James Delahunty
17 Mar 2006 18:42
US Attorney General Alberto Gonzales revealed in Chicago yesterday that undercover investigators had infiltrated an Internet chat room hosting child pornography, and as a result 27 arrests were made in the US, Canada, Australia and England. The chat room, known as "Kiddypics & Kiddyvids", was used to trade "graphic images of child pornography – including live streaming video of adults sexually molesting children and infants." The ring that operated the chatroom used P2P technology to exchange the content.
"The behavior in these chat rooms – and the images these defendants sent around the world through peer to peer file sharing programs and private instant messaging services – are the worst imaginable forms of child pornography," said Gonzales. Charges brought in the US include possession, receipt, distribution and manufacture of child pornography, as well as conspiracy and other offenses.
The use of P2P technology meant that the ring didn't have to rely on any central servers, and also made it much harder for investigators to bring the group down. So far, none of the individuals mentioned in yesterday's indictment in Chicago have been convicted of a crime, "but we plan to prosecute them – and others involved in this vile chat room – to the fullest extent of the law," Gonzales commented.
Source:
The Register