FBI reportedly ran 23 child porn sites on the darknet.
An affidavit from the FBI was recently acquired by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). The report reveals that the bureau deployed 23 child porn sites in an attempt to ensnare users.
In 2015 a report surfaced that showed how the FBI seized a website called Playpen which used the tor anonym network. However, before shutting down completely, the FBI reportedly maintained for 13 days and attempted to infest the computers of any visitors with malware. The software was designed to allow the agency to learn the users’ identity so that they can apprehend them.
The new ACLU report reveals that the FBI sting operation was, in fact, much broader than initially thought. In fact, the FBI reportedly maintained 23 child porn sites which advertised the obscene types of videos, various matters related to child sexual abuse and other tactics and methods used to abuse the children. Additionally, there were even discussions on how to avoid law enforcement detection.
According to Sarah Jamie Lewis, a security researcher, the FBI most likely ran around half of the known child porn sites on the darknet. Although the affidavit doesn’t directly specify that the FBI is maintaining all these sites, but it is heavily implied that the FBI had control over the servers and access to them from a government facility.
The FBI managed to identify and apprehend around 200 child porn suspects from the Playpen operation alone. This number is only 20 percent of all the 1,000 IP addresses which were revealed to the FBI using the malware known as NIT.
The operation of child porn sites was signed off by judges in Virginia and Maryland. FBI was able to obtain this type of warrant thanks to what’s known as Rule 41. An anti-hacking measure developed by the Department of Justice, which has been scrutinized by lawmakers. Basically, it allowed the FBI to search multiple computers in different jurisdictions while using only one warrant.
However, when the cases against the offenders went to trial, judges in Oklahoma, Massachusetts, and Iowa ruled that this type of search violated the laws regarding federal procedure. Some judges requested the evidence being thrown out while others rebuked the persecutors but accepted the evidence.
Image source: Wikimedia
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