Europol’s flagship TE-SAT 2022 report was published in July. The report is based on data provided to Europol by EU Member States on terrorist attacks, arrests and court decisions issued for terrorist offences. One key finding suggests that the combination of social isolation and more time spent online during the pandemic has exacerbated the risks posed by violent extremist propaganda and terrorist content online, particularly among younger people and minors.

A recent NSPCC article states that online grooming crimes have risen by more than 80% in the last four years. With record levels reached during the pandemic, the charity suggests that those levels have not subsided since, and indicate a long-term increase in ongoing offences. Offenders continue to target children on social media and gaming sites, with Meta-owned platforms being used in 38% of offences where the means of communication was known.

The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) launched the Child Safety Online Now (#ChildSafetyOnlineNow) campaign in partnership with 13 organisations dedicated to protecting children’s safety and rights online. The campaign supports the European Commission’s proposal to tackle the rampant and growing spread of child sexual abuse online and aims to raise awareness of the pressing need to protect children online.

India has joined Interpol’s International Child Sexual Exploitation (ICSE) database – which will allow it to identify links between victims, abusers and crime scenes using audio-visual data. The CBI, which is India’s agency for Interpol matters, joined the database making India the 68th country to connect to it, according to a statement from Interpol.