Digital Misuse seperator

At FactorDaily, we strive to bring attention to how technology impacts society, whether for good or bad. Along with the illuminating side, our reporting has always held up on showing the dark side of technology which extends to digital misuse. Our current project focused on the easy and extensive availability of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) in the online space is one that we want to throw a spotlight on.

Online CSAM is a massive problem that our world is staring at today. The NCMEC CyberTipline received 16.9 million reports, which included 69.1 million CSAM, from various Electronic Service Providers from across the globe. Close to 2 million of these reports are from India, making us the biggest contributor and consumer of online CSAM.

CSAM is available everywhere— online chat rooms, video games, and, most dangerously, on ubiquitous OTT platforms that children are exposed to on a daily basis. This implies that over 53 crore children —the Indian population below 18— are at risk of sexual abuse online. We are in a desperate need to develop a good understanding and find a solution.  India has 500 million smartphones in use and is expected to have 639 million active internet users by the end of 2020. The number and popularity of OTT platforms in India is increasing every year. Yet, we lack the awareness of safe digital behaviour.  Besides CSAM, this project will also encompass our reporting on other issues pertaining to digital misuse that could include non consensual intimate imagery, bullying and other aspects of cybercrimes.

FEATURED STORY

The Crying Shame of Image-based abuse

29 August 2024
Commonly called "revenge porn", "leak" or "MMS scandal", image-based abuse is a widespread and systemic yet untrammelled issue that destroys lives.
Further coverage

As CSAM Surges, A New Drive to Prosecute Offenders

22 March 2022
What does it take to take down an illegal video clip containing child sexual abuse material from the internet? This is the story of Naina and Vicky and their quest to take down their video clip from the internet.

Removing Child Sexual Abuse Material from the Internet

22 March 2022
In 2019, the NCMEC got 16.9 million suspected CSAM reports, of which nearly 1.98 million were from India—the single-largest out of 241 countries. The Indian subcontinent ranks high when it comes to CSAM consumption.

The dark hand of tech that stokes sex traficking in India

25 February 2019
A gripping narrative of Farzana, a sex trafficking survivor, who was lured by false promises of love and opportunity-- her journey unveils the disturbing nexus between technology and exploitation, shedding light on the hidden horrors of modern-day slavery.

Perpetrators, platforms, processes:The common enemies of the Indian online harassed

17 December 2017
Silence is defeat: This story explores a woman's fight to reclaim her dignity in the digital age.
FROM OTHER PROJECTS

Beware of Entrepreneurship

17 October 2022
Entrepreneurship is like a ghost fight. You are fighting with your own ghost every day. In this heartfelt account Sunny Ghosh talks about the struggles of entrepreneurship beyond the usual chase of unicorn statuses and success stories.

Removing Child Sexual Abuse Material from the Internet

22 March 2022
In 2019, the NCMEC got 16.9 million suspected CSAM reports, of which nearly 1.98 million were from India—the single-largest out of 241 countries. The Indian subcontinent ranks high when it comes to CSAM consumption.

FINDING SHAMNAD BASHEER

22 December 2022
Exploring the enduring legacy of Shamnad Basheer, whose life's journey reshaped India's legal landscape and inspired a generation of social change-makers.