A months-long “CNN As Equals” investigation has uncovered a hidden online ecosystem where sexual violence against women is being commodified, shared, and amplified across multiple platforms, despite growing public awareness of such abuse.
The issue first came into global focus in 2024 during the mass rape trial in southern France involving Dominique Pelicot and dozens of other men.
Investigators revealed that Pelicot used an online chatroom on a dating website to connect with other men who participated in the repeated sexual assaults of his then-wife, Gisèle Pelicot, while she was drugged unconscious.
The case exposed how digital spaces were used to facilitate coordinated abuse, briefly drawing attention to this disturbing trend before public focus shifted.
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However, new findings show that similar activity has continued and evolved. CNN identified multiple online platforms hosting large volumes of content depicting non-consensual or drug-facilitated sexual acts, often disguised as so-called “sleep” material.
One website alone hosts tens of thousands of such videos, attracting millions of monthly visits. Some clips show men filming unconscious women, while others are circulated within private groups where users exchange advice on incapacitating partners.
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Investigators also found discussions of illegal drug use and claims of selling substances intended to sedate victims. In some cases, users allegedly advertised paid livestreams of abuse, with payments arranged through cryptocurrency to avoid detection.
Despite platform moderation claims, these communities continue to operate in fragmented but persistent forms across the internet, raising serious concerns about enforcement gaps and the ongoing exploitation of anonymity in digital spaces.
