Mexican Hacktivists Combat Digital Violence, List Aggressors Amid Legal Hurdles

In Oaxaca, Mexico, the DLR Collective, comprised of nine women who are survivors of digital violence, actively works to remove explicit sexual content shared across social media platforms. Founded by Andy Torres, the group receives approximately 80 reports daily and has compiled two lists, one state-level and one national, identifying over 540 sexual aggressors in Mexico.

Torres recounted her first experience using hacking skills to aid a victim when a friend faced a similar situation. She discovered social media groups where acquaintances were sharing videos and photos of their girlfriends. "I deleted the photos, captured the information of everyone involved, and published photos of the members, their names, all their data, and what they had done," she told EL UNIVERSAL.

The hacktivist collective formed in 2019, using the initials of Andy's mother. Since then, they have been receiving complaints, reviewing content, conducting extensive research, and tracing IP addresses. They gather data on aggressors to generate public denunciations and create prevention content for social media. When a victim seeks help from DLR, they are advised to file a formal complaint, as simply removing the content does not provide sufficient evidence for legal proceedings. However, "they arrive desperate because they have already gone through several prosecutor's offices, the content circulates on social media, and the processes take months," explained Elizabeth Elizondo, the collective's deputy director.

Specialist criminal lawyer Vianney Martín del Campo noted that in five cases she has handled, only one resulted in legal proceedings against the perpetrator, which involved a WhatsApp communication with a traceable phone number. In these cases, victims were diagnosed with post-traumatic stress, anxiety, and depression. This aligns with DLR's observations over six years of working with victims who face threats, revictimization, institutional violence, a lack of standardized processes for reporting cybercrimes, and an overwhelming amount of information they do not understand.

Ana, a survivor, shared her experience of feeling "a lot of desperation" and a "betrayal of trust" when her content was leaked. She suffered an anxiety crisis, fearing her family would find out. "The authorities just told me it was my fault." The young woman urged others to remain calm, stating, "even if you feel fear, there is always a way out," and praised the hacktivists' "very important and anonymous" work. DLR highlighted limitations such as the fact that leaked photos, while removed from immediate view, may not disappear entirely from the internet, unlike when an image remains within a victim's close circle and is used for harassment.