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Director of Intelligence at NCRI | Research Fellow at Rutgers University
Just days after NBC News featured a report by the Network Contagion Research Institute (NCRI) on 'financial sextortion', a significant development has occurred with the removal of the Wizz app from both the Apple App Store and Google Play. This pivotal decision marks a major advancement in the fight for online child safety. Wizz, marketed as a Tinder-like app for users as young as 13, has become a hotbed for criminals and predators targeting teens. Per our report, Wizz is not only the third-most prevalent but also the fastest-growing social media platform for sextortion of minors. Alarmingly, victims reported being targeted immediately upon creating their accounts. Cybercriminals were found to pay platform fees to boost their profiles and use VPNs to spoof their locations, targeting multiple regions. We concluded that sextortion on Wizz is 'pervasive and dangerous.' Today's Senate hearings, featuring testimonies from CEOs of leading digital platforms, further emphasize the urgency of this issue. While these hearings often focus on larger platforms, it's critical to recognize that smaller platforms like Wizz, which has over 20 million users, also play a significant role in the digital ecosystem and require similar attention. I want to extend a special thanks to Paul Raffile on my team for his immense contribution to this report. Additionally, I'd like to acknowledge the efforts of Lora Kolodny and Ben Goggin at NBC for their thorough coverage. A heartfelt appreciation also goes to the National Center on Sexual Exploitation for their pivotal role in elevating these concerns to the attention of Apple and Google. Please give this article a read, with quotes from NCRI CEO Adam Sohn and myself.
