Author: Spencer Akerman CSE Analyst at South West Regional Integrated Confidential Unit Spencer.Akerman@avonandsomerset.pnn.police.uk Month: November This document contains apps/websites of note that have appeared in Child Sexual Exploitation or Abuse cases in the Southwest region for the month stated above. The document may also contain apps/websites that are prominent in other regions or are believed to be an emerging issue. If you have any apps you believe may be used in the facilitation of CSE/A please send an email to the above address. For the latest social media library created by Jasvinder Chohhan (jasvinder.chohhan@west-midlands.pnn.police.uk) or the latest version of the Social media APP bulletin please visit https://www.zephyrswrocu.org.uk/home/cse
The recent release includes a new live location sharing feature, that allows users to share their location with friends they are chatting to. Previously, the app had a location-sharing feature, but it only allowed users to share a static spot on a map. Now, when users opt-in to live location, the friends they're chatting with can see their exact location updated on a map as they move for upto 8 hours. The feature, which you can opt-in to from any chat, allows others to view your exact location for fifteen minutes, an hour, or eight hours at a time. That may sound creepy, but WhatsApp says it's a "simple and secure way to let people know where you are." It's end-to-end encrypted and users can end the location sharing before the designated time period is over if they want. See the next slide of examples of screens. Although it is end to end encrypted, the concern will arise when a child who has been groomed shares their location with the person grooming them. There is no evidence that this has occurred. WhatsApp
321Chat advertises itself as the best free cam chat rooms for teens and adults to talk with each other. It boasts that its online webcam chat rooms are for all ages, sexes and ethnicities, both gay and straight. The chat rooms are mobile friendly but just as good on a desktop, which allows for an immersive chat experience. There is no requirement for memberships or registrations to chat with friends or random people and best of all it is free. 321chat Lycos Chat is advertised as a Fun, Free Chat room. Community with more than 600000 members. Multi-room public, private and photo chatting. Guidelines say that you have to be 16 to use the site. Intelligence suggests that within an hour of a 13 year old girl using the chat site she had been approached by 19 supposed adult users requesting private chat and two of these made overtly sexualised comments. The 13 year olds profile strongly suggested that she was 13. Lycos Chat
The PS4 app allows players to take their PlayStation® experience with them on your mobile device. Allows users to be ready to game with features that keep them connected to their gaming friends and the games they like to play. The app has an integrated chat feature which allows users to chat, receive notifications, game alerts and invitations, constantly keeping them in touch with the PlayStation universe. An incident occurred where a callers 7 year old son mentioned to her that he had been playing on his PlayStation 4, during which he added a friend on the PlayStation network. He was then using the app to chat with friends when the new friend began having sexually explicit conversations and asking them to come to their private rooms. PS4 app
Although young people are more likely to use apps when it comes to hiding their pictures, applications, text messages, and other data on their smartphones, it is still important to know what devices offer in terms of hiding apps and content. On the iPhone, you can hide applications by going into the Settings > General > Restrictions and checking off next to applications that you don’t want to show up on the screen. To make them reappear, you can go back and repeat the process. Androids offer the same option of hiding apps from the home screen. You can do so by going to the Settings>Applications>application manager> “All Tab” and choosing apps that you would like to hide and click disable. On newer operating systems this can be achieved by dragging apps to the remove shortcuts bin (however the apps will appear on the apps shortcut). Just like on the iPhone, you will have to repeat the process to unhide the apps. The app Apex launcher is also a vault application used for this purpose and is installed by default on some models.
With the internet and apps evolving every week it can be easy to feel like technology is moving too fast for us, however it doesn’t change the fact that young people will always seek to interact with technology and will always require our advice and support when online. Below are a number of resources to help educate adults and young people around the issue of online safety and app security: The UK safer internet centre; where you can find e-safety tips, advice and resources to help children and young people stay safe online. For help and advice contact : 0344 3814772 or helpline@saferinternet.org.uk The Revenge porn hotline; the only organisation providing such a service in the UK, providing support and advice to the victims of the non-consensual sharing of intimate images and cyber-enabled blackmail (known as sextortion). POSH (The Professionals Online Safety Helpline); The Professionals Online Safety Helpline is a free service for all professionals and volunteers working with children and young people. It provides signposting, advice and mediation to resolve online safety issues staff face about themselves, such as protecting professional identity and online harassment, or problems affecting young people, for example cyber-bullying or sexting issues. Where appropriate we can also provide advice or facilitate in the removal on harmful content. POSH have created good relationships with many of the giant tech companies and are a great place to start if you have any concerns with a particular site or App. UK Safer internet centre Professionals Online Safety Helpline Revenge porn helpline Protecting young people from online grooming Please support the Revenge Porn hotline crowdfunding campaign www.crowdfunder.co.uk/revenge-porn-helpline