German Authorities Bust Major International Child Porn Site with 400,000 Users

German authorities, in conjunction with Europol and law enforcement agencies in the Netherlands, Sweden, Australia, the United States and Canada, have announced a major bust of a child porn platform on the dark net with over 400,000 registered members.

“Boystown,” as the platform is called, was used by pedophiles around the world, and could only be accessed through special software. The site is designed to allow pedophiles to view and upload images of child sexual abuse without being detected by law enforcement.

Three administrators of the site and one major contributor of images to the site were charged in conjunction with raids conducted in mid-April after a months-long investigation. The administrators’ names were not revealed because of German privacy laws, but their ages are 40, 49 and 58 years old. As part of the services they offered, they helped users evade detection from law enforcement. One of the site’s administrators lives in Paraguay and law enforcement agencies are seeking to have him extradited to Germany for prosecution.

The fourth man charged with violating child pornography laws is also a German citizen, aged 64, who is described as one of the heaviest users of the platform, having uploaded over 3,500 posts.

Authorities described the platform as “one of the world’s biggest child pornography darknet platforms” and had been active at least since 2019, according to The New York Times.

Not only could users access thousands of images of sexual abuse of minors, but the site also included chat rooms where users could communicate with one another. Most of the images on the platform were of young boys, including what authorities described as “images of most severe sexual abuse of toddlers.”

Kids, teens and young adults are especially vulnerable in the online world. Sexual predators are everywhere, and Focus on the Family has some resources to help parents understand the dangers and suggest ways to protect their children.

Many of those sexual predators are engaged in human trafficking, another worldwide scourge that Focus is helping combat. Parents need information and resources, and we’re happy to provide some links below.

Related:

Parent Concerned About Kids’ Vulnerability to Human Trafficking

Understanding the Scope of Human Trafficking (broadcast)

Facts and Research on Human Trafficking

‘Promise to America’s Children’ – Join the Movement to Protect Children

Photo from Shutterstock