Research reveals thousands of men join Telegram groups selling hacking tools used to spy on women they know.
Rome: New research shows that thousands of men are joining Telegram groups that sell hacking tools to spy on women they know. The groups sell ways to look at private photos, hack social media accounts, and find personal information.
Researchers studied 16 Italian and Spanish Telegram groups for six weeks and found over 24,000 members. These members shared more than 82,000 pictures, videos, and audio files. Most of the victims are regular women, not celebrities.
The groups do many harmful things. They share private nude photos without permission and sell “nudifying” services that can make clothed photos look naked. Some people hawk folders they claim have child abuse images and videos showing rape and incest.