Dangerous Uploads

File sharing platforms provide one of the key components of remote collaboration and free access to information. However, ActiveFence has detected significant exploitation of these platforms by bad actors hiding in plain sight.

These actors are promoting terrorist activity, inciting racial violence, and sharing child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Understanding that the digital and physical worlds are no longer distinct, governments are codifying new expectations and regulatory requirements for businesses who now must tackle this systemic abuse. While many current regulations require reactive action, proactive measures are now finding expression in national legislation as well. New legislation specifically targets file sharing platforms and with new requirements such as the need to notify law enforcement officials of terrorist material and the obligation to prevent terror content and CSAM being accessible

Here, we assess the exploitation of file sharing platforms by bad actors in the promotion of terror, the abuse of children and the incitement to racial violence. We also outline the threats posed to companies by this exposure to abuse.