Except that over the internet, how do you know?

Keeping it mind, that I'm making a presumptive argument without knowing the particular facts and details of the case. One of us do, except for what, in general, happened to her. We don't know their (yhe men's) stories. We know snippets from interviews that were published because they demonstrate ignorance od consent if taken a certain way. So this is speculation.

And, I'm not saying they're completely innocent or shouldn't serve time either. Personally, even I'd they were coerced, I believe a message needs to be sent and they need to convicted of rape and labeled as the rapists they are. Every single one of them.

Here's my reasoning for that.

1. The husband can be charged for the men's rape as well as for what he did to his wife. That gets them justice and acknowledges they were coerced and manipulated.

2. The website needs to be and can be held criminally liable for all the rapes because they played a huge part in these crimes. Fuck, somebody owns that company, so.ebody runs that company. Those people, no matter who they are need to be held criminally accountable ESPECIALLY if there's internal evidence and review that there were crimes or potential crimes being committed. Samaritan laws. If France doesn't have Samaritan laws, now they know why they need them. Stock holders to be held civilly liable and any money made off stocks should be seized. Hell, seize their entire portfolios.

3. Same for the ISP.

4. I haven't had time to look into it much, but that website is either part of the dark web or a legit "kink" site/ dating site (that's my impression from what little I've read).
a. If it's a kink site, there are rules to kink the men should have been, at least somewhat, familiar enough with to raise some red flags. If it's found during interviews and investigation that somewhere along the line, they ignored 'oddities' without asking for some kind of verification, they are partially accountable. If not rape, then certainly sexual abuse. Why? They recognized warning signs that something was askance and ignored them to get what they wanted without regard to another human being. That's reckless endangerment (especially the ones who gave her STDs) sexual abuse, etc. It may or may not be rape.
b. If it's a dark web site, I feel like they should have been more aware that things were likely not as they were presented. It's called the dark web for a reason. Becase that's where you go to conduct criminal enterprise. Ergo, if you knew you were on the dark web, and you knew what kind of site this was, and you went and acted out your fantasy or desires or whatever was going on in their heads, you can't claim ignorance and you thought there was consent now. No you fucking didn't. You knew EXACTLY what that shit was about, you didn't care, you knowingly hurt and dehumanized someone to get your rocks off and now you're trying to dodge accountability for a crime you KNOWINGLY committed. Let us call a spade a spade. If that's what these guys did, if that's how it went down, then these guys are goddammed rapists and should he branded as such for the rest of their miserable lives.

But, like I said, I don't know specifics, and those won't be known until after the trial, probably and I can see, based on early reporting, how the men could have been raped too, and if that's the case, they deserve justice and acknowledgement of what they went through instead of being hung out to dry or given a pass. More than likely, that's what will happen though.

That's my opinion, I admit it's not completely informed and mostly speculative.