The bust of large Telegram chat groups SG Nasi Lemak and SharingIsCaring, which were involved in transmitting pornographic materials including child porn and revenge porn in Singapore probably revealed only the tip of the iceberg, newer reports suggests. In a detailed investigation, Channel News Asia has unearthed as many as 13 underground sex chat groups whose activities put children and young women at risk.
Reviewing the contents of these Telegram groups, the channel found a member request that went like this: "I'm going to be oddly specific, anybody has any nudes or tapes from Hillgrove Secondary?" The group, which was active until mid-October, when the SG Nasi Lemak dirt had tumbled out, had as many as 9,800 pornographic photos and videos as well as more than 250 x-rated files and 200-plus links.
Most of these groups encouraged users to share footage of illicit sex, which sometimes risks revealing the face and identity of the victim. Other deviant materials in high demand were revenge pornography, upskirt photos and sextortion -- all that come under the gambit of image-based sexual abuse. In some cases suggestive photos and videos were ripped off from social sites and posted in groups.
CNA verified that the members in the Telegram groups were encouraged to share videos of young girls showering, upskirt photos and even revenge pornography involving known Singaporean victims. In one instance, one user said he had 1TB worth of pornographic photos and videos of girls he personally knew and that he was looking to sell them for a price.
The 13 groups CNA has reviewed, but not named, had membership numbers ranging from 500 to 40,000. Most had membership numbers in the range of 10,000. The Singapore police told the channel they are aware of these groups. A law expert the channel consulted said the members of the group can be held guilty. Section 292 of the Penal Code criminalises the circulation, possession, and sale of obscene materials and a convicted person can face jail for three months.
"(The severity of the sentence) depends on the number of times that (a member) has been distributing. If the sexual act itself is of a fairly depraved nature, all these will enhance the sentence. Users could potentially face a very high fine, or a custodial sentence," said the lawyer.
The group operators were seemingly aware of the legal implications and were always vigilant to ward off trouble. There were routine checks to find out moles and infiltrators in the group and the silent members were always under scrutiny. At the same time, members who had more original content, as against the forwarded porn clips, received weightage and were often invited into more closed-up, intimate groups. On the other hand, in some groups users were thrown out if they had less than 10 original posts.
