„Groups that present themselves as „pedophile hunters“ have been appearing on the Internet since around 2020 and can become a form of radicalization of children and youth". This was stated by cybersecurity expert Yavor Kolev on the air of „Wake Up“. According to him, such online communities give young people a sense of belonging and approval.
He said that during campaigns related to Internet safety, he visited schools and saw the interest of students in such groups. “I have seen how young people admire Alen's group and this was proven after the brutal murder in Plovdiv“, the expert pointed out.
According to Kolev, the Ministry of Interior must change its approach to cybercrime and have trained employees in each regional office who can work on such cases.
He emphasized that sexual crimes against children are among the most serious crimes, but their investigation should be entrusted to trained professionals, not the children themselves. According to him, various subcultures and radical movements are increasingly finding a place on the Internet, where they can attract and recruit young people. Kolev recalled that back in 2001 he had investigated the organization “Blood and Honor“. His comment comes against the backdrop of information about 18 people detained, who are being checked for their connection to the organization. “The organization is not extremely radical, but if no violence is found, the investigation may be closed administratively“, he explained. According to him, spreading Nazi ideas is punishable, but the organization “Blood and Honor“ itself is not banned.
Kolev added that years ago there was a Bulgarian website of the organization, which was closed after an investigation.
The expert warned that children are no longer only victims of online crimes, but can increasingly be involved as perpetrators. According to the latest Europol report, among the growing risks are the distribution of drugs, the recruitment of children to commit cybercrimes and their use for various illegal activities.
According to Kolev, the key role is played by parents. They should limit access to inappropriate content, monitor screen time and use parental control options. However, these tools are more effective with younger children and significantly more difficult to implement with teenagers. “We need to build a relationship with our child, understand what kind of people he meets and convince him that we will not punish him when he does something wrong online, but that we will solve the problem together,” Kolev said.