From joyrides to assault, ‘crimefluencer’ networks are coercing young people into breaking the law

These are members of decentralised online crime networks who take crime content and amplify it to build notoriety and status in their online communities. They also recruit content creators to film themselves or others committing crimes, with the vision shared across social media, forums, or messaging apps.

Late last year, the Australian Federal Police (AFP) set up a taskforce to “identify, disrupt and dismantle those online ecosystems that target Australians”. So, what exactly is happening, how bad is the problem, and what are some possible solutions?<p></p>