NCJ Number
211261
Date Published
April 2005
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This article analyzes 31 major police operations against online child pornography and considers the implications for future police operations.
Abstract
Online child pornography represents an insidious and growing threat to the public’s safety. As such, there has been a steady stream of police operations that have targeted online child pornography; this report analyzes 31 of the major police operations against child pornography that have been reported since the early 1990s in English-language sources. Most sources under analysis are from Australia, Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom. The analysis was based on whether the offenders targeted in the operations were involved in networked behavior. Four distinct targets of police investigation emerged from the reports: individuals, covert groups, Web site subscribers, and targets caught in police sting operations. Police operations concerning each of these targeted groups are discussed in turn, with a focus on implications for future operations. The findings indicate that police stings and monitoring activities serve to disrupt the notion of anonymity so often assigned to Internet crimes but that operations targeting Web site subscribers can create logistical problems for police officers because of the sheer numbers of leads and suspects involved. Additionally, issues such as civil liberties and confidentiality rear their head in these types of investigations, creating another set of concerns for officers. Law enforcement agencies are cautioned to not comprise the integrity of the law when conducting online investigations. Tables, references