Messages such as “Look for bird for tribute,” “Does anyone lend me their girlfriend to humiliate her and jerk off?” and “Can someone undress them?” are prevalent in Spanish Telegram groups focused on undressing or sharing photos of ordinary women and influencers with modest followings. Thousands of users engage in sharing exploitative content in unmoderated groups on the Telegram messaging app, despite the platform monetizing these channels through subscriptions.
Silvia Semenzin, a sociologist specializing in digital gender violence at the non-profit organization AI Forensics, highlights that “digital violence is very often directed at ordinary women.” She explains that many users gather to engage with sexual content featuring women they often know, and when real images are unavailable, they resort to creating them with AI. A recent report published by Semenzin's team reveals an unsettling overview of 16 Telegram channels and groups in Spain and Italy that facilitate such violence.
This issue is not new; similar incidents have been documented for nearly a decade. One of the most notorious cases was in Italy in 2025, involving a Facebook group named “My wife” (Mia Moglie), which was eventually suspended. The report sheds light on the situation in Spain, where Telegram serves as a refuge for these activities, and AI technology has significantly impacted the landscape. Although researchers discovered eight active Telegram chats and channels for this purpose, Semenzin noted that many more exist. Reports of these groups have been submitted to Telegram, yet the platform has taken no responsive measures.
In response to inquiries, a Telegram spokesperson stated that “non-consensual pornography, including deepfake pornography, is explicitly prohibited and is deleted as soon as it is detected.” They claimed that moderators, supported by personalized AI tools, monitor public sections and accept complaints to eliminate millions of harmful content daily. The company also denied facilitating the large-scale monetization or dissemination of image-based sexual abuse.
The groups identified in the investigation encompass various categories beyond photo sharing, including guides for creating videos with AI and concealed camera techniques. The range of abuses reported by users is alarming, ranging from sharing explicit images to generating audios mimicking an influencer's voice or requesting inappropriate pictures of women while they sleep.
Harassment Dynamics
Semenzin observes that many forms of harassment are masked as jokes: “In the end, it is harassment. ‘Pranks' consist of sending unsolicited explicit photos. They label it as a joke, but it is an exercise in control.” The study seeks to profile users who participated in discussions. It shows a broad demographic, from teenagers to men nearing retirement. While the average age appears to be around 25, younger individuals often share explicit images of underage peers, revealing a troubling prevalence of child sexual abuse materials.
The researchers refrained from disclosing the names of these groups to prevent further facilitation of their spread. Nonetheless, they are surprisingly easy to locate. “In Spain, it's generally simpler than in Italy due to heightened security measures following various scandals there,” observes Semenzin. Basic keywords suffice to unearth links across platforms like Reddit, Google, or even Telegram's search function. “In contrast to Italy, there appears to be less awareness in Spain that they might be monitored,” Semenzin adds.
Some groups attempt to impose protective measures, requiring members to share explicit photos to gain entry. However, compliance is often lax, as researchers found themselves easily admitted. One group's guidelines read, “Remember that tonight CLEANING is done; whoever DOES NOT contribute (this week) OUT,” highlighting a coercive environment.
Semenzin shares, “I haven't gone into the details that much because, honestly, I don't understand it. Maybe because I've been socialized as a woman, I struggle to grasp these rituals.” She elaborates on certain terms: “He bird refers to someone who watches while others engage in masturbation. As a sociologist, I hope to explore the homoeroticism underlying these activities—it's absurd, as women's bodies are used as objects to forge connections among men.”
The report defines “tribute” as “ejaculating without consent onto someone's image.” To view and record the material, two devices are typically required. Role-playing or “morbid” chats represent “a gamified form of violence,” where one user impersonates a woman and utilizes her intimate content without consent—often created or altered through AI—while engaging in sexting with another user.
A Blurred Line: Mainstream and Dark Web
Such activities thrive on platforms like Telegram, which operate in a gray area of legality, existing between the obscurity of the dark web and mainstream platforms. Salvatore Romano, a co-author of the report, states, “Telegram occupies a unique position, balancing between hard-to-find posts and larger platforms where certain content is prohibited.” This dynamic elevates Telegram as a strategic hub, allowing users to anonymously monetize transactions through a cryptocurrency payment system and offering premium subscriptions for subchannel creation.
While the use of AI to exploit individuals is not new, its recent proliferation has transformed group dynamics. “By 2019, there was already some use of bots on Telegram for creating deepfakes,” mentions Semenzin. Previously focused on real images, these groups now generate vast amounts of manipulated or synthetic content. “They also share prompts for free apps like Gemini or Grok. The shift has moved from violence committed by familiar individuals to any person perpetrating violence against any woman,” she adds. “The warning that women should avoid taking nude photos to prevent being targeted is no longer valid; the technology enables such abuse regardless.”
