Victim of Child Sexual Abuse Appeals to Elon Musk to Erase Trafficked Images
A victim of child sexual abuse has begged Elon Musk to stop links offering images of her abuse being posted on his social media platform X.
Hearing that my abuse - and the abuse of so many others - is still being circulated and commodified here is infuriating, says Zora (not her real name) who lives in the United States and was first abused more than 20 years ago.
Every time someone sells or shares child abuse material, they directly fuel the original, horrific abuse.
X has stated that it has zero tolerance for child sexual abuse material and that tackling those who exploit children remains a top priority.
The BBC uncovered images of Zora while investigating the global trade of child sex abuse material, which is estimated to be worth billions of dollars by Childlight, the Global Child Safety Institute.
The material was found among a cache of thousands being offered for sale on an X account. Contact with the trader through messaging app Telegram ultimately led to a bank account linked to a person in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Having been first abused by a family member, Zora's images have become notorious among predators who collect and trade such content. Many other victims share her plight, as images of their abuse continue to circulate.
Expressing her frustration at the continuing trade, Zora remarked, My body is not a commodity. It never has been, and it never will be. She pointed out that those who distribute such material are complicit in the ongoing abuse.
Tracking the X account
Initially, Zora's abuse images were only accessible on the dark web, but she now has to face the harsh reality of them being openly traded on X.
Social media platforms are striving to eliminate illegal content, yet the magnitude of the issue is staggering. Last year, the US National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) received over 20 million mandatory reports related to incidents of child sexual abuse material on various platforms.
The NCMEC works diligently to identify victims and perpetrators and cooperates with law enforcement.
The BBC also reached out to the hacktivist group Anonymous, who are attempting to combat the trade of child abuse images on X. They indicated that the situation remains dire.
Anonymous directed the investigation towards a specific account on X, which used a photo of a child as its avatar but contained content promoting child sexual abuse material in its bio.
Finding the Trader
To identify the trader, the investigation posed as a buyer.
The trader sent bank information and an online payment account details, both under the same name.
This name was linked to multiple money transfers and bank accounts, leading investigators to a man in Jakarta. A BBC World Service producer confronted him, and when shown evidence, he expressed shock.
The man stated the account was created for a mortgage transaction and denied knowledge of the ongoing trade. As of now, the certainty of his involvement remains undetermined.
The marketing strategies for Zora's images reflect methods utilized globally by numerous traders. Posts on X employ hashtags familiar among pedophiles and often utilize images altered from recognized child exploitation content to evade detection.
Elon Musk claimed the removal of child sexual abuse material was his top priority upon taking control of X in 2022. However, many believe substantial progress still needs to occur.
Zora concluded her plea to Musk by urging him to take immediate action, paralleling it with the level of protection he would afford his own children: The time to act is now.
For those affected by issues raised in this report, support can be found via the BBC Action Line.
