How do child sexual abuse live streaming offenders access victims?

This study analysed chat logs obtained for seven offenders who committed 145 child sexual abuse (CSA) live streaming offences against 74 victims. The study found that offenders accessed victims online or by forming relationships with Filipino locals during trips to the Philippines, which would then move online and lead to CSA live streaming. A facilitator was involved in approximately 35 percent of offences. Facilitators were often female family members of victims (eg mothers and sisters). Some facilitators appeared to have experienced child sexual abuse as well. Although some offenders intentionally targeted children, it was also common for offenders to receive unsolicited offers of CSA live streaming from facilitators and victims. This suggests that some CSA live streaming offenders are ‘opportunistic’, and may be responsive to situational crime prevention and primary prevention measures such as messaging campaigns and online warning messages posted on specific sites where victims are targeted.

Short of Suspension: How Suspension Warnings Can Reduce Hate Speech on Twitter

Debates around the effectiveness of high-profile Twitter account suspensions and similar bans on abusive users across social media platforms abound. Yet we know little about the effectiveness of warning a user about the possibility of suspending their account as opposed to outright suspensions in reducing hate speech. With a pre-registered experiment, we provide causal evidence that a warning message can reduce the use of hateful language on Twitter, at least in the short term. We design our messages based on the literature on deterrence, and test versions that emphasize the legitimacy of the sender, the credibility of the message, and the costliness of being suspended. We find that the act of warning a user of the potential consequences of their behavior can significantly reduce their hateful language for one week. We also find that warning messages that aim to appear legitimate in the eyes of the target user seem to be the most effective. In light of these findings, we consider the policy implications of platforms adopting a more aggressive approach to warning users that their accounts may be suspended as a tool for reducing hateful speech online.

Communicating Air Quality Index Information: Effects of Different Styles on Individuals’ Risk Perception and Precaution Intention

Air Quality Index (AQI) is information about atmospheric pollutants, which is essential for governments to inform the public about the current air quality and potential health risks. By analyzing the AQIs from 11 countries (regions), we discovered considerable variations in the design of AQI information, which may open up room for unintended interpretation from the public. Therefore, as an attempt to address the inefficiency of some common styles of AQI information in promoting the public’s precaution against bad air and better design such information, an online experiment with a 2 (descriptor: neutral vs. negatively valenced) × 2 (target groups in AQI warning messages: vague vs. specific) factorial design was conducted to test the effects of such information on individuals’ risk perception and precaution intention. The results indicated that AQI information with a neutral descriptor was associated with lower self-risk perception and precaution intention levels than with a negatively valenced one. Among the individuals not included in the at-risk groups, those who read the warning messages with vague target groups had a higher third-person perception toward smog risk than those targeting specific population groups. Practical and theoretical implications are discussed.

AG-205 Upregulates Enzymes Involved in Cholesterol Biosynthesis and Steroidogenesis in Human Endometrial Cells Independently of PGRMC1 and Related MAPR Proteins

An inappropriate response to progestogens in the human endometrium can result in fertility issues and jeopardize progestin-based treatments against pathologies such as endometriosis. PGRMC1 can mediate progesterone response in the breast and ovaries but its endometrial functions remain unknown. AG-205 is an alleged PGRMC1 inhibitor but its specificity was recently questioned. We added AG-205 in the cultures of two endometrial cell lines and performed a transcriptomic comparison. AG-205 significantly increased expression of genes coding enzymes of the cholesterol biosynthetic pathway or of steroidogenesis. However, these observations were not reproduced with cells transfected with siRNA against PGRMC1 or its related proteins (MAPRs). Furthermore, AG-205 retained its ability to increase expression of selected target genes even when expression of PGRMC1 or all MAPRs was concomitantly downregulated, indicating that neither PGRMC1 nor any MAPR is required to mediate AG-205 effect. In conclusion, although AG-205 has attractive effects encouraging its use to develop therapeutic strategies, for instance against breast cancer, our study delivers two important warning messages. First, AG-205 is not specific for PGRMC1 or other MAPRs and its mechanisms of action remain unclear. Second, due to its effects on genes involved in steroidogenesis, its use may increase the risk for endometrial pathologies resulting from imbalanced hormones concentrations.

Cyber strategies used to combat child sexual abuse material

Cyber strategies play a role in combating child sexual abuse material (CSAM). These strategies aim to detect offenders and prevent them from accessing and producing CSAM, or to identify victims. This paper explores five cyber strategies: peer-to-peer network monitoring, automated multi-modal CSAM detection tools, using web crawlers to identify CSAM sites, pop-up warning messages, and facial recognition. This research synthesis captures the background of each strategy, how it works and the evaluative research, along with the benefits, limitations and implementation considerations, offering a practical overview for a broad audience.

Factors of Influence on Evacuation Behaviour: Survey Results from the Riverine Floodplain Communities in Bangladesh

River floods are distinct because not all of them are destructive and typically affect the people who are living in riverine areas. Therefore, people often refuse to evacuate even when they face imminent danger. River floods are a recurrent phenomenon in Bangladesh. This research aims to analyse the flood evacuation behaviour of riverine people in Bangladesh. A total of 377 households were selected for the questionnaire survey and were interviewed from April 2019 to May 2019. Bivariate and multivariate statistics were employed to analyse riverine people's evacuation behaviour based on their socio-demographic and economic characteristics. This study found that although 82% of the households had received flood warning messages, only 40% had evacuated. Results from multivariate analysis suggested that the age of household heads, their education, whether they are disabled/chronically ill members, their income, the height of floodwater inside the house, and the type of warning messages they receive appear to be key determinants that influenced their decisions regarding evacuation. Elderly household heads had a lower likelihood to evacuate. The results showed a negative association between early warning messages and evacuation. Household with disabled/chronically ill member(s) was associated with a higher likelihood of evacuation. Similarly, higher water depth in the home was associated with evacuation. These findings will be helpful for policymakers to enhance awareness of riverine households.