Our primary focus is the protection of victims and the public from child sexual abuse imagery online. This prioritises action against criminal content openly distributed on the clear web , while also addressing material found on the less accessible dark web.
Since 2016, we have identified more sites on the dark web, with dedicated websites offering child sexual abuse imagery for sale.
The dark web is a concealed part of the internet that cannot be accessed through standard search engines and requires Tor or similar browsers. Tor provides greater levels of anonymity, making users’ online activity difficult to trace. This means we are limited in what actions can be taken to get the content removed.
That said, when criminal imagery is identified on dark web platforms,
Owing to the largely anonymous nature of dark web hosting, these sites increasingly accept payment through a range of virtual currencies, as well as credit cards.
Some readers may find the following descriptions distressing, please feel free to skip this section.
On loading up a dark web URL, we prepare ourselves to see some of most serious types of abuse and some of the youngest children. Some websites are dedicated to depicting only child sexual abuse material, and others offer it alongside other obscene, harmful online material. Either way, dark web URLs always feel sinister, and display disturbing material in large volumes.
Some dark web URLs might focus on certain victim profiles, such as boys only, or girls only. Others might categorise their imagery, enabling users to easily locate their preferred abuse material. Categories might list children by age group, sex, race, or by the sex of the offender. A user might be able to choose a theme, or select the level of harm, from ‘non-nude' imagery to ‘hardcore’ child sexual abuse imagery. The titles of indecent videos read as though they belong on an adult pornography website: graphic, descriptive, promotional – but when they reference the age of very small children, the comparisons end.
Many dark web sites ask users to pay for site membership, using cryptocurrency. In return it is implied that they will receive access to huge collections of images and videos of children being raped and sexually abused. Many dark web sites will offer ‘preview’ images and videos, to entice bad actors into paid membership.
Preview imagery often depicts very young boys and girls in the most severe categories of harm. Alongside the imagery we might see a display of member ‘perks’ such as ‘lifetime access’ or ‘no download limit’ - all to seemingly convince bad actors into paying for access to a large volume of severe child abuse material.
In addition to paid access to child sexual abuse imagery, some dark web sites offer their members the chance to gain website currency by selling their own collection, serving to further spread and share the imagery of children experiencing serious sexual violence.