The Great Smoky Mountain Journal

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Posted: Tuesday, January 01, 2019 02:21 PM

Danish Police Charge More Than 1,000 Young People For Distributing Sexually Explicit Images, Videos On Facebook

Danish police have charged more than 1,000 young people for distributing sexually explicit images and videos after being tipped off by Facebook.

The material that was shared, mostly by young people across the country, consists of sexual content with people who were 15 years old at the time. According to authorities, this could be in violation of section 235 of the country’s criminal code—distribution of child pornography.

“It's a very big and complex matter that has taken a long time to investigate. Not least because of the large number of charged. We have taken the case very seriously as it has major implications for those involved when such material is spread,” said police inspector Lau Thygesen, of North Zealand Police, in a statement.

The case, reportedly the biggest of its kind in Denmark, began when Facebook received reports that two video sequences and a sexually explicit image with people under the age of 18 was shared on its chat platform, Messenger. The tech firm notified U.S. authorities, who in turn told European police.