FBI and French police shut down sites trafficking stolen intimate images
U.S. and French authorities have taken down two domains linked to NudeLeaksTeens and detained a suspected administrator in France. The sites allegedly sold explicit images and videos obtained by breaking into victims' social media accounts, and investigators found material involving minors. French officials estimate more than 17,000 women worldwide were affected.
U.S. and French investigators took down two domains connected to NudeLeaksTeens, according to the Justice Department, working through the FBI’s Washington office and Paris prosecutors’ cybercrime unit. A 25-year-old suspected administrator and his 21-year-old brother were detained in northern France. Authorities say the service traded explicit material in themed bundles, sometimes adding victims’ identifying details.
Some depicted people who were minors when recorded, and one advertised collection reportedly held 6,200 private files taken from hacked social accounts, mostly Americans’. Users allegedly earned cryptocurrency for tips about victims, who were cataloged by age, location, job, looks, and a numeric attractiveness score. Officials seized roughly €700,000 in several cryptocurrencies. French officials counted over 17,000 affected women globally.
The takedown could bring some relief to thousands of victims, who may have faced ongoing fear, reputational harm, and loss of control over intimate material. It may also encourage others to report similar abuse, while showing how cross-border investigations can target services that monetize hacked images. Still, such cases could leave affected people dealing with copies circulating elsewhere, and may heighten pressure on social platforms and payment systems to detect and disrupt this trade.