Abuse survivor begs Elon Musk to act as her images circulate on X

A survivor of child sexual abuse has made an emotional appeal to Elon Musk, urging him to take action against the circulation of links to her abuse images on his social media platform, X.

The woman, who identifies herself as “Zora” (not her real name), says she has been forced to relive her childhood trauma as images of her abuse continue to be shared and sold online.

“Hearing that my abuse – and the abuse of so many others – is still being circulated and commodified here is infuriating,” she said.

“Every time someone sells or shares child abuse material, they directly fuel the original, horrific abuse.”

Zora, who was abused by a family member more than 20 years ago in the US, says her ordeal has never truly ended because images from that period are still in circulation. “My body is not a commodity. It never has been, and it never will be,” she said.

“Those who distribute this material are not passive bystanders; they are complicit perpetrators.”

The BBC uncovered Zora’s images while investigating the global trade in child sexual abuse material (CSAM), which Childlight, the Global Child Safety Institute, estimates to be worth billions of dollars.

The material was being openly promoted through an account on X, with the trader linked to bank accounts in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Zora’s images, once hidden on the dark web, are now being advertised more publicly. Activists warn that traders are running dozens of almost identical accounts on X, and when one is shut down, another quickly replaces it.

A member of the Anonymous “hacktivist” group working to expose such traders said the scale of the trade remains as alarming as ever.

The trader behind Zora’s images offered “VIP packages” of child abuse videos and photos through Telegram, some of which reportedly depicted child rape.

Experts from the Canadian Centre for Child Protection, who work with law enforcement, confirmed that the samples shared with the BBC showed thousands of files, including those of Zora.

Although Zora’s abuser was prosecuted years ago, she says stalkers continue to target her, revealing her identity and harassing her online. “I have tried over the years to overcome my past and not let it determine my future, but perpetrators and stalkers still find a way to view this filth,” she said.

The BBC traced bank accounts linked to the trader to an address in Jakarta.

A man confronted at the property admitted owning one of the accounts but denied knowledge of its use in the trade of abuse images.

The investigation also revealed how traders crop or disguise images to avoid detection when posting on X. While Elon Musk declared the removal of child abuse material his “top priority” when he acquired the platform in 2022, experts say current moderation measures are inadequate.

“It’s great that we can send a takedown notice, and they remove the account, but that’s the bare minimum,” said Lloyd Richardson of the Canadian Centre for Child Protection.

In response, X said it has “zero tolerance” for child exploitation and is investing in advanced detection tools.

The company added that it works closely with the US National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and supports law enforcement efforts.

Telegram, on its part, said it has banned more than 565,000 groups and channels linked to CSAM this year and employs over a thousand moderators to remove such content.

For Zora, the promises are not enough. In her appeal to Musk, she said: “Our abuse is being shared, traded, and sold on the app you own. If you would act without hesitation to protect your own children, I beg you to do the same for the rest of us. The time to act is now.”