Police use AI Gen Z slang decoder to hunt down “crimefluencers” grooming girls
Australian police are in the process of developing AI programs to track down slang used by Gen Z and Gen Alpha sexual predators who are targeting young girls.
Many of these offenders are sadistic by nature and talk their victims into harming themselves, their siblings, or even their pets.
The Australian Federal Police (AFP) commissioner Krissy Barret explained that the criminals are motivated by anarchy in particular
Barret coined the term “crimefluencer” to describe the gamification that happens between perpetrators. This depraved levelling-up experience is increasingly hard to monitor, particularly when the criminals use their own slang and implement various status levels.
Also, when interactions occur on closeted and encrypted apps, there’s a lot of distance to cover.
The AI system, developed in conjunction with Microsoft, is used to decode hidden meanings in encrypted chats between criminals.
Skull, devil, or fire emojis, for example, could mean different things between gaming communities, harmless memes, and those instigating crime.
Australian Federal Police have identified 59 potential suspects, with an unreported number of arrests made so far.
“This prototype aims to make it quicker for our teams to save children from harm much earlier,” shared Barret.
Youth radicalization and digital extremism have alarmingly been on the rise since 2020, with 48 youths investigated and 25 charged in Australia alone. Over half of these incidents are religiously motivated, according to Barrett's report.
Platforms like Discord, Snapchat and Telegram become recruitment hubs, and if they’re encrypted, then it can be difficult to use parental controls or have a degree of institutional oversight.
One case study that Barret mentioned from 2022 found that a 14-year-old boy had been rooted out for violent extremist content. As he was arrested, police found firearms, explosives, and extremist drawings.
On top of that, one of the individuals who carried out the 2024 firebombing of a Melbourne synagogue is still on the loose, and allegedly was responsible for a series of firebombings on tobacco shops.
As the lingo constantly evolves, it remains the responsibility of the community – namely, parents, teachers, and tech companies – to monitor what’s relevant and be proactive in understanding the issue.
By implementing AI as an informer, Australia hopes that prevention by literacy is the best policy going forward.
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