The Netherlands Europol: Criminal gangs increasingly dangerous thanks to AI and the internet
According to Europol, organized crime is facing a fundamental change due to technological developments and geopolitical tensions.
18.03.2025, 14:22
SDA
Gangs are using artificial intelligence (AI) and the internet for their crimes, according to Europol's comprehensive analysis of organized crime presented in The Hague.
The experts see a "fundamental change" in means, tactics and structures: "Organized crime is destabilizing more and more societies, is increasingly nourished by the Internet and is greatly accelerated by AI and other new technologies."
The report is published every four years and analyses the developments and threats posed by organized crime.
"Internet is the backbone"
"The internet is the backbone of organized crime", the experts state. It is used both to procure resources, such as weapons, money or technology, and to recruit perpetrators.
"Crime as a service", the Europol experts call it. Computer experts are hired for cyber attacks, but also contract killers.
According to Europol, one trend is the recruitment of young people - some as young as 14 years old. They are recruited on social media, for example, to retrieve packages of cocaine from containers in ports, but also for extreme acts of violence, including contract killings.
Child abuse with AI
According to the report, the internet is also a place for illegal trade, money laundering and crime scenes. More and more people are becoming victims of online fraud. The sexual abuse of children is also being accelerated by the internet.
According to Europol, it is worrying that AI is being used for the sexual abuse of children. Photos or films are falsified. This could be used to blackmail children. Voices and faces can also be made to look deceptively real with the help of AI.
Hostile attacks
According to Europol, cooperation with foreign services is dangerous as a result of geopolitical tensions with Russia, for example. Criminals are used in a targeted manner, for example to sabotage data cables, carry out cyber attacks, disinformation campaigns or smuggle migrants into the EU.
The aim is to destabilize EU states. Europol speaks of "hybrid perpetrators" who want to conceal political responsibility. Criminals would benefit from state protection and earn money from it.
