The darknet and cryptocurrency are making it harder than ever for authorities to crack down on the spread of child pornography online.
That’s according to Pol Capt Khemachart Prakaihongmanee, deputy director of the Bureau of Foreign Affairs and Transnational Crime at the Department of Special Investigations.
Speaking at the “Protecting Children from Online Sexual Exploitation” conference, Khemachart stated that Thailand is seeing a surge in pedophilic activity online, with abusive and exploitative child content being live-streamed via webcams on sites hidden on the darknet.
The darknet, also known as the deep web, is essentially an underground area of the internet that requires special software to access.
Unlike the normal internet, sites aren’t indexed on the darknet, meaning a simple Google search won’t suffice. Hidden sites must be found by culling through message boards or by other means.
The obscurity of the deep web, aided by nearly untraceable cryptocurrency transactions, has made it extremely challenging for authorities to track down and prosecute online content that exploits minors such as child pornography.
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Khemachart says this type of illegal activity has flourished online in Thailand in recent years.
“Pedophiles can now use an array of mobile and online tools–including social networks, video-sharing sites, and the dark web–to direct and watch child rape and sexual abuse anonymously,” he said.
He argues that the government and schools should work hard to educate young children on the dangers posed online by sexual predators and would-be abusers.
Khemachart states that kids should be told to notify adults or authorities if they encounter any suspicious behavior online.
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