Once a woman’s name is revealed, her privacy is irrevocably shattered. Users often share social media profiles, which enables other members to reach out to her—requesting personal images or sending derogatory messages.
While anonymity can serve as a protective measure for women dealing with online harassment, it is also exploited by malicious individuals who utilize the same mechanisms to escape repercussions.
“It’s quite ironic,” states Miller. “The very privacy measures that women employ to shield themselves are being weaponized against them.”
The escalation of unmoderated platforms, such as the harmful Telegram groups, makes tracking offenders nearly impossible, revealing a systemic failure within law enforcement and regulatory bodies. Lacking clear jurisdiction or oversight, platforms can easily evade responsibility.
Sophie Mortimer, manager of the UK-based Revenge Porn Helpline, cautioned that Telegram poses one of the greatest risks to online safety. She notes that reports of nonconsensual intimate image misuse submitted to Telegram by the UK charity often go unaddressed. “We find them to be noncompliant with our requests,” she states. Conversely, Telegram asserts that it has received only “about 10 pieces of content” from the Revenge Porn Helpline, “all of which have been taken down.” Mortimer has yet to respond to WIRED’s inquiries regarding the accuracy of Telegram’s statements.
In spite of recent amendments to the UK’s Online Safety Act, the enforcement of laws against online abuse remains considerably weak. An October 2024 report by the UK-based charity The Cyber Helpline indicates that victims of cybercrime face substantial obstacles when attempting to report abuse, with the likelihood of justice for online offenses being seven times lower than for offline offenses.
“There still exists this persistent notion that cybercrime lacks real-life consequences,” remarks Charlotte Hooper, head of operations at The Cyber Helpline, which provides support to victims of cybercrime. “However, research among victims reveals that cybercrime can be just as—if not more—psychologically damaging than physical crime.”
A Telegram representative informed WIRED that its moderators employ “custom AI and machine learning tools” to eliminate content that breaches the platform’s guidelines, “including nonconsensual pornography and doxing.”
“Thanks to Telegram’s proactive moderation and handling of reports, moderators remove millions of harmful pieces of content each day,” the spokesperson asserted.
Hooper mentions that individuals who have experienced digital harassment often find themselves changing careers, relocating, or even withdrawing from public life due to the trauma inflicted by online targeting. The systemic negligence in categorizing these incidents as serious crimes permits offenders to function without fear of consequence.
Yet, as these networks become increasingly interconnected, social media platforms have inadequately addressed the deficiencies in moderation.
Telegram, despite an estimated 950 million monthly active users globally, argues that it is too small to be classified as a “Very Large Online Platform” under the European Union’s Digital Services Act, thereby avoiding certain regulatory expectations. “Telegram regards its obligations under the DSA seriously and maintains ongoing communication with the European Commission,” a company representative noted.
In the UK, various civil society organizations have voiced concerns regarding the operation of large private Telegram groups, which can accommodate up to 200,000 members. These groups exploit a loophole by presenting themselves as “private” communication to bypass legal obligations for removing illicit content, including nonconsensual intimate images.
In the absence of stricter regulation, online abuse will continue to transform, adapting to new platforms while avoiding oversight.
The digital spaces intended to protect privacy are now fostering its most intrusive violations. These networks are not merely expanding—they are evolving, proliferating across platforms, and figuring out how to escape accountability.
