Nordic Justice Ministries to Summon Tech Giants Over Gang Recruitment Ads

Sweden and Denmark will summon tech companies to address the issue of gangs using online platforms for recruiting young Swedes for violence. This move comes amidst rising concerns of gang activities spilling over Nordic borders, with encrypted services like Telegram and TikTok being highlighted as platforms used for such illicit activities.

Sweden and Denmark will summon tech companies over ads on their platforms that are posted by gangs to recruit young Swedes to commit violent crimes in the Nordics, the justice ministers of the two countries said on Wednesday.

Sweden has long struggled with gang violence and youth crime, raising concerns about the problem spilling over into neighboring Nordic countries. Since April, there have been 25 instances where Swedish gang members were hired by Danish gangs for violent attacks on rivals in Denmark, often through ads on messaging platforms such as Telegram.

In a joint news conference, Swedish Minister of Justice Gunnar Strommer and Danish counterpart Peter Hummelgaard stressed the need to hold these platforms accountable. Strommer highlighted the innovative nature of the gangs and their online recruitment strategies. Hummelgaard pointed to the role of encrypted services and social media in facilitating crime, suggesting that some communication platforms might need to be geoblocked or shut down, though such measures are not currently legal. A TikTok spokesperson expressed willingness to work with the governments on the issue, while other tech companies like Telegram, Meta, and X did not respond to requests for comment.

Sweden has announced increased police cooperation among Nordic countries and intensified border controls to curb the spread of gang violence. The country has the highest per-capita rate of gun violence in the EU, with 55 fatal shootings last year in contrast to just six in the other Nordic countries combined.

(With inputs from agencies.)