Huge Rise in Revenge Porn

  • There has been a surge in reports of so-called revenge porn this year, with campaigners saying the problem has been exacerbated by lockdown
  • Around 2,050 reports were made to a government-funded helpline, a 22% rise from last year
  • As cases have remained high despite coronavirus restrictions easing, those that run the service fear this is “the new normal.”
  • Recent research by domestic violence charity Refuge found that one in seven young women has received threats that intimate photos will be shared without their consent.
  • There have been more cases of revenge porn reported to a dedicated UK helpline so far this year than in all of 2019

Video Game Platforms have been Hacked

  • The US Department of Justice (DoJ) has charged five Chinese and two Malaysian men with hacking more than 100 companies
  • The two Malaysian businessmen “conspired” with two of the Chinese hackers to target the video games industry in particular, the DoJ said
  • They would obtain in-game items and currencies by fraud, hacking or other means, and sell on the digital items for real money, it added
  • Both Malaysian men have been arrested
  • The five Chinese men were “fugitives” in China, the DoJ added. The US does not have an extradition treaty with China
  • The other three Chinese hackers targeted software developers, computer makers, social media companies and others, the indictment said

President Trump Questions Oracle TikTok Deal

  • Donald Trump has questioned plans by the Chinese tech firm ByteDance to keep a majority stake in TikTok’s US operations as part of a “trusted technology deal” with Oracle
  • Trump said he would be briefed on Thursday about a proposal that calls for Oracle to become a “trusted technology provider” for TikTok’s American operations, but he did not favour the idea of having the Chinese firm retain control
  • “It has to be 100% as far as national security is concerned,” Trump said. “I have to see the deal”
  • Trump’s intervention followed six Republican Senators urging the administration to reject the TikTok deal as long as ties remained to Chinese owner ByteDance and suggesting the President could block the proposal
  • Trump had previously threatened to ban the app unless its US operations were sold to a US company and the US Government received a share of the proceeds

Teacher Accessed Child Sexual Abuse Material Online

Teacher Accessed Child Sexual Abuse Online

  • The Deputy head teacher of a primary school has admitted watching child abuse videos online
  • The former teacher said he had watched child sexual abuse on the dark web for two years before he was arrested by National Crime Agency officers at his home on May 15 of this year
  • The 30-year-old, of Coulby Newham, Middlesbrough, told investigators the footage including adults raping children.
  • The offender who has resigned from his job at St Clare’s Catholic Primary School in Middlesbrough – said he used TOR software (The Onion Router) to make himself anonymous on the dark web
  • Officers have found no evidence to suggest that any of the images were made at the school and there is no allegation of physical abuse
  • He appeared at Teesside Magistrates’ Court and admitted three counts of possession of illegal images of children relating to category A (the most severe), category B and category C