Admin of Dark Web Child Pornography Website "Playpen" Found Guilty

[Exterminator]

A US federal jury found Steven W. Chase, 57, of Naples, Florida, guilty of running Playpen, the largest Dark Web child pornography portal.

FBI agents arrested Chase on February 19, 2015, after receiving a tip about the website from fellow foreign law enforcement agents in December 2014.

Law enforcement investigators discovered that the Tor-based website was running on a misconfigured web server that leaked its real IP address. FBI agents tracked down the IP to a US web hosting company and using its financial records found and arrested Chase.

The FBI continued to run Playpen servers for 13 days
The FBI then moved the Playpen website to its own data center and continued to run the site from February 20 to March 4, 2015.

FBI agents hosted malware on the server that after infecting the site visitor's computer would ping back to FBI servers with details about the user's real IP and other details that could be used to reveal his identity and location.

When it was shut down, Playpen had over 215,000 users and hosted 23,000 sexually explicit images and videos of children as young as toddlers.

Over 100,000 Playpen users visited the site after the FBI took control of it. FBI officials said they manage to infect and get details of over 1,300 Playpen users. The agency shared these findings with other law enforcement agencies around the world and indicted 137 suspects in the US.

FBI criticized for the way it handled the Playpen investigation
The case has sparked a controversy in the US because of the way the FBI deanonymized Playpen users and its secrecy around the malware it had used. Many suspects indicted in relation to this case are trying to have the evidence dismissed because the FBI doesn't want to reveal more details about the technique it used to gather its proof.

Chase now awaits sentencing for one count of engaging in a child exploitation enterprise, one count of advertising child pornography, three counts of transportation of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography.

The federal jury also ruled that he has to forfeit his house and any other monetary gains that derive from his criminal activity.

In December 2015, Playpen co-administrator Michael Fluckiger, 46, of Portland, Indiana, and moderator David Lynn Browning, 47, of Wooton, Kentucky, also pleaded guilty.

FBI criticized for the way it handled the Playpen investigation
The case has sparked a controversy in the US because of the way the FBI deanonymized Playpen users and its secrecy around the malware it had used. Many suspects indicted in relation to this case are trying to have the evidence dismissed because the FBI doesn't want to reveal more details about the technique it used to gather its proof.

Does anyone feel bad for the poor "Playpen" users

I hate to beat a dead horse but stay away from the Dark Web

 

[Balrog]

Those animals only deserved...

 

[nclr11111]

I have NO pity for women abusers in general and Pedofiles in particular!! Let them rot!

 

[SecretKeeper]

Disgusting bunch of... Grrr! I hope they get thrown in jail for life.

 

[FrFc1908]

Pedophiles are the lowest scum of the earth! Lock them up For Life and throw away the key!! In my old workplace I had a collegue who was always making sick and innapropriate jokes about the subject at hand. His former girlfriend at that time was pregnant with his child. Years later the police raided his house and took his pc filled to the brim with childporn! He was sent to jail For a couple of years , now he has a different girlfriend and she also has a child of him. He claims that god and relligion changed his Life.... I can hardly believe that! I Will be hard For the law to trackdown childoffenders / rappists / snuff movie makers. it's the Said truth that these criminals Will always find new ways and methods to outsmart the law and stay out of the limelight.

 

[Terry Ganzi]

I have NO pity for women abusers in general and Pedofiles in particular!! Let them rot!

"Son" woman or man, girl or boy abuse should never be tolerated period.

 

[_CyberGhosT_]

Don't get me wrong, I don't think porn is bad, its a choice that's made weather to use it or not, made by adults.
There are times and or places it's appropriate to view and times it's not.
What gets me is there are so many that go looking for this content with children in it.
I feel the producers as well as the consumers of Child based porn should receive the same
level of punishment. See, the consumer downloads or buys discs containing the illegal content
at that point the consumer has the ability to "produce" copies right, therefore they become
producers themselves , make sense ?
I think 10yrs per hour of content possessed for both Producer & Consumer is a fair sentencing guideline,
with a minimum of 10yrs starting for the initial possession charge (in case the initial content found is under 1hr)
I use the AdGuard DNS servers to block porn content on our PC's and on our wifi router.
As most of you know I have 3 daughters and this is a very touchy subject for me, in
all honesty I feel that chemical or surgical castration is not out of the question for both
producers and consumers of child porn. Thanks Exterminator

 

[Exterminator]

"Son" woman or man, girl or boy abuse should never be tolerated period.

