Europol and its partners' investigators flagged 4,340 “horrific” URLs for removal over several weeks in June and July as part of an ongoing crackdown on The Com (short for community), a loosely knit network of online groups whose young members participate in a range of illicit activities. These range from hacking, swatting, and digital extortion to real-life shootings, stabbings, and other physical violence.
Europol’s recent Referral Action Days, aimed at disrupting The Com’s online ecosystem and stopping the spread of its propaganda, is part of the larger Project Compass operation. Project Compass began in 2025, and its partner law-enforcement agencies span the US, UK, and EU member states.
Investigators from Belgium, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden participated in the Referral Action Days during June and July.
Various groups linked to The Com post content online to recruit members and groom young victims using social media, gaming platforms, and messaging apps.
“The more extreme and harmful the content a user or group can produce or extort, the higher their status within the online community,” according to Europol. “These acts are often livestreamed on social media platforms, where online bystanders cheer them on, and later saved and disseminated.”
This article was aggregated automatically by CyberWire Daily's newsfeed engine. Original reporting: www.theregister.com.
