The Hague — A worldwide initiative has resulted in at least 25 arrests related to child sexual abuse content generated by artificial intelligence and shared online, Europol announced on Friday.
“Operation Cumberland is one of the foremost cases concerning AI-generated child sexual abuse material, presenting significant challenges for investigators due to the absence of national laws addressing these offenses,” stated the European policing agency based in The Hague.
Most arrests occurred on Wednesday as part of the global operation led by Danish police, with contributions from law enforcement entities in the EU, Australia, Britain, Canada, and New Zealand. According to Europol, U.S. law enforcement was not involved in this operation.
This development came after the arrest last November of the primary suspect, a Danish national who managed an online platform for disseminating the AI-generated material he created.
Following a “symbolic online payment, users globally could obtain a password to access the platform and view the abusive content,” Europol reported.
According to the agency, online child sexual exploitation continues to be one of the most significant threats posed by cybercrime within the European Union.
It “remains one of the highest priorities for law enforcement agencies, which are grappling with an increasing amount of illegal content,” the statement added, indicating that further arrests are anticipated as the investigation advances.
While Europol indicated that Operation Cumberland targeted a platform and individuals distributing content entirely created with AI, there is also a concerning rise in AI-manipulated “deepfake” imagery online, often featuring real individuals, including children, leading to severe repercussions for their lives.
A report by CBS News’ Jim Axelrod in December highlighted one girl victimized by such abuse from a classmate, revealing that over 21,000 deepfake pornographic images or videos were accessible online in 2023, marking a more than 460% increase from the previous year. This manipulated content has surged on the internet as lawmakers in the U.S. and other countries strive to keep pace with new legislative measures to tackle the issue.
Recently, the Senate approved a bipartisan bill known as the “TAKE IT DOWN Act”, which, if enacted, would criminalize the “publication of non-consensual intimate imagery (NCII), including AI-generated NCII (or ‘deepfake revenge pornography’), and mandates social media platforms to enforce procedures for removing such content within 48 hours upon notification by a victim,” states a description on the U.S. Senate website.
Currently, some social media platforms seem either unable or reluctant to effectively combat the distribution of sexualized, AI-generated deepfake content, including fraudulent images of celebrities. In mid-February, Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, reported the removal of over a dozen fake sexualized images of prominent female actors and athletes after a CBS News investigation uncovered a significant prevalence of AI-manipulated deepfake images on Facebook.
“This represents an industry-wide challenge, and we are constantly working to enhance our detection and enforcement technologies,” said Meta spokesperson Erin Logan in a statement to CBS News via email at that time.
