German researchers have succeeded in blocking several child pornography platforms on the dark web. Arrests were also made in Germany, Great Britain and the United States for this reason, according to Bavaria’s police and cybercrime unit.
In total, three platforms on the dark web have been shut down. Thousands of users from inside and outside Germany were active on the platforms. They reportedly distributed more than 20,000 child pornographic images and videos and published 120,000 posts per month. “The perpetrators will be convicted and held accountable,” said Bavarian police chief Harald Pickert. The dark web is not a lawless place.
The investigation began in 2019. The Bavarian detectives were able to make links to the US, Britain and Australia when they searched the seized evidence. In order to better investigate those responsible for the platform, international experts gathered in Munich. The suspect arrested in Germany is said to have been a moderator of one of the platforms. The 22-year-old was arrested in Bonn in November.
Countless users identified
“The Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Cybercrime Unit have conducted a thorough investigation and have shown perseverance,” said Thomas Goger, Bavaria’s chief public prosecutor and head of the Center for Combating Child Pornography and Sexual Abuse on the Internet. Numerous users of the platforms have been identified, he added.
In May 2021, another German man from the Swabia region was arrested. More than 800,000 child pornographic photos and videos were found with him. The investigation is continuing, according to the police and the cybercrime unit.
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