Illegal Image Trading on Popular Apps

I’ve been talking about encrypted messaging apps at my trainings for years. There is competition in this market and there are many apps that offer end-to-end encryption, meaning that only the person sending and the recipient can see the message.

WhatsApp, owned by Facebook, is encrypted and is a trading place for child porn. Facebook Messenger also has an encryption feature which will allow for illegal images to be easily traded via Messenger. We have to be speaking out, and demanding more from our tech companies to address this behavior. Facebook has reportedly 20,000 employees to moderate the site while WhatsApp only has 300.

When you think of the trade of childrens images and videos, you probably think about the Dark Web. While yes, that content is there, we must also realize that it’s being traded on apps that are most likely on your device. Take a moment and read this article. The more you know the more you are equipped to fight this battle.

~ Ryan