Europol arrests 30 in crackdown on The Com child exploitation

Europol's Project Compass has resulted in 30 arrests targeting 'The Com', a cybercrime network exploiting children and teenagers online. The operation, conducted over a year across 28 countries, identified 62 victims and helped protect four children from harm. The Com network primarily consists of young, English-speaking cybercriminals aged 16 to 25, involved in various attacks, including hacking and coercion related to self-harm.

Key achievements of Project Compass include:

• Safeguarding four victims
• Identifying or partially identifying 62 victims
• Identifying 179 suspects
• Conducting nine joint awareness initiatives

Anna Sjöberg, Head of Europol’s European Counter Terrorism Centre, emphasized the importance of international cooperation in addressing these cyber threats.