DARK SIDE OF THE INTERNET

ONLINE OR OFFLINE –
CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE IS
A CRIME

Child pornography is rarely found in public locations online, so popular search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo will not be able to find such material. Instead, the bulk of online material depicting sexual abuse of children is traded in private sites requiring membership and passwords, as well as in online networks that require special applications to access.

In 2014 alone, InHope.org recorded over 80,000 website addresses that contained child sexual abuse material.

SCOPE OF CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE MATERIAL (CSAM)

Hidden from public view, millions of photos and videos depicting child sexual abuse are being traded online. In Southeast Asia, locations of high concern are currently Bangkok, Thailand, and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.  In November 2015, Taskforce Argos detected 8,422 unique files transmitted from 707 IP addresses in Bangkok.

In the video depicting the globe, a Taskforce Argos officer explains, “we zoom in where we can see a number of red markers, each representing multiple IP addresses making CSAM available for distribution identified in and around the Bangkok area in July 2015.  When we click on one of the single red markers, it expands out displaying a large number of red markers, identifying the multiple IP addresses linked to that specific geographic location.  We then zoom outwards six times, expanding the same individual red marker each time, to provide perspective of just how many IPs are associated to this one single geographical area marker, which have been identified as making CSAM available for distribution.”

HIGHLY ORGANIZED

Pedophiles collect child pornography with similar enthusiasm as collectors of stamps, coins, and comic books. The websites where pedophiles rendezvous are meticulously organized, presenting detailed history of pedophilia and child pornography and offering old and new child sexual abuse material to add to their collections. Members of these sites make requests for missing pieces of their collection, particularly rare or dated series. Members also request new, customized material be produced to satisfy their specific attraction. For example, some members request young Asian boys of a specific age, wearing diapers, performing a specific sexual act. Children will then be sexually abused and recorded to produce the desired series.