Law enforcement officials at the Justice Department have announced 72 people have been charged and 52 arrested in what they are describing as a “horrific” child pornography ring. The ring was allegedly organized on a private online club called “Dreamboard” – where its members gained greater access and prestige by submitting images of their own violent acts of sexual exploitation against children. Homeland Secretary Janet Napolitano said at a press conference announcing the sting yesterday that the Dreamboard may have been the vehicle for the distribution of up to 123 terabytes of child pornography. That is roughly the equivalent to nearly 16,000 DVDs. David Finkelhor, is director of the Crimes Against Children Research Center at the University of New Hampshire. He says the internet reflects the darkest aspects of human evil in cases like this, but it also becomes a tool of great leverage for law enforcement pursuing these cases. Julian Sher, investigative journalist at The Globe and Mail and author of the books, “Caught in the Web: Inside the Police Hunt to Rescue Children from Online Predators” and “Somebody’s Daughter” explains exactly how the Justice Department pulls off these types of complex stings.
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