Internet Vulnerability & Criminal Activity

1. Internet Vulnerability & Criminal Activity 4.1 – 2/15/10 Child Exploitation - Pedophilia & Child Pornography

2. Child Exploitation “Possession, manufacture and distribution of child pornography; online enticement of children for sexual acts; child prostitution; child sex tourism and; child sexual molestation. ”

3. Methods of Child Exploitation • Enticement • “Inviting, persuading, or attempting to persuade a child to enter any vehicle, building, room, or secluded place with intent to commit an unlawful sexual act upon or with the person of said child” • Pornography • “Depictions of minors in sexual acts or provocative poses” • Molestation • “Any sexual behavior or activity that is abusive or nonconsensual toward a child – or sexual behavior that is specifically prohibited by state/federal law”

4. Methods of Child Exploitation • Prostitution • “The use of a child by others for sexual activities in return for remuneration or any other form of consideration” • Sex Tourism • “Traveling to a foreign country with the intent to engage in sexual activity with a child”

5. Victims of Child Exploitation Online

6. Minor “Anyone under the age of 18 no matter what the age of consent in a state maybe”

7. Characteristics of Victims • Dysfunctional families • Older rather than younger • Confusion over sexual orientation • Not always “innocent” • May misrepresent themselves • May be looking for / collecting pornography • Do not understand what they are getting into • Consent is not an issue

8. Computer/Internet Use by Sex Offenders • Computer only a tool • Online offenders most similar to acquaintance molesters • Offender slang • “Traders” - Traffic in child porn • “Travelers” - Solicit sex with children • Problem area - adolescents • Producing/trading child porn (sexting) • Soliciting sex with other adolescents • Not sexually deviant

9. Illegal Computer/Internet Activities • Possessing / producing child pornography • Uploading / downloading child pornography • Soliciting sex with children • Offering a child for sexual purposes

10. Legal Sexual Activities • Validating deviant sexual behavior and interests • Reinforcing deviant arousal patterns • Storing and sharing sexual fantasies • Lying about one’s age and identity

11. Legal Sexual Activities cont. • Collecting adult pornography that is not obscene • Disseminating “indecent” material, talking dirty, “cyber-sex”, and providing sex instructions • Injecting oneself into the “problem” of computer exploitation of children to rationalize interests

12. Categories of Sexual Offenders • Situational Offenders • Preferential Offenders • Miscellaneous Offenders

13. Situational Offenders • “Normal” adolescent / adult • Curious • Impulsive • Morally indiscriminate • Power / anger motivated • Previous violent offenses • Profiteers • Easy money

14. Miscellaneous “Offenders” • Media Reporters • Engage in illegal behavior for news story • Pranksters • “cyber-smearing” • Older “Boyfriends” • Late teens / early 20’s • Overzealous citizens • Want to help law enforcement • Be aware of true motivation

15. Preferential Offenders • Pedophile • Prefers sex with children • Diverse • Wide variety of deviant interests • Sexually indiscriminate • Latent • Recently begun to act on illegal urges

16. Understanding Sexual Offender Behavior

17. Paraphilia Sexual deviations or perversions

18. Paraphilia Defined • Psychosexual disorder • Recurrent, intense sexual arousing fantasies, urges, or behaviors that involve: • Nonhuman objects • Suffering or humiliation • Children, other non-consenting persons • Occurs over a period of six months

19. Types of Paraphilia • Exhibitionism - exposure • Fetishism - objects • Pedophilia - children • Sexual masochism - self-pain • Sexual sadism - partner-pain • Voyeurism - watching

20. Pedophilia Characteristics (Psychological) • Sexual in nature • Highly addictive • Compulsive & repetitive • Very difficult to treat • Unstopped by self-control/self-discipline • Only a crime if urge is acted on • Does not include adolescent consensual relationships

21. Pedophiles use of the Internet • Trafficking in child pornography • Locating children to molest • Engaging in inappropriate communications with children • Communicating with other pedophiles

22. Internet Technologies used by Sex Offenders • Adult Pornography • Social Networking Sites • Chat Rooms • Online Gaming Sites • Peer-to-Peer (P2P) • Web Cams

