TENNESSEE, USA — Ten people across Tennessee face felony charges and more than a dozen victims have been identified in a large-scale operation to target online child exploitation and sextortion, according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
TBI's Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force conducted what they called, "Operation Autumn Shield," between October and December. Members of the task force worked to identify and locate children who were victims of sextortion and online sexual exploitation and arrest the people responsible.
According to TBI, during the operation, an instance involving artificial intelligence technology was discovered. They said a man used AI applications to produce images of his minor daughter into a nude photograph and shared it online.
The Internet Watch Foundation said the issue with AI and sexual exploitation has "escalated and continues to evolve." In its first report in October 2023, there were more than 20,000 AI-generated photos uploaded to a child sex abuse materials forum in one month. An update in July shows more than 3,500 new photos were uploaded onto that same forum.
"One of the problems that stems from this is the sexualized material that's being created is proliferating surface level, social media platforms and it serves a purpose of normalizing the idea of children as being appropriate objects of sexual desire," said Lisa Thompson, a Vice President of Research at the National Center of Sexual Exploitation.
In another case, TBI identified and located a 14-year-old boy who founded an online extremist group called "101," which extorts minors into self-harm and produces child sexual abuse content.
According to TBI, this group is a spin-off of "764." The Department of Justice describes the network as being made of violent extremists who seek to "normalize" the production, sharing and possession of child sexual abuse and gore, as a way to groom victims toward future violence.
The task force identified and located 14 known child victims of sextortion in Tennessee that were reported through online tips. Agents are still working to identify eight more children, between the ages of 12 and 17, who are victims of sextortion.
Those arrested during the operation were charged with sexual exploitation of children and other related offenses. More arrests could follow once forensic processing of electronic devices is complete, authorities said.
The operation extended to 19 counties in Tennessee, including the work of 18 local, state, and federal law enforcement partners.