Federal prosecutors filed numerous charges against a South Korea man accused of running the world’s largest child pornography site and arrested hundreds of people who reportedly used the site.
The U.S. Department of Justice reports that the site, entitled “Welcome to Video,” had over 200,000 videos of child pornography videos while using technology that allowed users to be anonymous. Along with the site’s operator, 23-year-old Jong Woo Son, over 300 users of the site have been arrested across 12 different countries. Son was
After the website was seized in March 2018, investigators began tracking down all of its past users. Many customers made both illegal content, as well as payment using Bitcoin cryptocurrency. Son is currently serving an 18-month prison sentence on federal child pornography charges.
“You may try to hide behind technology,” U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jessie Liu said. “But we will find you and arrest you and prosecute you.”
According to the Justice Department, over 20 victims from the U.S., Spain, and Britain were rescued from child abuse by users of the site. Numerous other children still have not been identified. Some of the children being exploited were 2-year-olds.
FOX 8 reports that the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children is currently analyzing the videos; almost half of the content contained images of children that officials did not know previously existed.
One of the site’s users, identified as a former federal U.S. law enforcement agent, downloaded 50 hours worth of content, authorities said.
The website ran on the “dark web,” which can only be accessed through a Tor browser. A Tor browser supposedly hides users’ online activities and stops any form of tracking. Users bought memberships to the site for 0.03 bitcoins, which equals around $300.
“Darknet sites that profit from the sexual exploitation of children are among the most vile and reprehensible forms of criminal behavior,” Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division said. “This Administration will not allow child predators to use lawless online spaces as a shield.
For a list of people arrested, click here for the U.S. Department of Justice press release.
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[Feature Photo: Pixabay]
