequently identified by name and locatable through links to social media profiles.

Digital espionage market...Among the monitored content, researchers recorded more than 18,000 references to espionage practices or tools for this purpose. Posts offered access to cell phone photo galleries, hacking into social media accounts, and remote monitoring of partners. One of the translated messages read: "I hack and recover any type of service on social networks. I can spy on your partner's account."

Researchers emphasize that it was not possible to verify whether the advertised tools actually worked. Even so, multiple types of stalkerware, tracking software used in contexts of domestic violence, have been documented in use against women over the last decade.

Access to many of these channels cost between 20 and 50 euros, with monthly subscriptions starting at 5 euros. In some Spanish-language groups, dozens of abusive images were shared per hour.

Telegram's response...Contacted by Wired, a Telegram spokesperson stated that the company removes "millions" of pieces of content daily through "customized AI tools" and that its policies explicitly prohibit the promotion of violence, illegal sexual content, including non-consensual images and doxing. The company also claims to have blocked nearly 12 million groups and channels by 2025, including more than 153,000 linked to child sexual abuse material.

Telegram founder Pavel Durov is facing a criminal investigation in France for alleged criminal activities carried out on the platform.

Semenzin argues that Telegram, with over 1 billion monthly active users, should be classified as a "large-scale online platform" under European digital security legislation, which would imply stricter regulatory obligations.

The AI ​​Forensics research is not the first to document this type of organization on digital platforms. In recent years, similar groups have been identified on Facebook, specific websites, and Telegram in Germany, Portugal, China, and other countries.

"Any platform or app that can be used to harm women and girls will be used for that purpose," Adam Dodge, a lawyer and founder of EndTAB, an organization dedicated to combating technology-enabled abuse, told Wired. "Telegram stands out because it offers anonymity, speed, and large networks of users with similar interests."

For Salvatore Romano, head of research and co-founder of AI Forensics, the identified groups represent only a sample of a much broader phenomenon. "We can probably say that, without Telegram, it would be much more difficult for these people to reach such a large user base," he stated.

mundophone