New technologies such as Virtual reality VR, haptic suits and AI chatbots are at the forefront of indecent image investigations as users look for different methods of accessing material and communication.
Virtual reality or VR headsets and software provide an immersive experience for the user, but they can also be used for viewing indecent images of children and for child exploitation in respect of networking between users, grooming of children and sharing of indecent images. There have also been incidents of virtual parties or meetings between users acting as character in virtual sexual activities that can involve depictions of children, where children are virtually abused.
VR producers are creating experiences focussing on child exploitation, such as fantasy and role play parties, VR chatting, and the importing of AI generated images using pictures from real children taken from the user or social media platforms to create immersive VR sexual abuse scenarios.
The police have difficulties with VR behaviour as it can be difficult to prove exactly what the user did in the virtual space.
AI chatbots are already prevalent but they are also being accessed by users wanting a virtual girlfriend or boyfriend, in principle that is not an issue, but the AI chatbot will respond to the user without the moral filter to steer the conversation away from any extreme topic. Whereas a human may recoil from discussing child abuse images or fantasy role play scenarios an AI chatbot will often encourage whatever the user is saying to an extreme level, potentially triggering the user to act out the suggestions. An AI chatbot can also search for images to fit the discussion and provide them to the user.
Haptic suits are currently very expensive, but they are used in gaming scenarios to add a real feeling of physical interaction when perhaps the user is shot or stabbed in a game. The suit is worn and gives the user the physical sensory feel associated with the game action. The danger in respect of child exploitation behaviour is the scenario where a perpetrator could virtually physically abuse a child that was wearing a haptic suit. As the costs of haptic suits decreases they are likely to find their way on to the wish list of children, which then leaves a vulnerability to VR grooming and virtual physical abuse.
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