Temitope Oriola: Fighting violent online network preying on kids requires all-of-society approach

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2 days ago

The RCMP announced on Thursday the terrorism-related arrest of a 15-year old Alberta boy. He is being charged under Section 810.011 of the Criminal Code — Fear of terrorism offence.
This section of the Criminal Code states that 'A person who fears on reasonable grounds that another person may commit a terrorism offence may, with the attorney general's consent, lay an information before a provincial court judge.' This suggests that the RCMP had reason to believe the boy might carry out an act of terrorism.
The boy allegedly belongs to '764', a loose, nodal, rhizomatic, supranational network of online violent entities. The RCMP news release describes 764 network as 'a transnational online ecosystem of violent online predators who routinely lure youth, particularly those in vulnerable sectors, and encourage them to commit sexual acts, self-harm, and the torture of animals. Elements of The Com/764 network are known to have extreme ideological views and are victimizing children through desensitizing and radicalizing them to violence.'
This is indeed a national security concern and global problem. In March 2025, the FBI issued a warning regarding 'a sharp increase in the activity of 764 and other violent online networks which operate within the United States and around the globe.' The statement notes that the networks 'methodically target and exploit minors and other vulnerable individuals.' Crimes like rape, murder, child pornography, sextortion, kidnapping, et cetera, have been linked to the network around the world. There have been arrests, charges and/or convictions of its members in Brazil, the U.K., Spain, U.S., Romania, Sweden, and Australia, among others.
764 is believed to have been founded by a Texas teenager, Bradley Cadenhead, in 2021. It has multiple sub-entities. One of the more telling is 'No Lives Matter.' The nihilism — ostensible meaninglessness of life — presupposed by the network is evident in the name. The network encourages members to engage in and livestream self-harm and suicide.
This is a quintessentially vile 21st century network. Its activities have been catalyzed by the relative anonymity and instantaneity of the Internet and social media platforms. While we are right to focus on the Facebooks of this world, others like Discord, Twitch and Telegram are being deployed by 764.
In September 2022, while appearing before the Standing Committee on Human Rights for the Senate, I stated the need to focus on all forms of terrorism. Jihadi terrorism had been the epicentre of national security concerns with relatively scant attention to 'homegrown' terrorism. That gave an inadvertent latitude to the incel network, for example, to carry out attacks they had been discussing online for weeks without seemingly being interrogated. It contributed to tragedies such as the van attack by Alek Minassian in Toronto in 2018.
Words have meanings. It appears we are entering a new era of co-locating and cross-fertilizing people's online and offline words and actions. We learned the hard way. The arrest of the 15-year-old may be viewed as a lesson from the Incel rebellion. The RCMP deserves commendation for moving swiftly before any apparent damage could be done.
Dealing with transnational actors like the 764 network requires an all-of-society approach. The significance of the role of social media companies cannot be overstated: what content they allow on their platforms, minimum requirements of registration (if any), and surveillance of suspicious words and images. It is also crucial to strengthen legislation regulating social media organizations.
Nonetheless, there is no substitute to parental responsibility. Parents must be vigilant about the online activities of their children. It may be cool at first that a child almost always remains in their room but being camped in the basement for days and weeks on end meeting with online friends should elicit parental curiosity.
Social engagement of young people is important. Such online groups prey on social isolation, alienation and boredom of young people. We need to provide opportunities for sports, volunteering and other avenues to bond with non-criminal peers. Such activities may also contribute to building the confidence of our young people.
Mental health support is fundamental given the self-harm and suicidal ideation that are integral to the imprimatur of 764. I strongly recommend the RCMP resource page on what signs parents can observe to prevent entanglement of children in violent online networks.
Temitope Oriola is professor of criminology and recipient of the J. Gordin Kaplan Award, the University of Alberta's most prestigious honour for research excellence. 'X': @topeoriola
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