This says it all!
I don't know how our justice system would allow these people who are there viewing this material to have any appeal rights.Especially claiming that the FBI has to disclose the methods used to investigate and catch these people.
Malware can be a good thing when used by the right people.
Personally my opinion is if your viewing this material you are just as guilty as if you had taken the pictures.

Estimates say that between 1% and 5% of men are pedophiles meaning they have an attraction to prepubescent children.
Although many have had these desires since early adolescence not all pedophiles molest children.
Like other forms of sexual deviance,pedophilia was thought to be from psychological influences.However now many psychiatrists believe that this is a sexual orientation as established as heterosexuality or homosexuality.
I have a tough time wrapping my head around that research,since there is quite a difference as well as legality regarding the pedophile.
Bottom line distributing,possessing and viewing child pornography is against the law and if caught you should face the consequences.
Not complaining about your rights while you were violating the rights of a child.

 

[King Alpha]

Those pedophiles are disgusting. He just got what he deserved.

 

[Overkill]

They got what they deserve, they are scum of the earth

 

[frogboy]

This sort of thing is just disgusting, i do not have the right words to express my feelings.

 

[LukeNukesEm]

While I do think people who watch or produce child porn are terrible people, I do not hate all pedophiles. Remember it is a mental illness and you can't hate someone just for that. Just want to make sure people know who deserves jail time and who deserves help. I feel bad for those with the illness, I hear it's not curable according to those who tried to get help.

 

[Terry Ganzi]

While I do think people who watch or produce child porn are terrible people, I do not hate all pedophiles. Remember it is a mental illness and you can't hate someone just for that. Just want to make sure people know who deserves jail time and who deserves help. I feel bad for those with the illness, I hear it's not curable according to those who tried to get help.

These counterfeit labels are for the super wealthy when a person can believe this is a disease or mental illness it leaves me to ponder who is it that is really sick or mentally challenged.
These topics I really don't like to discuss because if triggered all that is in my mind is purely
(verbs,adverbs & adjectives) so I will bow out of this topic peacefully thank you.

 

[LukeNukesEm]

These counterfeit labels are for the super wealthy when a person can believe this is a disease or mental illness it leaves me to ponder who is it that is really sick or mentally challenged.
These topics I really don't like to discuss because if triggered all that is in my mind is purely
(verbs,adverbs & adjectives) so I will bow out of this topic peacefully thank you.

hmmm interesting

 

[NekoHr]

We all agree that child pornography is disgusting but no one is answering question in pool "Should the FBI reveal their investigative techniques to child porn suspects?"

I think vulnerabilities should be disclosed or rather reported so they can be fixed because at the end we all benefit from more secure products. What if same technique can be used to get data form Amazon, Paypal, you bank. Wouldn't you want it patched? In this case I would say OK they used this technique to catch badguys, put them away, report vulnerability, patch, prepare next vulnerability for next action.

This is same old debate about technology. It can be used for good or for bad. Question is should all user be punished/vulnerable because some are abusing it?

 

[_CyberGhosT_]

These counterfeit labels are for the super wealthy when a person can believe this is a disease or mental illness it leaves me to ponder who is it that is really sick or mentally challenged.
These topics I really don't like to discuss because if triggered all that is in my mind is purely
(verbs,adverbs & adjectives) so I will bow out of this topic peacefully thank you.

Right, same here before I say something the mods have to punish me for

 

[JHomes]

There was a really interesting (as in f---ed up!) documentary about Johnny Gocsh's kidnapping and it implied that there was this messed up undercover child sex ring. I really hope this exposes those corrupt and morally bankrupt SOB's

 

[Entreri]

At least they are doing something good.

As for reporting vulnerabilities, report most but not all. Keep a few around to catch sick f*cks and terrorists.

What I don't like is when government targets minorities with their "creative" "laws" and invades their privacy and tries to put as many of them (e.g. blacks) in jail...slave labour private prisons. The US is really great at this.

 

[ElectricSheep]

I can't really say anything here, because I just won't be able to refrain from using a stream of filth to describe these sickos. Animals the lot of them!

 

[Ink]

While I do think people who watch or produce child porn are terrible people, I do not hate all pedophiles. Remember it is a mental illness and you can't hate someone just for that. Just want to make sure people know who deserves jail time and who deserves help. I feel bad for those with the illness, I hear it's not curable according to those who tried to get help.

You're having a laugh, right? All humans are responsible for their actions.
What's next people who commit murder have a mental illness, and you shouldn't hate them for it? Or what's the next excuse to cause a criminal offence.