The investigation highlights dangers of violent online networks for youth. Halifax Regional Police have arrested a youth in connection with participation in a violent online extremist group. Article content The arrest follows an investigation that began in May by the HRP/RCMP Integrated Child Exploitation Unit. Article content Article content According to a news release from HRP issued Tuesday, the youth was an active member of an online group named 764, a subgroup of the broader Com Network, and faces multiple child pornography charges. Article content Article content These virtual communities “promote and glorify serious violence and cruelty,” according to the release. They operate worldwide on mainstream social media platforms and gaming apps and are not confined to the dark web or hard-to-reach parts of the internet. At a news conference Tuesday, Halifax Regional Police Chief Don MacLean emphasized that these groups “operate in plain sight through the chat features on very common online social media and gaming apps.” Article content Members of these groups then form connections with other young people in order to groom them. Article content RCMP Sgt. Danielle Pollock of the Internet Child Exploitation Unit described 764 as an online network “whose purpose is nothing more than to cause chaos amongst other youth.” Article content Police cautioned that victims can be manipulated into sharing or live-streaming intimate images, acts of self-harm, violence against others, child pornography and animal cruelty. MacLean said parents need to watch out for signs of self-harm, such as cutting or carving, on their children’s bodies. Article content Article content The investigation revealed that popular platforms like Discord, Telegram, Minecraft and Roblox were used in the communications with youths.
via chronicleherald: Halifax police arrest youth allegedly connected to 764, a group that targets children on platforms like Minecraft, Roblox
siehe auch: Q&A: What you should know about 764, the online extremist group driven by ‘harm and chaos’ Violent online groups like 764 have become ‘very dangerous’ and ‘persistent’ threats, says expert. 764 and its related groups draw inspiration from a satanic neo-Nazi movement called the Order of Nine Angles (O9A). (CBC) Social Sharing X Email Reddit LinkedIn A Halifax-area teenager facing child pornography charges in relation to an online extremist group made a brief appearance Thursday in Nova Scotia youth court. The 16-year-old boy is scheduled to return to court on Nov. 20 for election and plea. Police said this week the youth is alleged to be a member of the group 764, whose members coerce children into harming themselves and others, including engaging in sexual activity on camera. CBC News spoke with Matt Kriner, the executive director of the Institute for Countering Digital Extremism, to find out more about 764. The institute is a think-tank and consulting group that combats violent extremism and develops counterterrorism strategies in co-operation with police forces around the world. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. What is 764? 764 is a predominantly digital network that has occurred online and engages in a lot of really egregious harms that are driven in part by a violent extremist ideology, but in part by a desire to inflict as much harm and chaos in society and upon other individuals. How big a problem is this group? This network has become the dominant brand within a larger ecosystem of what’s often referred to as the Com or community where extortions and doxings [compiling and releasing someone’s personal information] and swattings [making a crank call to emergency services in effort to dispatch armed police officers to an address] are a very common occurrence. So this ecosystem is very dangerous. It’s turned itself into quite a persistent threat that has challenged law enforcement globally in countering its rise.