Online Harm and Safeguarding¶
Understand harmful online conduct, recognise safeguarding risk, and work from accounts, devices, messages and independent evidence towards sound investigative decisions.
This is a first-class subject. Begin with the problem or behaviour you have encountered. The online harm networks / Com family sits alongside stalking, technology-facilitated domestic abuse and sextortion; these are distinct investigations, not labels for the same type of case.
Start with the problem you have¶
| What are you dealing with? | Start here |
|---|---|
| A child may be under threat now | Immediate preservation and safeguarding |
| An unknown network label in messages | What are Com networks? |
| A child has been pressured to harm someone | Child both harmed and causing harm |
| Messages span gaming, Discord and Telegram | Cross-platform investigation walkthrough |
| Repeated unwanted contact, monitoring or threats | Recognising online stalking and harassment |
| Several accounts and events may form a stalking pattern | Build the digital-evidence chronology |
| A partner or ex-partner may be using technology to control someone | Technology-facilitated domestic abuse |
| Location, linked accounts or smart-home access are involved | Devices and sharing in coercive control |
| Threats to expose intimate images or a demand for money | Sextortion: first investigative response |
Stalking and harassment¶
- OHS-014 — What does online stalking or harassment look like?
- OHS-015 — How does digital evidence establish a pattern of stalking or harassment?
Technology-facilitated domestic abuse¶
- OHS-016 — What is technology-facilitated domestic abuse?
- OHS-017 — How can devices, accounts and location sharing enable coercive control?
Sextortion and intimate-image abuse¶
Online harm networks — original 13 guides¶
- OHS-001 — What are online harm or Com networks?
- OHS-002 — Which Com networks and names are currently reported?
- OHS-003 — What does claimed network affiliation actually establish?
- OHS-004 — Which platforms appear in Com-network investigations?
- OHS-005 — How can coercion, status and participation escalate harm?
- OHS-006 — Can a child be both harmed and causing harm?
- OHS-007 — How should warning signs of online coercion be assessed?
- OHS-008 — How can activity across several platforms be joined?
- OHS-009 — How can a loose online harm network be mapped?
- OHS-010 — What can livestreams and surrounding chat establish?
- OHS-011 — What should be preserved when immediate online harm is suspected?
- OHS-012 — How should doxxing, swatting and live targeting be handled?
- OHS-013 — Following a child across gaming chat, Discord and Telegram
Other areas: Doxxing, swatting and live targeting are introduced in OHS-012. Further specialised guidance on intimate-image abuse and safeguarding remains future work, not yet described as published.
For how particular services work, use the canonical Messaging platform packs and linked mobile/location cards rather than duplicating their mechanisms.
Sources: Com network landscape, verified 25 October 2026; stalking, domestic abuse, location-sharing and sextortion source ledger, verified 26 October 2026.
