Telegram logo. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File SaferNet, an NGO that works to defend human rights on the internet, announced this Friday (14) that it filed with the National Data Protection Agency (ANPD) a survey of around 1,093 Telegram accounts that show signs of child sexual abuse material. The complaint is part of a survey carried out by the NGO between 2017 and 2026, based on complaints received through the platform www.denuncie.org.br. ?? Do you have any reporting suggestions? Send to g1 In total, SaferNet claims to have sent the ANPD 14,969 Telegram links with content about drugs, weapons, scams, self-mutilation, among other topics. According to SaferNet, of the almost 15 thousand links collected in the period from 2017 to 2026, 8,160 were already non-existent or had been removed, and 4,851 were revoked invitations. The other 1,000 with child sexual abuse material are still on the air, according to them. g1 reached out to Telegram to comment on the survey and is awaiting a response.
Brazilian NGO reports Telegram accounts to ANPD with signs of child sexual abuse
Telegram logo. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File SaferNet, an NGO that works to defend human rights on the internet, announced this Friday (14) that it filed with the National Data Protection Agency (ANPD) a survey of around 1,093...
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Send to g1 In total, SaferNet claims to have sent the ANPD 14,969 Telegram links with content about drugs, weapons, scams, self-mutilation, among other topics. According to SaferNet, of the almost 15 thousand links collected in the period from 2017 to 2026, 8,160 were already non-existent or had been removed, and 4,851 were revoked invitations.
- The other 1,000 with child sexual abuse material are still on the air, according to them.
- g1 reached out to Telegram to comment on the survey and is awaiting a response.
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Child sexual abuse content on Telegram It is not new that Telegram has been used as a stronghold for child sexual abuse content, the NGO considered. In 2024, SaferNet reported that more than 1 million users of the platform were in groups that sold material of this type. Of the 1,093 active addresses that show signs of sexual violence against children or adolescents, 518 are user and robot profiles, 256 are active invitations, 192 are channels and 127 are groups, according to the NGO. "Telegram is not just a platform where abuse happens, but an infrastructure that, due to its technical architecture, its monetization model and its moderation stance, structures and enables the production, distribution and commercialization of sexual violence material against children and adolescents on an industrial scale", says Thiago Tavares, president of SaferNet Brasil. According to SaferNet, the number of complaints showed marked growth from 2022 onwards and reached the highest level in the historical series in July 2026, indicating that the phenomenon observed since 2024 continues and worsens. Tougher penalty President Lula sanctioned a law earlier this month that expands the punishment for crimes of sexual violence against children and adolescents committed in the digital environment, including with the use of artificial intelligence. The project was authored by federal deputy Osmar Terra (MDB-RS) and was approved by the Senate on July 7. Since last month, it had been awaiting the sanction of the president of the republic. The production, possession or distribution of child sexual abuse material has increased year by year in Brazil. According to the 20th Brazilian Public Security Yearbook, there were 4,063 records in 2025, an increase of 23% compared to the previous year, when there were 3,280 cases. Among the main changes foreseen in the new law are increased penalties for some crimes committed against children and adolescents, including: increased penalties for the crime of grooming minors under the age of 14 when the agent uses artificial intelligence, deepfake or false profile to impersonate another person; possibility of increased penalties for those who use IP (internet protocol) masking resources or other digital identifiers to make identification difficult in crimes against children and adolescents; inclusion of the main crimes of child sexual violence in the list of heinous crimes and creation of a new hypothesis of preventive detention for these cases. Discord: what is the social network that will have lives suspended in Brazil after ANPD decision Camera systems use artificial intelligence and promise to anticipate crimes