Study reveals how new offenders get involved in online paedophile communities

The “dark web” – a collection of heavily encrypted websites, forums and social networks – notoriously provides spaces for illegal activities. It’s where child sexual offenders meet to support each other and share indecent images and advice on abuse techniques – with near-complete anonymity. This provides a resource for individuals to learn the “skills” to become more dangerous offenders. In response, some law enforcement agencies deploy undercover officers to enter these spaces posing as offenders to gather intelligence. But we don’t hear much about these communities. When it comes to online child abuse, it is largely stories of online grooming that dominate the press. As part…