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UK NCA raise questions about "the radicalisation of offenders in online forums" amid 1,000-"paedophile" crackdown

Posted: Wed Feb 18, 2026 10:49 am
by Jim Burton
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/202 ... -across-uk
“I think, societally, things have changed … If you go into an online forum and you’ve got a sexual interest in children, you’ll be told that you are normal.

“Because of the way algorithms drive people with like-minded interests together, because of the way people operate, they will be told that what they are doing is normal, it will be rationalised, it will be normalised, and then you will see almost a radicalisation process where their behaviour will be encouraged, and they will be told that everything they’ve been told, that’s told them it’s wrong throughout their life, it’s the opposite.”

Re: UK NCA raise questions about "the radicalisation of offenders in online forums" amid 1,000-"paedophile" crackdown

Posted: Wed Feb 18, 2026 1:16 pm
by BLueRibbon
Radicalization by algorithm is a problem, in general.

But also, sexual interest in children is normal, and OK.

Re: UK NCA raise questions about "the radicalisation of offenders in online forums" amid 1,000-"paedophile" crackdown

Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2026 5:58 am
by Scorchingwilde
I'd like to know what kind of algorithm these people are talking about, MAPs are routinely banned from most mainstream social media, silo-d away on decentralized mastodon servers, and forums like these have to be sought out. Do they mean search engines?

Re: UK NCA raise questions about "the radicalisation of offenders in online forums" amid 1,000-"paedophile" crackdown

Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2026 12:25 pm
by Jim Burton
They mean in-app features that drive groups of people with interests such as child models towards their desired content and towards other child lovers.