There Are Dark Corners of the Internet. Then There's 764
WiredMAR 2024
FBI: Over 250 Cases Connected to '764' Online Child Exploitation Group
Above: The seal of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on the J. Edgar Hoover Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) building in Washington, DC, U.S., on Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025. Image copyright: Tierney L. Cross/Bloomberg via Getty Images
The Spin
Narrative A
764 is a new and uniquely sadistic online sextortion and hate group, but its rise has undoubtedly been fueled by the lax content moderation on the platforms it calls home. Discord, for instance, has been linked to violence, suicide, and sexual abuse, with some of the perpetrators' chat rooms staying open long after the deeds have been recorded and shared. This is another sad story of Silicon Valley's failure to protect the young.
Narrative B
Content moderation is not the problem; the tech-addled childhood we have allowed to become the norm is. Bad actors like 764 thrive only thanks to parental absenteeism and the unrestricted use of social media by minors. We must reverse the trend of children retreating into the online world, where everyone on earth has unfettered access to them, and rethink the relationship we allow our young people to have with the digital world.
Cynical narrative
While debates over parenting and platform accountability are important, historical cases have raised questions about the intersection of child exploitation and intelligence operations. In the 1980s, a group called "The Finders" — allegedly linked to the CIA — was investigated for child trafficking. And in 1950s London, a nightclub operation reportedly tied to espionage ran elite sex blackmail schemes. Such instances raise concerns about whether modern groups like 764 could be infiltrated, monitored, or outright ignored by powerful entities.