Partnership Aims to Curb Bitcoin Usage in Child Pornography
Non-profit organization the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) and blockchain start-up Elliptic have teamed up to tackle those using the cryptocurrency, Bitcoin, to buy child sex abuse images online, the two announced today. London-based blockchain startup Elliptic has created a unique tool that has the ability to trace any suspicious transaction patterns of Bitcoin. Since its inception, the world of Bitcoin has often been shrouded in mystery and negative publicity due to the fact that it some users choose to buy illegal items online from illegal drugs to child pornography because of the....
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A recent story published by Bloomberg reports that Bitcoin usage by pedophiles is on the rise. While the use of a potentially anonymous digital currency by the scum of the online world has been long predicted, the Internet Watch Foundation was able to point to some specific statistics in their recent report on payment methods for child pornography online. Although e-gold and Liberty Reserve were somewhat popular options for online criminals in the past, it seems that Bitcoin is quickly becoming the currency of choice for pedophiles. Statistics from the Internet Watch Foundation. The....
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) became the largest online distributor of child pornography during a recent case, according to a motion filed by a group of defense attorneys. FBI Increased Amount of Child Porn Online. The motion claims that a “conservative estimate” of FBI activity in its infiltration and takedown of the notorious “Playpen”....
The International Center for Missing and Exploited Children has joined forces with Thomson Reuters to examine what impact digital currencies are having on criminal activities such as child trafficking. This task force is working with the Bitcoin Foundation to see whether decentralized currencies play a role. Together, the organizations will tackle digital money laundering as a means to support human trafficking, child pornography and other crimes. ICMEC has in the past drawn connections between commercial child pornography and the fact that most people buying it were using credit cards. It....
Freedom Hosting, a web hosting provider specifically targeting websites in the Tor community, has been shut down, and its owner Eric Eoin Marques arrested in Ireland on charges of facilitating the distribution of online child pornography. Marques is now sitting in jail, denied bail while the Irish courts determine the validity of an extradition request by the United States. Freedom Hosting was responsible for a large number of major "hidden services" on the Tor network, most notably including the email provider Tormail, and some estimates suggest that up to half of all major Tor hidden....
Blockchain intelligence startup Elliptic has partnered with the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) to help tackle child pornography bought with Bitcoin. IWF Taps Blockchain Intelligence. Elliptic, which counts major Bitcoin operators including Bitpay among its clients, already reports to law enforcement on various forms of “illicit activity” involving....