A dark web investigator used a seemingly innocuous clue to locate a 12-year-old girl who was a victim of abuse, while authorities in Kenya are accused of using Israeli technology to hack into an activist's phone, and the UK government is pledging to crack down on online threats to children, according to multiple news reports. These stories highlight the ongoing challenges of protecting vulnerable individuals in the digital age.
Specialist online investigator Greg Squire, according to BBC Eye Investigations, was able to rescue a girl named Lucy after discovering a crucial detail on the dark web, an encrypted part of the internet. Despite the abuser's attempts to conceal their identity by altering images, Squire found a clue to the girl's location.
Meanwhile, in Kenya, a report by Citizen Lab alleges that Kenyan authorities used Cellebrite software, an Israeli technology, to break into the phone of Boniface Mwangi, a prominent pro-democracy activist, while he was under arrest. Mwangi, who plans to run for president in 2027, noticed that one of his phones was no longer password protected after it was returned to him. "I know that my phone calls are monitored and my messages are read," Mwangi stated, as reported by The Guardian.
In the UK, the government is taking steps to protect children online. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has pledged to respond more quickly to close loopholes in laws designed to protect children online, according to BBC Technology. The government is also considering measures that would require tech giants to preserve all data on a child's phone if they die. This follows a "battle" with X, formerly Twitter, over its AI assistant Grok creating non-consensual sexual deepfakes.
In other news, a new Silent Hill game is being inspired by a small fishing village in Fife, Scotland, according to BBC Technology. The game, titled Silent Hill: Townfall, is set in a fictional village based on the real-life village of St Monans. The survival horror series has sold millions of units since its first game was published in 1999.
Finally, The Guardian reported on how an undercover cop foiled an IS plot to massacre Jews in Manchester. Walid Saadaoui and Amar Hussein were sentenced to life imprisonment after attempting to carry out what could have been one of the worst terrorist attacks in the UK.
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