Feds take down the world's 'largest dark web child porn marketplace'

NBC News ^ | October 16, 2019 | Cyrus Farivar and Andrew Blankstein

[Perseverando]

The dark web, a section of the internet that can only be accessed via a Tor browser,
is designed to protect users' tracks online and obscure digital footprints.
Jeroen Jumelet / EPA-EFE

WASHINGTON — Federal prosecutors have filed multiple charges against a 23-year-old South Korean man accused of running what they call the world's "largest dark web child porn marketplace."

The now-shuttered English-language site, called "Welcome to Video," contained more than 200,000 unique videos or almost 8 terabytes of data showing sex acts involving children, toddlers and infants, according to the 18-page criminal indictment unsealed here Wednesday, and processed 7,300 Bitcoin transactions worth more than $730,000.

According to prosecutors, the vast online store was run by Jong Woo Son, a South Korean citizen currently serving an 18-month prison sentence in his home country after his conviction on charges related to child pornography. The site operated from June 2015 until it was seized and shut down by U.S. authorities in March 2018.

At a press conference Wednesday morning, U.S. officials said 337 suspected users of the site had been arrested worldwide to date.

"You may try to hide behind technology," U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jessie Liu said, "but we will find you and arrest you and prosecute you."

Almost half of the videos seized were not previously known to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Deputy Assistant Attorney General Richard Downing said. "There are many children depicted in these videos that have not been identified."

"The scale of this crime is eye-popping and sickening," John D. Fort, chief of IRS criminal investigations, said.

The site allegedly rewarded its members with "points" in relation to the amount of illegal material they uploaded, authorities announced Wednesday.

[Perseverando]

Pedophilia is pandemic in America and throughout the world.

Pedogate is not just a U.S. monstrosity. It is satanic and an international horror show from hell.

[eartick]

Investigators found in on a .gov site (probably).

[warsaw44]

and people are trying to ‘ normalized ‘ it.

The only happy ending to this story is all of the content providers and participants are lined up and shot.

But we have become far too soft in this country.

[MeganC]

Sick. Just sick.

Hope these evil people spend a very long time in prison.

[Perseverando]

I am sure the rich, powerful and politically connected have had their names scrubbed from the download list.

[PetroniusMaximus]

Pedophilia is the lifeblood of the current rulers of this world (except Trump}. We must put such a stake through these monsters hearts that our grandchildren’s grandchildren will talk about it.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

I prefer the biblical method: Millstone around the neck and toss into the ocean.

[rfreedom4u]

I seriously believe that the uptake on catching these disgusting pieces of filth is one of the reasons so many want to get rid of Trump.

[Uncle Miltie]

I am in favor of prompt execution upon conviction.

While writing on a TOR browser.

[USS Alaska]

I don’t know how to find the ‘dark web’ {don’t want to know} but any person that is involved with child molestation deserves to be tortured, cut into pieces, one small piece at a time, and fed to the dogs.

[Perseverando]

I completely agree with you. Pizzagate/pedogate is rarely heard of these days, but we can be sure this sick bunch of perverts are all in for impeachment.

[jimmygrace]

Article says this happened in March 2018. Hooray, but why are we reading about it now? Have there been new developments? New arrests of customers? Rescued children?

[RushIsMyTeddyBear]

We have a missing 3yo in our state. They’ve detained two suspects who were distributing child porn and doing kidnapping. Still trying to find the little girl.

[Perseverando]

Child molestation should warrant capital punishment, and swiftly.

[jimmygrace]

Never mind. There’s a duplicate post with more details that answers a lot of my questions.

[RushIsMyTeddyBear]

TOTALLY agree.

[Gay State Conservative]

I certainly could be wrong but it's hard for me to imagine this stuff being *nearly* as widespread before the advent of the web than it is now.

[Perseverando]

Article says this happened in March 2018. Hooray, but why are we reading about it now? Have there been new developments? New arrests of customers? Rescued children?

Here's an article posted by ransomnote shortly before I posted this article. It references the DOJ website with lots of info on prosecutions in the U.S.

South Korean National and Hundreds of Others Charged Worldwide in the Takedown of the Largest

[glasseye]

If you name the people trying to normalize this perversion you will be called an ‘4#57m8sit3’.
And that will mean you are banned from this site and many others.
The truth is uncomfortable.

[Gay State Conservative]

Child molestation should warrant capital punishment, and swiftly.

There's one argument...and *only* one...to be made against execution for rape or child molestation: it gives the perp an incentive to kill the victim.