A Crime Script Analysis of Child Sexual Exploitation Material Fora on the Darkweb

Abstract

This study’s aim is to contribute to the knowledge on the steps involved in child sexual exploitation material (CSEM) crimes committed in Darkweb CSEM communities. Due to the anonymous and illegal nature of these communities, academic research is scarce. This study provides a crime script analysis of member communication data from four CSEM Darkweb fora obtained by law enforcement. For cross-validation, suspect interviews from a relevant case file were analyzed. A step-by-step description of the crime process, starting with the preparations necessary to access Darkweb CSEM fora and ending with the postactivity behaviors of exiting the crime scene and preventing detection, is given, focusing on the casts, activities, probs, and personal and contextual requirements at each stage. The findings highlight the scope of the CSEM problem, as well as the influence the Darkweb has on the way the crime is committed. Suitable targets for law enforcement intervention are discussed.

Profiling Darkweb Child Sexual Exploitation Material Forum Members Using Longitudinal Posting History Data

“…Given that previous qualitative studies of the forum analyzed here give no reason to presume that on this particular forum CSEM is exchanged for commercial purposes (Van der Bruggen & Blokland, 2020, in press), Lanning’s (2001) profiteer-type offender is therefore rendered not applicable to the forum under scrutiny. Hypothesis 3: The posting careers of preferentially motivated pedophiles will show an early onset, high frequency, and long duration and will be both sexual and social in nature.…”

“…Unlike other Darkweb marketplaces however, CSEM is often bartered rather than bought and sold, and commercial motives seem largely absent (Van Der Bruggen & Blokland, in press). CSEM fora also function to support an online community in which child abuse is normalized and even promoted and in which forum members find respect, recognition, and emotional bonding (Durkin & Bryant, 1999; Jenkins, 2001; O’Halloran & Quayle, 2010; Quinn & Forsyth, 2013; Steel et al, 2020; Van der Bruggen & Blokland, 2020, in press).…”

“…As do other Internet fora, individual CSEM fora may vary in focus, size, and duration of existence (Van der Bruggen & Blokland, 2020, in press). Darkweb CSEM fora are typically structured by allocating members various roles, relating to their tasks, responsibilities, and status within the forum community.…”

“…Against the background of prior research on Internet fora in general (Morzy, 2013), and studies into the organization of CSEM fora in particular (O’Connell, 2001; Van der Bruggen & Blokland, 2020, in press), the current study will first describe the evolution of the Darkweb CSEM forum that is the topic of this study. While the previous literature as yet offers little ground for deriving concrete hypotheses regarding the temporal development of such fora, describing this particular forum’s evolution, in terms of member numbers and the volume and nature of these members’ forum activity, is important to contextualize the posting behavior of individual members subsequently scrutinized.…”

Investigating sentence severity with judicial open data -- A case study on sentencing high-tech crime in the Dutch criminal justice system

“…CSA Not long ago, offenders of child sexual abuse had to rely on physical media. With the advent of the Internet, it became possible to collect and share media on a large scale, whereby the technology ensures anonymity and scalability (van der Bruggen and Blokland, 2021).…”