In our digitally connected world, perpetrators feel so safe online that they build their networks openly: on public-access porn websites and messenger apps such as Telegram. Our investigation for STRG_F/NDR in Germany uncovered an international rape network that had formed on porn websites and in dozens of private chat groups on Telegram. One group had more than 70,000 members.
Users exchange detailed information on how to drug and rape women who are already close to them, such as their wives, girlfriends, sisters, or mothers, without them noticing. The rapists share videos and photos of the assaults online. One man from Germany drugged and raped his wife for more than 15 years and generated millions of views with the footage. Our investigation triggered a police investigation, and he was stopped.
We'll share how we began investigating these networks, how we gained access to them, how we investigated the users for years by also going undercover, what tools we used, what ethical and moral challenges we have faced, and how we kept an overview of all the footage we documented and saved over the years.
We will address: - How do you conduct online research in criminal networks? (Structures, dynamics, and mechanisms) - How do you gain access to them? (User's communication and behaviour) - What opportunities and limitations did we encounter? (Laws and journalists' rights, ethical and moral responsibilities) - When should you consider undercover research, and what can it look like? (Journalistic standards and guidelines) - How do you protect your own mental health when confronted with disturbing content?
