Abstract
The methods of producing, disseminating and communalising child sexual abuse material (CSAM) using the dark web are not a new phenomenon. What does differ however is the introduction of modern and innovative detection, prevention and protection methods used by law enforcement agencies (LEAs). By delving into three case studies concerning CSAM, this chapter discussed how LEAs in the USA, the UK and wider Europe proactively cooperate deploy methods and unconventional techniques to tackle cases particularly on the dark web. The case studies into PlayPen and the investigation into Matthew Falder present two cases where LEAs have stretched collaboration across traditional sovereign borders to successfully remove CSAM content and safeguard young victims of blackmail. In contrast Operation Sweetie reflects the growing number of unorthodox methods used by law enforcement to detect and prevent the rise in webcam sex tourism on a global scale. In conclusion, these methods display how LEAs are overcoming the challenges which the transition of CSAM offences to dark web surfaces has facilitated and set an optimistic trajectory into new methods of policing.
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Raven, A., Akhgar, B., Abdel Samad, Y. (2021). Case Studies: Child Sexual Exploitation. In: Akhgar, B., Gercke, M., Vrochidis, S., Gibson, H. (eds) Dark Web Investigation. Security Informatics and Law Enforcement. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-55343-2_12
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