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German police shuts down Darknet child-porn site with 87,000 members

So sad 87,000 member Jesus Christ

While it may seem like a huge number (which it is, 1 is too many as far as I am concerned), it's ultimately a drop in the bucket unfortunately. I believe there is an estimated 750000 predators consuming child pornography at any time. It's one of the most lucrative illegal activities on the planet so efforts will do little to curb this problem, especially with access to poorer nations. I can only imagine what law enforcement goes through in the face of such insurmountable odds.

I feel like open discourse backed with extensive preventative and rehabilitative measures should have been taken against pedophilia long before it turned into a child pornography epidemic, don't know how you'd stop it now but I appreciate the victories like in this case no matter how small.
 

moggio

Banned
87 thousand people that need to be put down.
As a father of a 7 and 1 year old this makes me sick and angry.

As terrible as this is, mass killings are no solution.
Sick people need therapy. If they are dangerous, lock them up whole they're getting it.
Always with the death penalty and cleansing.
Ugh.
 

Angry Grimace

Two cannibals are eating a clown. One turns to the other and says "does something taste funny to you?"
I've always wonder how they bust people who have anonymous VPNs? Do they just rely on these guys to be sickos who are eventually going to branch out into real life stuff and catch them with a sting?
 
I know.
I just couldn't trust someone like that even if they claimed to be rehabilitated.

We don't trust their claims. You have professional psychs that exam then. Sometimes a whole board of them that must reach a consensus. Their job is explicitly about uncovering when a person is lying. How do you think sociopaths are diagnosed despite them knowing how to hide traits from most people.
 
I know.
I just couldn't trust someone like that even if they claimed to be rehabilitated.

Is it the nature of the crime you can't get over, or do you just not trust people with severe mental illness in general?

And just to be clear, I'm not saying let them have therapy for 6 months, then make them elementary school janitors and never check on them again.
But with proper systems and control, developed, supported and updated by professionals, I believe in rehabilitation, I think.
 
There is no exact science to discerning if a convicted pedophile will reoffend.

So please don't try to frame my argument as me trusting my gut and you being a rational person of science.

I'm saying society should stop giving these shit bags a second chance. Their second chance isn't worth the safety of our babies.

Besides, doing psych evaluations and other tests periodically to see if an inmate is rehabilitated is too much money, and a privilege that regular people don't enjoy even in many countries with universal healthcare. Who is going to pay for that? Not me, I don't care that much about the human rights of pederasts.
 
Besides, doing psych evaluations and other tests periodically to see if an inmate is rehabilitated is too much money, and a privilege that regular people don't enjoy even in many countries with universal healthcare. Who is going to pay for that? Not me, I don't care that much about the human rights of pederasts.

Well then you're paying to keep them fed clothed heated etc. One way or another your taxes are going to support criminals.
 
Besides, doing psych evaluations and other tests periodically to see if an inmate is rehabilitated is too much money, and a privilege that regular people don't enjoy even in many countries with universal healthcare. Who is going to pay for that? Not me, I don't care that much about the human rights of pederasts.

Yo wth.
Is the concept of severe mental illness so hard to grasp?
And do you think prison or death penalty would be cheaper?
 
There was a fascinating documentary on in the UK some time ago where they interviewed someone who was sexually attracted to young children and wanted to seek help, but doing so would have meant he'd be reported to the police and had his life turned upside down (my memory is hazy), he didn't act on his desires and he was seriously considering chemical castration.

It ended with a psychologist saying we need to have open discussions about people who are sexually attracted to children and create an environment where they feel comfortable enough coming forward and seeking help.

I agreed with that person then and I still agree with them. It's one of the most horrendous acts a person can do and while it's entirely understandable why we're really so emotive about the subject, we need to be more level headed and not lash out at the first mention of paedophile.

We either accept these people are mentally ill and create an environment where they feel safe coming forward to seek help or we continue as we are, but this will absolutely lead to more children being abused because people weren't able to seek help.
 
I've always wonder how they bust people who have anonymous VPNs? Do they just rely on these guys to be sickos who are eventually going to branch out into real life stuff and catch them with a sting?

The most common thing that happens is you exit through a FBI-run TOR node and the government sees all of the shady stuff you're doing, then they show up to your house and take your computer. Governments run expensive, high-bandwidth nodes for exactly this.

ISPs (and, by extension, the government) can also tell when you're running TOR (even if they can't see what you're doing) and put you under a microscope.

The point being: Don't do illegal shit because you think TOR is some magic law-proof program.

