“The criminals strike up a conversation and gradually build trust. Often they pose as children, confiding in their victims with false stories of hardship or self-loathing. Their goal, typically, is to dupe children into sharing sexually explicit photos and videos of themselves — which they use as blackmail for more imagery, much of it increasingly graphic and violent. Reports of abuse are emerging with unprecedented frequency around the country, with some perpetrators grooming hundreds and even thousands of victims.” NYT: Video Games and Online Chats Are ‘Hunting Grounds’ for Sexual Predators. And let’s not miss this crucial point: “There is little incentive under the law to tackle the problem as companies are largely not held responsible for illegal content posted on their websites.” (Self regulation is a myth.)