Measuring a year of child pornography trafficking by U.S. computers on a peer-to-peer network

Understanding Online Child Sexual Exploitation Offenses

“…This study estimated that approximately 26,600 known CP files were shared on an average day in the USA in a one-year period (between 2010 and 2011). Those rates seem incompatible with other more alarming reports of over 870 million CP files being shared by more than 100 countries in that given year [5].…”

“…There were substantial decreases in the total amount of known CP files worldwide after duplications were removed from P2P networks [5]. Most U.S. users that had shared known CP on a P2P network became less active.…”

“…More than 80 % of CP users shared at least one CP file in that year, but did not do so again. Furthermore, more than 80 % of users shared less than ten known CP files for fewer than 10 days during a year [5]. Increases in the number of the online offenders are due to multiple factors, including: the increasing number of people using the Internet, sex crimes changing from offline to online, and the increasing use of online stings by law enforcement [41].…”

A methodology for profiling paraphilic interest in Child Sexual Exploitation Material users on peer-to-peer networks

“…To a large extent, these concerns have their impetus in a small but established body of empirical evidence that points to increasing volumes of CSEM and attendant offending activity on P2P networks. While estimates of the extent of CSEM exchange on P2P networks vary considerably, it is now widely conceded that P2P serves as a major vector for the distribution of illegal CSEM (Hughes et al, 2008;Taylor, Haggerty, Gresty & Fergus, 2010; US Department of Justice, 2010, Wolak, Liberatore & Levine, 2014).…”

“…In their recent investigation of one year of CSEM exchange by US computers on the Gnutella network, Wolak, Liberatore and Levine (2014) illustrated the scale of this challenge to law enforcement, with hundreds of thousands of US computers implicated in P2P-facilitated CSEM exchange over the study period. In view of the scale of this offending activity, these authors highlighted the importance of adopting a more discriminating approach to the investigation of CSEM offences on P2P, whereby problematic P2P offenders are identified and prioritised by law enforcement for urgent intervention.…”