Swedish police could soon receive authorization to produce and distribute artificial child sexual abuse material. The controversial proposal would allow officers to use provocative measures in serious child sexual crime investigations.
Officials want police to create fictional AI-generated child pornography images. These would be shared in closed online forums where such material circulates. The tactic aims to help authorities infiltrate criminal networks.
Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer will present the investigation on Monday afternoon. The proposal forms part of a broader review of police investigative methods.
Similar approaches already exist in neighboring Denmark. Danish police have used comparable techniques to combat online child exploitation.
The government also wants to examine whether police could use vehicles not traceable to law enforcement. This would help officers conduct covert operations.
The proposal raises difficult ethical questions about means and ends in criminal investigations. Creating simulated abuse material, even with noble intentions, crosses traditional boundaries in law enforcement practices.