Police's gang emoji guide: apples and rabbits hide violent contracts online
Swedish police are sharing an emoji lexicon with tech platforms to stop open recruitment for gang violence. New legislation could force companies to remove material within one hour.
Police expose emoji codes that hide violence orders online
Apples symbolise hand grenades. A rabbit image stands for one million kronor. A water pistol signals shooting. According to Dagens Nyheter, Swedish police have compiled a gang lexicon of emojis and slang expressions that criminal networks use to recruit perpetrators of violent crimes – and the lexicon is now being shared with tech platforms to help their algorithms identify the content.
"They create their own language to evade the platforms' algorithms. Harmless symbols get a completely different meaning," says Theodor Smedius, superintendent at the National Operational Department of the Police.
Recruitment happens openly on Signal and Telegram
On messaging services such as Signal and Telegram, criminal networks continuously advertise for people who can carry out assignments – blow up a gate, shoot a rival or attack a victim's home. Online recruitment has become a central part of gangs' operations, and the advertisements are often directed at young people.
The language in the advertisements is designed to pass the platforms' automatic filters. Colourful emojis and slang terms thus serve a dual function: they attract young users and simultaneously avoid algorithmic scrutiny.
Some of the most common symbols in the lexicon:
- Water pistol – used in violent assignments and weapons sales
- Knife – indicates that someone should be harmed; in the drug context can refer to purchase of a smaller quantity
- Rabbit – one million kronor, or an assignment of great importance
- Apple (green or red) – symbolises hand grenade or demolition assignment
- Door – attack on a victim's home for extortion purposes
"A classic example is the apple symbols, both green and red. In a certain context it means hand grenade," says Smedius.
Tech companies begin to cooperate – but not all
The Police Authority is now providing the platforms with the lexicon so they can update their own algorithms and remove recruitment material of their own accord. Smedius describes a changed attitude among many companies.
"They have not done enough. Now almost all of them are coming to the table and want to help. Then we must also give them the conditions to do so."
Signal, however, still remains an exception. The encrypted service does not cooperate with the police, and according to Smedius, it is no coincidence that it is also gangs' preferred channel.
Legislative proposal: removal within one hour or fines
The government wants to go further than voluntary agreements. A legislative proposal not yet adopted by parliament should force platforms to remove recruitment material within one hour after the police make a request. If the requirement is not met, sanctions of between 5,000 and 5,000,000 kronor await. In cases of systematic shortcomings, the fee can amount to four per cent of the company's global turnover.
Sweden has been granted a special exemption from the EU to push through the legislation. The proposal resembles the EU's Terrorist Content Regulation, which since 2022 has forced platforms to remove terrorist-related content. The new Swedish proposal covers content relating to the involvement of minors in crime, as well as preparation or incitement to crime with a penalty value of at least two years' imprisonment.
"This has been greatly requested by us. It can really have an effect if we have both the legislation and a system where the platforms actively strengthen their ability to self-regulate."
"We will not be able to investigate our way out of this"
Despite the fact that several suspected violence contractors have been arrested abroad during the past year, police see no reduction in recruitment content online.
"It just continues. We will not be able to investigate our way out of this," says Smedius.
The aim of the lexicon and the planned legislation is to combine technical self-regulation by the platforms with a legal enforcement mechanism – and in the long term reduce the flow of young people into the criminal networks.
"We must get fewer children and young people to jump into this madness," says Smedius.
Source: Dagens Nyheter