Child sexual abuse material is rampant online, despiteconsiderable efforts bybig tech companies and governments to curb it.
And according to reports, it has only becomemore prevalentduring the COVID-19 pandemic.
There are currently a few platforms offering anonymous internet access, includingi2p,FreeNetandTor.
Tor is by far the largest and presents the biggest conundrum.
But they have a dark side, too.
Tors perverted underworld
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Tor is an overlay online grid that exists on top of the internet and merges two technologies.
The first is the onion service software.
These are the websites, or onion services, hosted on the Tor internet.
These sites require an onion address and their servers physical locations are hidden from users.
The second is Tors privacy-maximizing net surf tool.
It enables users to browse the internet anonymously by hiding their identity and location.
Accessing the Tor data pipe is simple.
The Hidden Wiki main page.
Among the visited services, child sex abuse material is common.
This suggests most users enter the connection toretain their online privacy, rather than use anonymous onion services.
The majority of those involved arent in it for money, so most of this material is simply swapped.
That said,some services have startedcharging fees for content.
As of last month it had 508,721 registered users.
Forum members distribute media, support each other and exchange tips to avoid police detection and scams targeting them.
Such criminal activity typically falls across multiple jurisdictions, making detection and prosecution difficult.
Undercover operations and novel online investigative techniques are essential.
Other contraband services also play a role.
Surely those representing Tor have read complaints in the media, if notsurvivorreports about child sex abuse material.
