After confirming the authenticity of the Bigo livestreamer with the authorities, The Times searched the Apple and Google app stores for other video chat apps. Reporters identified a sample of more than 80 apps that advertised children before stopping the search. They later contacted Homeland Security Investigations, the government’s main law enforcement group for international exploitation, for comment.
“The number one customer base paying for this abuse is in the United States,” the agent said. “It’s not like they are abused once a day. It’s 50 men getting 50 separate shows. They’ll wake up these kids in the middle of the night to be abused.”
Asked about The Times’s sample of offending apps, Mr. Sainz said a majority had been detected during the company’s standard review process, with an additional 20 taken down after an internal investigation in response to The Times’s findings.
Because before computers and the internet there was no child abuse? Child abuse is of all ages. And who is more vulnerable to it? The weak and the poor.
Personally, i believe we’ll see more and more of it, as most of society gets poorer and poorer. People will do anything to survive.
This is just an easy way to earn money. And its easier to reach a bigger audience. But i don’t think its gotten worse because we have the internet. Thats just bullshit in my opinion.
But then, i don’t have any kids, so what do i know about abusing your child for money.
Another take: computers and the internet make it easier to catch these people. That’s a big part of how this article can exist.