Europol Identifies and Requests Removal of 4,340 Extremist URLs Linked to "The Com"

Europol (European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation) announced on July 24, 2026, that it had identified 4,340 URLs associated with the online criminal network “The Com” and requested their removal. This effort is part of an intensive crackdown conducted between June and July, aimed at preventing the recruitment of minors and the spread of violent propaganda.

According to a report by Jessica Lyons from The Register, Europol and its partner agencies carried out a series of operations under the framework of “Project Compass,” referred to as “Referral Action Days.” The goal was to dismantle the online ecosystem of The Com and halt the dissemination of its propaganda.

What is The Com?

The Com, short for “Community,” is an online network primarily composed of young people engaged in a wide range of illegal activities, from hacking, swatting, and digital extortion to real-world shootings, stabbings, and other forms of physical violence. While it is a loosely connected group rather than a strictly organized structure, it is bound together by shared norms and competition for status.

This network uses social media, gaming platforms, and messaging apps to recruit new members while targeting vulnerable minors for grooming, often for the purpose of exploitation. Europol notes that “the more extreme and harmful the content created or coerced by users and groups, the higher their status within the online community.” Such activities are often live-streamed on social media, with bystanders egging them on, and the content is later saved and circulated.

Details of the Targeted Content

The URLs identified in this crackdown included content depicting self-harm, suicide, child sexual abuse material (CSAM), animal abuse, and violent attacks. One particularly alarming type of content, referred to as “Blood Walls,” consists of paintings created with blood that display the names or aliases of extortionists and their group affiliations. Victims are sometimes coerced into carving the extortionists’ names onto their own bodies in what is known as “cut signs.”

Additionally, videos of street assaults and arson, manuals for carrying out these violent attacks, guides for grooming and extorting vulnerable minors, and documents explaining doxxing (publishing personal information) or swatting (triggering false emergency responses) were also identified. These materials serve not only as records of crimes but also as tools for recruiting new participants and competing for status within the network.

Organizational Measures and Participating

Countries

Europol’s European Counter Terrorism Centre (ECTC) has supported investigations into crimes linked to The Com in response to “hundreds” of requests from member states over the past two years. Europol describes this online network as “a global threat, particularly severe as minors are involved both as victims and perpetrators.”

The Referral Action Days involved law enforcement agencies from Belgium, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden. Project Compass, launched in 2025, is a collaborative effort involving law enforcement agencies from the United States, the United Kingdom, and EU member states.

Recruitment of Young People

One of the most concerning aspects of The Com is its recruitment methods and influence on young people. Last year, authorities in the UK and the US warned that some factions of The Com were recruiting children and teenagers for contract killings and real-world acts of violence. The anonymity afforded by social media and gaming platforms creates a fertile ground for these activities.

The practice of live-streaming violent acts and sharing recordings is not merely an exercise in attention-seeking but a tangible method of gaining recognition and status within the community. This creates a vicious cycle that fosters the production of increasingly extreme and brutal content.

Editorial Opinion

Europol’s large-scale identification of URLs is a significant step in tackling illegal online content. However, networks like The Com, being loosely organized, are likely to quickly reemerge on new platforms or utilize encryption technologies to resume their activities. Continuous collaboration between law enforcement and platform operators is crucial, and the speed and scope of content removal must be consistently enhanced.

In the long term, combating the online radicalization of young people requires more than just enforcement actions. Comprehensive digital literacy education in schools, active monitoring and dialogue about children’s online behavior within families, and proactive content moderation by social media companies are essential. Only by addressing both the technical and social aspects of this issue can we move closer to a fundamental solution. Furthermore, the online culture that rewards the live streaming and dissemination of violent acts as a “status symbol” must be critically examined and countered.

References

• “Europol flags 4,340 ‘horrific’ URLs linked to The Com”, by Jessica Lyons — The Register, 2026-07-24T20:20:57.000Z (ARR)
• Source URL: https://www.theregister.com/cyber-crime/2026/07/24/europol-flags-4340-horrific-urls-linked-to-the-com/5278556