Europol flags 4,340 ‘horrific’ URLs linked to The Com
Europol and partner agencies have identified 4,340 URLs linked to The Com for removal, targeting material used to recruit members and groom victims. The action matters because the loosely connected online network is associated with cybercrime, extortion, swatting and serious offline violence, with minors often involved as both victims and perpetrators.
The referrals were made during June and July under Project Compass, involving investigators from nine European countries alongside US and UK partners. The content included depictions of self-harm, suicide, child sexual abuse, animal cruelty and assaults, as well as instructions for grooming, extortion, doxxing, swatting and violent attacks; Europol says it has received hundreds of related investigative requests over two years.
In short
- Europol flagged 4,340 The Com-linked URLs for removal.
- The network uses extreme content to recruit and groom young people.
- Project Compass involves European, UK and US law-enforcement partners.
Explained simply
The Com is a loosely connected online network associated with cybercrime, extortion and serious real-world violence, with members including minors as both victims and perpetrators. Police forces across Europe and their partners in the United States and the United Kingdom have been investigating the network for at least two years.
Content associated with The Com includes material depicting self-harm, suicide, child sexual abuse, animal cruelty and violent assaults, along with instructions for illegal activities such as extortion, doxxing (publishing someone's private information) and swatting (making false emergency calls to harass someone). The network is also used to recruit members and groom victims for exploitation.
Europol, the European Union's law enforcement agency, leads coordinated investigations into The Com across multiple countries. The scale of police concern is evident from the hundreds of investigative requests law enforcement has received about the network in recent years.