We don't trust their claims. You have professional psychs that exam then. Sometimes a whole board of them that must reach a consensus. Their job is explicitly about uncovering when a person is lying. How do you think sociopaths are diagnosed despite them knowing how to hide traits from most people.

Most of them probably don't know how, which is why they're diagnosed (that and their history).
 

Thewonandonly

Junior Member
Sad but true. As someone else said I suppose the positives we can take from this is that this platform was 'only' up and running for 6 months, implying that more and more the Police are getting on top of that shit, and that nearly 90,000 of these sick fucks can no longer hide in the shadows.

As someone who couldn't log onto the 'dark net' if their life depended on it there doesn't seem to be any of value on there unless you're looking for upsetting images or someone to kill your SO.

Urgh.
Bro your forgetting the best thing about the dark net and that's that it has a eBay for drugs :O

But in all honesty if we can nuke the dark net so sick shit like this doesn't pop up any more then I'm glad. I just will find a sketchy guy on Craig's list when I want shrooms or something when I'm 37 and don't have people who hook it up. But just to repeat what people say holy fucking shit 87000 members in only 6 months that is terrible disgusting :(
 

jayu26

Member
Did the idea that these kinds of afflictions might have something to do with genetics have basis in real scientific research?

Also, that Amir0x thing, WTF?
 
Biggest what the fuck moment ever when I read about this. I hope he's able to get the help he desperately needs, but this being the US prison system, he'll end up in solitary for his own safety or committing suicide.

If it's anything like my highschool science teacher who was found to have child porn he will get 8 months good behavior minus the 2 months he was held for trial.

Despite having a retributive system that is lenient towards one of the most heinous crimes we continue to have posters pushing against a restorative system that would require the criminal to be admitted into a facility for longer.

I guess that's what they call irony.
 

Instro

Member
If this many members of GAF didn't know about Amir0x from just last week, then it's wasn't thoroughly explained. This site did a shitty job of keeping everything hush hush and short.

I mean I don't see why everyone needs to know, he's just a random member at this point. Other than to stick it to someone no one liked, it doesn't serve any purpose to keep the conversation going.

While it may seem like a huge number (which it is, 1 is too many as far as I am concerned), it's ultimately a drop in the bucket unfortunately. I believe there is an estimated 750000 predators consuming child pornography at any time. It's one of the most lucrative illegal activities on the planet so efforts will do little to curb this problem, especially with access to poorer nations. I can only imagine what law enforcement goes through in the face of such insurmountable odds.

I feel like open discourse backed with extensive preventative and rehabilitative measures should have been taken against pedophilia long before it turned into a child pornography epidemic, don't know how you'd stop it now but I appreciate the victories like in this case no matter how small.

It really seems like an insurmountable problem to deal with. If you consider that some/many of them may be born with an innate attraction to children, or people with underdeveloped physical traits, it's tough to see a way to work through that. I mean at that point is it any different than trying to force a gay person to be straight?

Unfortunately while some may never take action beyond viewing child porn, that outlet itself involves taking advantage of people/children who can't consent. Even worse, I would think they are all aware that their life is toast if anyone ever found out, so there is no motivation to seek treatment before being caught doing something illegal. Beyond that, a large portion of the population would rather seem them executed/tortured in prison, than helped.
 
If it's anything like my highschool science teacher who was found to have child porn he will get 8 months good behavior minus the 2 months he was held for trial.

Despite having a retributive system that is lenient towards one of the most heinous crimes we continue to have posters pushing against a restorative system that would require the criminal to be admitted into a facility for longer.

I guess that's what they call irony.

The fuck...

Was he at least ordered into counselling/therapy?
 

davepoobond

you can't put a price on sparks
I've always wonder how they bust people who have anonymous VPNs? Do they just rely on these guys to be sickos who are eventually going to branch out into real life stuff and catch them with a sting?

I would guess they would try to infiltrate the communities and see if they can get any info about meetings or whatever and when they probably can't benefit much more from that they take it down like they did here.

I can't imagine they closed it 5 minutes after they found it
 

pastrami

Member
There was a fascinating documentary on in the UK some time ago where they interviewed someone who was sexually attracted to young children and wanted to seek help, but doing so would have meant he'd be reported to the police and had his life turned upside down (my memory is hazy), he didn't act on his desires and he was seriously considering chemical castration.

It ended with a psychologist saying we need to have open discussions about people who are sexually attracted to children and create an environment where they feel comfortable enough coming forward and seeking help.

