A well-known 37-year-old from Weyregg in Upper Austria is suspected of having collected and commissioned child pornographic material. But how did the authorities track him down? This was accomplished by attentive server operators in the US, who noticed the horrific data.
The alleged sex offender felt safe. After all, he would have had babies and children abused on his behalf since 2016. The reason for the investigation was a tip from the United States. There, the suspect allegedly uploaded relevant child abuse material to a server in the cloud. Such virtual hard drives are regularly searched for insidious content in the United States.
The server operator notified the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC). This NCMEC informed the Austrian Federal Criminal Investigation Department, which assigned the LKA Upper Austria to the case.
non-profit organisation
The NCMEC is a private, non-profit organization established in 1984 by the United States Congress. The center handles cases of missing or exploited children from infants to adults in their 20s.
Files are scanned continuously
According to a German law firm specializing in sexual criminal law, the system works as follows: All files shared on American platforms undergo an internal test for child pornography. All services such as Google, Facebook, DropBox, Microsoft and their respective subsidiaries are required to do so. These internet services continuously scan all files with their hash value, a kind of digital fingerprint of known child pornography recordings.
If the system detects child pornography, access is automatically blocked, the file is quarantined and the IP address is logged. This is intended to protect the services against the storage and spread of child pornography. The internet services then forward the information via the CyberTipline to the NCMEC.
Known after second search
On August 28, 2022, the suspect’s home was first searched, followed by the second on January 28. At the new interrogation, the 37-year-old has now largely made a confession. He admitted to being given child pornography again and has also admitted to inciting others to sexually abuse children via live chat since at least 2016. He was taken to Wels Prison. The penalty for serious sexual abuse of minors is one to ten years in prison.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
