Australia’s online safety commissioner released a transparency report examining how major technology companies handle online sexual exploitation and child safety. The study analyzed responses from platforms including Apple, Meta, Google, Microsoft, Snap, Discord and WhatsApp regarding their detection and prevention efforts.
Between July and December 2025, the regulator received 2,206 complaints related to sexual extortion, commonly referred to as sextortion. This form of digital blackmail involves threats to share intimate images or videos unless victims comply with demands. Men between the ages of 18 and 24 submitted approximately 800 of these complaints, making them the largest reporting demographic. However, the watchdog noted that younger teenagers are increasingly becoming targets of such exploitation.
The report identified Instagram and WhatsApp as the platforms most frequently mentioned in complaints, appearing together in over 1,300 reports. For users under 18, Apple’s iMessage and Snapchat were most commonly associated with sexual extortion threats. The commissioner highlighted persistent gaps in detection systems and prevention mechanisms, noting that available technologies such as language analysis tools capable of identifying coercion scripts used by offenders remain underutilized across most platforms.
The regulator found that most services lack proactive detection capabilities for live streaming features, with Microsoft identified as the only company reported to use both available detection technologies. The commissioner stated that platforms have access to technologies and safeguards that remain unimplemented despite their availability. Academic commentary emphasized that companies continue relying primarily on reactive removal of harmful content rather than implementing preventive design measures, suggesting that greater investment in safety infrastructure during platform development is necessary.
Originally reported by The Guardian. Read the full story →