I agreed with that person then and I still agree with them. It's one of the most horrendous acts a person can do and while it's entirely understandable why we're really so emotive about the subject, we need to be more level headed and not lash out at the first mention of paedophile.

We either accept these people are mentally ill and create an environment where they feel safe coming forward to seek help or we continue as we are, but this will absolutely lead to more children being abused because people weren't able to seek help.

To add to this, here's a great article about young pedophiles, and the lack of help and support out there for them: https://medium.com/matter/youre-16-...o-hurt-anyone-what-do-you-do-now-e11ce4b88bdb

It was also episode 522 of This American Life, if you want a podcast version.

Some striking numbers about child abuse/pedophilia:
Things are a little clearer when it comes to the numbers. Studies suggest that up to 9 percent of men have fantasized about having sex with a prepubescent child, and 3 percent of all men have gone on to sexually offend. (Not all of them would meet the diagnostic criteria for pedophilia. The latter figure includes situational offenders, men who abuse children if the opportunity arises but who otherwise have no pre-existing attraction to kids.) Michael Seto, director of the University of Ottawa’s Forensic Research Unit and associate editor of Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment, believes that the prevalence of male pedophiles sits closer to 1 percent of the population, which would equate to at least 1.2 million in the U.S. alone. (Female pedophiles exist, but in smaller numbers.)

There is a lot we still don’t know about pedophilia—one researcher described our scientific understanding of it as a series of “pretty big black holes.” We don’t know, for example, how someone comes by an attraction for prepubescent children in the first place. The research we do have, and this is derived from very small sample sizes, suggests that those attracted to kids tend to be shorter, left-handed, and have a lower IQ than the broader population. Another study found that being knocked unconscious before the age of 13 might be a factor. This may sound like quackery, but it points toward biological causation. In other words, it’s likely that pedophiles are born this way.

“Anyone that’s done treatment with people who have sexually offended know that many of them are horrified by their behaviors,” Elizabeth Letourneau, founding director of the Moore Center for the Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse at Johns Hopkins University, told me. “A lot of these guys don’t want to be sexually abusing children.”

About a pedophile's first therapy session:
He was called into her office, his heart racing as he stepped toward the door... She asked what was making him anxious, and he just blurted it out: “I’m a pedophile and I’m addicted to child pornography.”

She blinked at him for a moment and then asked him to repeat himself. When he did, her mood changed. “She just became extremely cold and harsh,” he said. “She even, a few times, almost got to the level of shouting.” She suggested that he was simply nervous around kids his own age — a reaction I’ve learned is common among therapists with limited experience in this area. She told him she wasn’t trained to deal with the situation, but she would ask around for information on how to help him and scheduled a second session for a couple of weeks later.
 

cr0w

Old Member
If it's anything like my highschool science teacher who was found to have child porn he will get 8 months good behavior minus the 2 months he was held for trial.

Despite having a retributive system that is lenient towards one of the most heinous crimes we continue to have posters pushing against a restorative system that would require the criminal to be admitted into a facility for longer.

I guess that's what they call irony.

I doubt, given his personality, that Amir0x will ever be given any leniency for good behavior unless he's literally unconscious for his entire trial and sentence.
 

Pusherman

Member
What the hell is up with some of the disgusting and frankly dumb as fuck comments in this thread?!?

Yes, sexually abusing children is obviously horrendous and should be punished. Yes, looking up child pornography and thereby creating a market for its existence is terrible as well and should also be punished. But let's not forget that we're still talking about human beings in here. People suffering immensely from urges they can't help themselves from having. All this dumbass fucking talk of putting them down or castrating them violently doesn't help anyone and only makes it harder for us as a society to get to these people before they start acting on their urges.
 
While it may seem like a huge number (which it is, 1 is too many as far as I am concerned), it's ultimately a drop in the bucket unfortunately. I believe there is an estimated 750000 predators consuming child pornography at any time. It's one of the most lucrative illegal activities on the planet so efforts will do little to curb this problem, especially with access to poorer nations. I can only imagine what law enforcement goes through in the face of such insurmountable odds.

I feel like open discourse backed with extensive preventative and rehabilitative measures should have been taken against pedophilia long before it turned into a child pornography epidemic, don't know how you'd stop it now but I appreciate the victories like in this case no matter how small.

This might be the most disturbing post I've ever seen. I didn't realize the sheer scope of the problem. I always figured it was a case of a lot of isolated individuals, not a huge criminal empire like drug trafficking.
 
