A victim of child sexual abuse has begged Elon Musk to stop links offering images of her abuse being posted on his social media platform X. The victim, known as “Zora”, was first abused over 20 years ago, and her images have become infamous among paedophiles who collect and trade such content. Zora is angered that the trade continues to this day, and she feels “bullied over a crime that robbed me of my childhood”.
The BBC found images of Zora while investigating the global trade of child sex abuse material, estimated to be worth billions of dollars. The material was among a cache of thousands of similar photos and videos being offered for sale on an X account. The trader appeared to be based in Indonesia and was offering “VIP packages” of images and video files of abuse for sale to paedophiles around the world.
The BBC tracked down a man with the same name as the account holder to an address on the outskirts of Jakarta, but he denied any knowledge of the trade. The way Zora’s images were being marketed is a method used by hundreds of traders across the world, and social media platforms are struggling to prevent criminals from posting repeatedly.
Elon Musk said removing child sexual abuse material was his “top priority” when he took over X, but Zora has a message for him: “Our abuse is being shared, traded, and sold on the app you own. If you would act without hesitation to protect your own children, I beg you to do the same for the rest of us. The time to act is now.” X says it has “zero tolerance” for child sexual exploitation and works closely with law enforcement to prosecute these crimes.
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