23. Some Pedophile Groups - Some on the Web • North American Man - Boy Love Association - NAMBLA • The Rene Guyon Society • Childhood Sensuality Circle - CSC • Pedophiliacs Anonymous - PAN • Pedophile Information Exchange - PIE • Pedophile Action for Liberation - PAL • Pedophile Alliance League - P.A.L. • The Lewis Carroll Collectors Guild • Howard Nichols Society

24. Screen name Screen profile Accuracy of profile Length of time active Amount of time spent online Number of transmissions Number of files Number of file originated Number of files forwarded Number of files received Number of recipients Site of communication Theme of messages and chat Theme of pornography Evidence

25. Child Pornography “Depictions of minors in sexual acts or provocative poses”

26. How the Internet Changed Child Porn • Prior to the Internet, Child porn local, very small distribution • Mid 1980’s - Child porn almost wiped out • Internet & technology allows • Cheap, easy creation of child porn • Anonymous distribution • Available through all Net channels (IRC, P2P, web pages, e-mail)

27. The Role of the Internet in Promoting Child Pornography • Permits vast quantities from around the world • Instantly available in any time or place • Can be accessed anonymously & privately • Facilitates direct communication and file sharing between users • Relatively inexpensive • Images do not deteriorate & are easy to store • Variety of formats; potential for real-time & interactive experiences • Can be used to create composite or virtual images

28. Three Components of the Problem • Production • Distribution • Downloading

29. Production • Premium placed on new material – much material decades old • Professionally produced materials from third world countries • Most common, amateurs recording their own sexual exploits • Clandestine photography of children in public places

30. Distribution • Uploading & dissemination of pornographic images • May involve sophisticated pedophile rings & organized crime groups • Many times carried out by amateurs • Efforts to stop distribution focusing on ISP’s and police stings has changed the way in which child porn is distributed • Increasingly, sophisticated security measures are being used

31. Methods of Distribution • Web sites • Web cam • E-mail • E-groups • Newsgroups • Bulletin Board Systems • Chat Rooms • Peer-to-peer

32. Downloading • Accessing child porn via the Internet • Images do not need to be saved • In most cases, users must be actively seeking child porn • Increasingly, good computer skills & inside knowledge required • Most downloading done via newsgroups & chat rooms

33. Offender Typology • Browsers • Inadvertently find child porn, but knowingly keep the images • No networking • No security strategies • Private fantasizers • Create digital images for personal use • No networking • No security strategies • Trawlers • Seek child porn through open sources • Minimal networking • Few security strategies

34. Offender Typology • Non-secure collectors • Seek child porn in non-secure chat rooms & other open levels • High levels of networking • No security strategies • Secure collectors • Use closed newsgroups or secret pedophile rings • High level of networking • Sophisticated security measures • Groomers • Develop online relationships with children, use child porn to “groom” victim • May or may not be involved with networking • Little security strategies

35. Offender Typology • Physical abusers • Child porn part of pedophilic interest • May create their own child porn, evidence of their behavior • May or may not network • Security depends on victim’s silence • Producers • Record abuse for purpose of distributing to others • Networking depends on if producer is also distributor • Security depends on victim’s silence • Distributors • Disseminates child porn images • May have purely financial interests • Networking and security depends upon level of operation

36. How do Pedophiles use Child Pornography • Source of pride • Sexual gratification • Feed/create sexual fantasies • Training/grooming potential victims • Lower potential victim’s inhibitions • Blackmail victim into silence • Profit • Barter with other pedophiles

37. Dangers Associated with Child Porn • Single most distinct characteristic of child molester • Used by molester to ‘normalize’ behavior • Long term use leads to desensitization • Used by terrorist groups to exchange information - http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article4959002.ece

38. Law Enforcement Challenges • Structure of the Internet • Decentralized, P2P • One site shut down, another will instantly take it’s place • Uncertainties of jurisdiction • Requires cooperation among agencies • No clue to where images originate

39. Law Enforcement Challenges • Lack of regulation • Community protection vs. Freedom of Speech • Ambiguity regarding liability, ISP responsibility • Differences in legislation • Differences between countries • Countries may vary in commitment • Cultural differences • Expertise of offenders • Long time offenders experts in security measures • Many sting operations catch the inexperienced, low-level offender

40. Sources • Child Molesters: A Behavioral Analysis - http://www.missingkids.com/en_US/publications/NC70.pdf • Child Pornography on the Internet - http://www.cops.usdoj.gov/files/ric/Publications/e04062000.pdf