Thomas Samson / AFP
A global campaign has led to at least 25 arrests over child sex content generated by artificial intelligence and distributed online, Europol said Friday.
"Operation Cumberland has been one of the first cases involving AI-generated child sexual abuse material, making it exceptionally challenging for investigators due to the lack of national legislation addressing these crimes," the Hague-based European police agency said in a statement.
The majority of the arrests were made Wednesday during the world-wide operation led by the Danish police, and which also involved EU law enforcement as well as Australia, Britain, Canada and New Zealand.
It followed the arrest last November of the main suspect in the case, a Danish national who ran an online platform where he distributed the AI material he produced.
After a "symbolic online payment, users from around the world were able to obtain a password to access the platform and watch children being abused", Europol said.
Online child sexual exploitation remains one of the most threatening manifestations of cybercrime in the European Union, the agency warned.
It "continues to be one of the top priorities for law enforcement agencies, which are dealing with an ever-growing volume of illegal content," it said, adding that more arrests were expected as the investigation continued.
© Agence France-Presse
