These vigilante groups already existed, there's an entire genre of "pedophile hunter" content creators that lure people (including children who were pretending to be adults) into traps, often in person, and film them being harassed/assaulted.

Not surprisingly, they use tactics that are illegal for law enforcement, like entrapment and fabricating data, and have very flimsy standards of guilt (which become even more flimsy if they need more content).

These guys are not heroes, go watch their videos. They're people who want to illegally stalk, harass and assault people and use "protecting children" as cover.

You're buying into their cover without critically examining their tactics, methods and results.

It sounds real good right up until it is your 18 year old son or nephew is lured by grown men into a fake date, assaulted on camera and blasted all over YouTube or social media as a pedophile.

These people are scumbags.