FBI takes over child porn web domains

Federal investigators seized two web domains linked to spreading child sexual abuse material, according to a Wednesday statement from the FBI. National, international, and private sector partners worked in tandem to cut off the web infrastructure of domains linked to the site, which advertised sexually explicit images of teenagers, according to the assistant director of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, Darren Cox. Investigators also arrested at least one individual in France, suspected of being an administrator of one of the websites, he added. The network advertised the sale of sexually explicit images and videos of women and girls obtained through theft or hacking, according to a separate Wednesday statement from the Justice Department. The website advertised itself as hosting images of mostly American teens and adults in various stages of undress and engaged in various explicit activities, the DOJ reported.

Paris prosecutors released a separate statement on Wednesday confirming the domain seizure, along with an additional individual arrested on Tuesday in connection with the operation. The two individuals arrested were brothers, aged 21 and 25, according to French officials. French investigators also seized over €700,000, equivalent to about $783,000, in digital assets. The websites housed sexually explicit material impacting over 17,000 women and girls, across several nationalities, nonconsensually released, French prosecutors added. The platform offered those submitting images and videos to include as much identifying information about the victims as possible, including their real name, age, location, occupation, and attractiveness on a 1 to 10 scale, French attorneys added.