The images are shared without consent. The videos are uploaded without permission. The content spreads across platforms faster than any removal effort can keep up. And the platforms that host this content? They profit from every click, every view, every share.
This is not a bug in the system. It is a feature. The business model of social media platforms depends on engagement. Non-consensual content generates engagement. The platforms know this. They allow it to continue because stopping it would reduce revenue.
The Engagement Equation
Social media platforms make money from attention. The longer users stay on the platform, the more ads they see, the more data they generate, the more revenue the platform earns.
Non-consensual intimate imagery drives engagement. It triggers curiosity, shock, and outrage. Users click on it. They share it. They comment on it. They return to the platform to see more. The content spreads because it is engaging, not despite it.
The platforms’ algorithms are designed to maximise engagement. They do not distinguish between consensual and non-consensual content. They only measure whether the content holds attention. Non-consensual content holds attention. The algorithms serve more of it.
The Monetisation of Abuse
A BBC investigation into TikTok revealed that the platform takes a cut of approximately 70 percent from all livestream transactions. This includes livestreams where minors as young as fifteen were performing sexual acts for payment. The platform profited from the abuse of children.
A former TikTok moderator told the BBC that it is not in TikTok’s interest to clamp down on soliciting of sex because the more people give gifts on a livestream, the more revenue for TikTok. The profit motive overrides the safety of children.
On X, formerly Twitter, AI image-generation tools were restricted to paying users. This effectively monetised the creation of child sexual abuse material and non-consensual deepfakes rather than stopping it. Users who wanted to generate explicit images had to pay for the privilege. The platform collected the money.
The Algorithm as an Amplifier
The Stanford Internet Observatory conducted an investigation into child sexual abuse material networks on Instagram. Their findings were devastating.
The report documented a vast paedophile network on Instagram where the platform’s recommendation engine played a key role in connecting buyers and sellers. If a user followed a handful of these accounts, the algorithm would recommend nothing but more accounts in that network. The recommendation system was actively growing the network.
The researchers found that Instagram’s recommendation system was extremely effective at what it does. It meant that if somebody went to one of these accounts and followed a handful, they would get nothing but suggestions for other accounts in that network. In some cases, the algorithm recommended forty or fifty seller accounts and buyer accounts.
The platform did not accidentally host this content. The platform’s algorithm actively promoted it.
The Ads That Funded Abuse
In India, investigations revealed that Instagram was not only failing to stop child sexual abuse material but was actively profiting from ads that promoted it.
The platform allowed paid advertisements containing explicit phrases like ‘child video’ to be displayed. These ads directed users to hidden channels on Telegram where illegal content could be purchased for as little as one dollar.
Brian Boland, a former vice president at Facebook turned whistleblower, told the BBC that he was horrified and unsurprised to learn that Meta was pushing child sexual abuse material and adult pornographic material through advertisements. He said the algorithm that pushes advertisements to users is an absolutely careless machine.
The platform approved these ads through a fully automated review process. No human reviewed them. The system was designed to maximise revenue, not protect children.
The Telegram Economy
Telegram has become a hub for non-consensual intimate imagery, and it operates like a legitimate e-commerce platform.
An investigation analysing 2.8 million messages across sixteen communities in Italy and Spain found a sprawling marketplace for abuse. The report demonstrated that Telegram had inadvertently enabled a system where violence is automated, catalogued, distributed, and sold with efficiency.
Over 24,000 users were identified as actively perpetrating violence. The groups had 27,000 members in Italy and 25,000 in Spain. Seventy-two percent of the content circulating in Spanish groups was also found in Italian environments, showing that the violence operates across borders.
The monetisation is structured. Users can purchase perpetual access to private channels or complete archives for twenty to fifty euros. Others subscribe for five euros monthly. There are affiliate programs where users are recruited to promote AI nudifying bots, earning a percentage of the proceeds.
The nudifying bots are among the most requested tools. They can take a photograph of a woman and transform it into a sexually explicit image in seconds. This technology has created a parallel market of synthetic non-consensual content that feeds the demand for abusive material.
The Multi-Platform Pipeline
The abuse does not happen on a single platform. It is a pipeline.
