Investigation Reveals Online Networks Teaching Sexual Assault, But Viral Claims Misrepresent Numbers

A CNN investigation published in March 2026 uncovered disturbing online communities teaching men how to drug and sexually assault their partners, but viral social media claims have significantly distorted the scale of the problem.

The investigation, conducted by CNN’s As Equals reporting team, revealed the existence of a Telegram group called “Zzz” where nearly 1,000 users shared advice on how to drug women without their knowledge. The reporters also discovered more than 20,000 videos of what they termed “‘sleep’ content” on the pornographic website Motherless.com, where men filmed unconscious or sedated women.

During the investigation, CNN journalist Saskya Vandoorne posed as a man to infiltrate the Telegram group, uncovering disturbing discussions among users exchanging methods to drug and assault women while evading detection.

However, social media posts in April 2026 began circulating claims that “62 million men attended an online rape academy” based on CNN’s reporting. These viral posts significantly misrepresented the investigation’s findings.

The 62 million figure mentioned in CNN’s report actually referred to the total number of visits to the entire Motherless.com website during February 2026, not the number of men accessing “sleep” content or participating in assault tutorials. The website hosts content in more than 100 different pornographic categories, with “sleep” content representing just one category among many.

One TikTok user incorrectly claimed, “It was discovered that 62 million men were in attendance for a web seminar where a guy taught them how to drug and assault women without them knowing.” Similar misinformation spread across platforms including Bluesky, Facebook, Threads and X.

The term “online rape academy” originated from French lawmaker Sandrine Josso, who herself had been drugged by a former French senator. Josso described these online communities as “schools of violence” where “every subject is taught” to become “a good rapist or sexual predator.”

The CNN investigation was partly inspired by the high-profile case of Dominique Pélicot in France, who admitted in court to drugging his wife, Gisèle Pélicot, and inviting dozens of men to rape her hundreds of times while unconscious. Pélicot organized these assaults through an online chat called “Without Her Knowledge.”

German journalists Isabell Beer and Isabel Ströh first exposed these online networks through a series of YouTube documentaries. Lutz Ackermann, editor-in-chief of Panorama die Reporter for the “STRG_F” documentary series, noted that CNN’s reporting “represents only a small part of a much larger international rape network” that includes “dozens of Telegram groups with up to 70,000 members and rape videos reaching millions of views.”

The investigation also revealed a profitable dark web ecosystem around this content, including the sale of sleep-inducing drugs and for-profit livestreams. CNN’s report included testimonies from three women who discovered their husbands had drugged and raped them while unconscious.

While the viral claims about 62 million men attending a “rape academy” are inaccurate, the investigation nonetheless uncovered deeply troubling online communities dedicated to facilitating sexual assault. These findings have triggered political debates in countries including Germany and France about how to combat drug-facilitated sexual assault and the online networks that enable it.

Law enforcement agencies across multiple countries are now investigating these platforms, though the global nature of these networks presents significant challenges for prosecution and prevention efforts.