Denmark police to use fake sexual materials to combat child exploitation

The police in Denmark will soon be allowed to create and share fake sexual materials involving minors to uncover and prosecute offenders. This measure is part of a set of five initiatives proposed by the government in collaboration with the charity Save the Children. Justice Minister Peter Hummelgaard emphasized that this tool would enable law enforcement to infiltrate the online spaces where exploitation takes place, aiming to secure convictions against those who harm children both in Denmark and across Europe.

Recent years have seen a dramatic increase in charges related to the possession of sexual material featuring individuals under 18, with statistics showing a rise from 324 charges in 2019 to 1,510 in 2023. Lars Mortensen, inspector at the National Unit for Special Crime, noted that the current inability to find and identify suspects is often due to the necessity for investigators to share sexual content to gain access, which is not permitted under current law.

The proposed legislation will tighten the criminalization of sexual images of children, extend the criminalization of manipulated sexual materials, and clarify laws regarding the use of images that sexualize minors. It will also allow police to create and distribute fake sexual images as part of undercover operations and criminalize the production of deepfake pornography involving real individuals.

While the creation of manipulated materials raises ethical concerns, Hummelgaard insists that it is essential for police to have the tools necessary to access and dismantle these harmful networks. Save the Children has expressed cautious support for the initiatives but acknowledges the moral complexities of allowing law enforcement to generate fake content in the fight against online child exploitation.