What’s This?
2013-05-29 18:45:51 UTC
When the FBI seized a child pornography website at the end of last year, they couldn’t identify its users through the site’s records. That’s why, instead of shutting it down, they decided to keep it live for two weeks in an attempt to identify and catch the more than 5,000 people who shared and commented on thousands of pictures of children being abused.
While the feds ran the service, the site continued to operate normally, with its users freely exchanging child pornography, unaware that they were being watched by the FBI. According to Seattlepi, which first reported on the story, this might be the first time that the FBI actively facilitated, or at least turned a blind eye to, child pornography use in the hopes of carrying out a sting operation to put pedophiles behind bars.
The website, which court records obtained by the paper refer to only as “Website A,” was organized as an online bulletin board, where members shared and commented on pictures of children, discussed their shared interests, and even exchanged tips and advice on how to avoid getting caught using encryption and other strategies.
The FBI seized the site on November 16, and kept it online until December 2. At the time, the site boasted more than 5,600 users, 24,000 posts, and at least 10,000 pictures of nude or abused children.
The court records are now sealed, and the investigation is ongoing. No charges have been filed yet and an FBI Omaha Division spokesperson declined to comment on it. “This remains an ongoing investigation, and local court rules and Department of Justice policy prohibit me from providing more information at this time,” Sandy Breault told Seattlepi. “As in any given matter, if charges are filed, they will eventually become a matter of public record.”
The investigation did lead to the raid of the home of a Seattle-area man, although he hasn’t been formally charged yet, as investigators are reviewing the data contained in his computer, which was seized during the house search.
It’s unclear how many pictures were shared during the time the FBI had control of the website, and investigators have not clarified whether the victims pictured on the site were notified that the images were being shared as part of the investigation.
Image via Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Topics: child porn, child pornography, FBI, U.S., US & World
Feds Used a Child Porn Website to Catch Pedophiles
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