I doubt, given his personality, that Amir0x will ever be given any leniency for good behavior unless he's literally unconscious for his entire trial and sentence.

It may surprise you but online personaoften misalign to offline. Though given his past with drugs and assault maybe they'll be less inclined for leniency. He might get two years instead.
 

cr0w

Old Member
It may surprise you but online personaoften misalign to offline. Though given his past with drugs and assault maybe they'll be less inclined for leniency. He might get two years instead.

Normally yeah, most people's real personalities don't accurately match how they present themselves online but, like you said, he's got a history of being combative, narcissistic and disrespectful of authority in real life. Just from his stories (if they're accurate as he posted them), dude sounds like an absolute lunatic with zero impulse control.
 

Tiops

Member
I assume those who work there are child molesters themselves.

I mean who in the right mind would keep a straight face when operating those.

LMAO, I think you misread something and your post meant that the people operating those sites are molesters, not the police. But what an unfortunate misread.
 

roytheone

Member
To add to this, here's a great article about young pedophiles, and the lack of help and support out there for them: https://medium.com/matter/youre-16-...o-hurt-anyone-what-do-you-do-now-e11ce4b88bdb

It was also episode 522 of This American Life, if you want a podcast version.

Some striking numbers about child abuse/pedophilia:






About a pedophile's first therapy session:


The fact that there is no real organized help for pedophiles that don't want to act on it is fucking insane. That just drives them more towards these kind of horrible places and greatly increases the chance of them acting on it. If there is a way to prevent these horrible acts from occurring you would hope the government and health organizations would do all they could, instead of doing almost nothing.
 
The fact that there is no real organized help for pedophiles that don't want to act on it is fucking insane. That just drives them more towards these kind of horrible places and greatly increases the chance of them acting on it. If there is a way to prevent these horrible acts from occurring you would hope the government and health organizations would do all they could, instead of doing almost nothing.

You'd hope so but the very idea of helping someone with sexual urges towards children is very icky to many if not most people. Even when helping them may be the most effective way to save children from becoming victims.
 
makes my stomach turn. happy to hear they shut this down and will definitely lead to more arrests... disgusting people could actually make appts through this. cant believe this shit goes on.
 

roytheone

Member
You'd hope so but the very idea of helping someone with sexual urges towards children is very icky to many if not most people. Even when helping them may be the most effective way to save children from becoming victims.

People that put not having to help people with those urges to not act on it above the actual safety of children are disgusting people. Fuck them.
 
87000 members? Damn. And I'm sure you would find people from all walks of life: doctors, teachers, lawyers, bankers, etc... Sickening.

I was looking at one of those sex offender maps, and there were a shitload of them all over. I assumed most of them would be on there for rape or some shit, but most of them were actually on there for possessing child porn.

It was like "holy shit they're everywhere...."
 

mantidor

Member
The topic is far from the nicest thing to discuss but it's a very important discussion, the sheer numbers show how serious this problem is, and the Amir0x case makes it hit home. It's an epidemic, and something must be done, victories like this one, however small, must be celebrated.

But seriously, what can we do? I feel research on the subject is very poor, and for obvious reasons, it's not exactly something you want to study.


Ok it looks the guy is innocent.
 

Zasa

Member
Insane number of users in such a short amount time. Jesus christ, man, that is genuinely frightening.

What the fuck. What. the. fuck.
 

RinsFury

Member
It may surprise you but online personaoften misalign to offline. Though given his past with drugs and assault maybe they'll be less inclined for leniency. He might get two years instead.

Even if it is only two years, his label as a child sex predator will follow him for the rest of his life. Good luck ever finding employment, or even renting a place, when he gets released.
 

cyberheater

PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 Xbone PS4 PS4
Round them up and shoot the lot of them. Fuckers.
 
Even if it is only two years, his label as a child sex predator will follow him for the rest of his life. Good luck ever finding employment, or even renting a place, when he gets released.

He is white (I think?) so it is not going to be nearly as difficult as some may like.

I don't even think I've ever had a background check done for renting a place. Hell one wasn't even performed on me when I worked in schools.
 
That's like a small city of child predators, holy fuck. Even if police could magically ID every one of them, how do you even BEGIN to incarcerate or help that amount of people (which even is a small fraction of pesos worldwide)?

I doubt, given his personality, that Amir0x will ever be given any leniency for good behavior unless he's literally unconscious for his entire trial and sentence.

The bad petty part of me is smirking reading this
 
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