Police to target child pornography rings

The Danish government has proposed a law allowing police to create and use fake sexual images of children to infiltrate online networks that share abusive material. Justice Minister Peter Hummelgaard tells national broadcaster DR that this tool would enable law enforcement to expose and prosecute criminals operating in these secretive organizations. The initiative, developed in collaboration with Save the Children Denmark, aims to overcome current limitations, as the police are currently not allowed to distribute such material as an investigation method. The proposal includes using artificial intelligence to generate the images. Despite recognizing the ethical issues, both the minister and Save the Children’s Secretary-General, Johanne Schmidt-Nielsen, see it as necessary to combat child exploitation effectively. The number of charges for possession of such material has quadrupled since 2019, indicating a growing problem.