Swedish police order TikTok, Meta to remove crime ads

Swedish police said Friday they have ordered TikTok and Meta to remove 30 posts offering payment for criminal services since mid-July, as gangs increasingly use social media to recruit young people.

A police spokeswoman said legislation in force since July 15 allows police to order platforms to remove online recruitment content within one hour. Since then, police have sent 30 orders: 29 to TikTok and one to Meta, she said.

The platforms complied with the orders, but police said they want tech companies to do more to monitor and moderate content.

Swedish police say criminal ads are posted openly on social networks including TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat. When a young person responds, the conversation moves to an encrypted messaging service.

The spokeswoman said offers can range from 10,000 kronor, about $1,060, to several million kronor, depending on the crime being outsourced. She said the offers are often false promises used to draw young people into crime and that the money is rarely paid, especially when large sums are advertised.

Sweden has struggled for more than a decade with gang violence linked mainly to score-settling and battles over the drug market. On August 13, parliament voted to lower the age of criminal responsibility from 15 to 14, a measure due to take effect on September 10.