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Mission
Our mission is to reduce the harm caused by online extortion through awareness, victim support, responsible documentation, and collaboration.
Principles
Victims should be treated with dignity, respect, and without judgment.
AEN does not encourage retaliation, harassment, hacking, or vigilantism.
Sensitive information should be handled responsibly.
Claims and information should be handled carefully and responsibly.
We work alongside trusted partners and organizations when additional expertise or support is needed.
What this means in practice
A mission statement is only as good as the limits it sets. AEN's limits are deliberate: we do not retaliate, we do not encourage others to retaliate, and we do not treat a person who comes to us for help as material for anything else. Victims decide what happens with their own situation.
Where a case needs powers, reach or expertise the network does not have, the responsible answer is to route it — to the platform, to a partner organization, or to the appropriate authorities. Working with others is not a fallback position; it is how this work is supposed to be done.
AEN is not law enforcement.
AEN is an independent organization. It holds no policing powers, makes no arrests, and is not a substitute for reporting a crime to the authorities in your country. Where a matter belongs with law enforcement, we will say so.
If you are experiencing online extortion, you don't have to navigate it alone. AEN works with trusted partners to provide victims with a pathway toward reporting and support.
Victim reporting is provided in partnership with CyberShield.help.
AEN is an independent organization and is not a law-enforcement agency.