TikTok is the primary source of raw material. The investigation found TikTok was mentioned nearly twenty thousand times in the dataset analysed. Users of Telegram treated TikTok as an inexhaustible reservoir from which to draw images and videos of women, often minors or influencers, to then process and redistribute illegally.
Instagram occupies second place in the ranking of sources. Thousands of references to personal profiles and screenshots of private conversations were captured and shared without the consent of the victims.
The content flows from mainstream platforms where images are harvested, to Telegram where they are processed and sold. The mainstream platforms profit from the engagement the images generate before they are stolen. Telegram profits from the sale. The victim profits from nothing.
The Legal Gaps That Enable Profit
The TAKE IT DOWN Act in the United States requires platforms to remove non-consensual intimate imagery within 48 hours of a valid request. The law covers both real images and digital forgeries. Platforms that fail to comply face Federal Trade Commission enforcement action, with potential civil penalties of $53,088 per violation.
But the law has gaps. It requires platforms to remove known identical copies, but does not specify what reasonable efforts to locate and remove copies entail. Non-consensual content continues to spread across platforms that are not covered by the law. The perpetrators are often in different jurisdictions. The content is uploaded faster than it can be removed.
The platforms have had a year to implement the notice and removal procedures. Enforcement began in May 2026. But enforcement is slow, investigations take time, and the content continues to spread while platforms claim compliance.
The Hard Truth
The platforms profit from non-consensual content. They profit from the engagement it generates. They profit from the ads that appear next to it. They profit from the users who return to the platform seeking more.
They could stop it. They have the technology to detect and remove non-consensual content. They have the resources to invest in moderation. They have the data to identify patterns of abuse. They choose not to act decisively because acting decisively would reduce engagement. Reduced engagement means reduced revenue.
The former Facebook vice president said it clearly. The company has dramatically underinvested in keeping people safe. The investment goes into growth, into engagement, into revenue. Safety is an afterthought.
Words of Wisdom
Every view of non-consensual content is a vote. A vote for the platform that hosts it. A vote for the perpetrator who shared it. A vote against the victim whose privacy was violated.
You cannot stop the platforms from profiting. You can stop yourself from contributing. Do not click. Do not share. Do not engage. Report the content. Support the victims. Demand better from the platforms.
The platforms will not change because it is the right thing to do. They will change when the cost of hosting non-consensual content exceeds the revenue it generates. Your attention is part of that calculation. Withhold it.
The ModafVibe Alternative
ModafVibe is a social media platform built on a different foundation.
We do not serve as a host for non-consensual content. We do not profit from abuse. Our moderation systems are designed to detect and remove harmful content. Our community standards protect dignity and privacy.
We do not use algorithms that amplify non-consensual content for engagement. We do not monetise the spread of intimate images. We built a social media platform for genuine connection, not for extracting profit from violation.
The mainstream platforms will not change. The profit motive is too strong. The change must come from users choosing a different social media platform.
Join ModafVibe. A social media platform where non-consensual content does not exist. Where privacy is protected. Where abuse is not a business model.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do platforms really profit from non-consensual content?
Yes. Platforms profit from engagement. Non-consensual content drives engagement. The platforms take cuts of transactions, display ads alongside the content, and benefit from the data generated by users interacting with it. Investigations have documented platforms profiting from child sexual abuse material and non-consensual intimate imagery.
Why don’t platforms remove this content faster?
Removing content reduces engagement and revenue. Platforms have underinvested in moderation and safety. Automated systems are designed for scale, not for context or consent. The profit motive overrides the safety imperative.
What can I do to stop platforms from profiting from abuse?
Do not engage with non-consensual content. Report it. Support organisations that help victims. Choose platforms that do not profit from abuse. Demand stronger regulation.
Are the laws making a difference?
Laws like the TAKE IT DOWN Act are a step forward, but enforcement is slow and gaps remain. Platforms are required to remove content within 48 hours, but the content continues to spread on platforms not covered by the law, and perpetrators are often in different jurisdictions.
The Choice
The platforms profit from non-consensual content because the system is designed to prioritise engagement over safety. You cannot change the system alone. You can choose not to participate in it.
ModafVibe is that choice. A social media platform where non-consensual content is not hosted. Where abuse is not monetised. Where dignity is protected.
Choose safety. Choose dignity. Choose ModafVibe.
