HSI, Europol Joint Operation Generates 197 New Leads on Criminal Buyers of Child Sex Abuse Material

THE HAGUE, Netherlands — Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) joined Europol to host a joint operation in The Hague, from June 24 to 28, where they developed leads to locate criminal buyers of livestreamed child sexual abuse living outside the United States.

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The weeklong event brought 32 investigators from 10 countries together to process data obtained through HSI investigations into criminal networks sexually exploiting children in the Philippines.

The investigators analyzed tens of thousands of child sexual exploitation images and videos, along with over 10 million lines of online conversations between approximately 12,000 unique criminal customer accounts and 100 seller accounts, developing leads for 197 criminal buyers living in 24 countries who paid traffickers to livestream the abuse of children living in the Philippines.

The leads were distributed to authorities in those countries to investigate further and seek arrests. The operation brought together representatives from Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Norway, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Global Coalition to Identify the Networks Behind Livestreamed Child Sexual Abuse

The sprint allowed investigators to learn and collaborate in person, turning raw data into actionable information in real time.

The data analyzed during the sprint came from operations against criminal buyers causing child sexual abuse and exploitation through livestreaming platforms. Investigators worked on huge volumes of data generated over 12 years of HSI investigations. As HSI and partner agencies arrest each criminal buyer and trafficker, their digital footprint — chats, transaction data, location data and IP addresses — are used to investigate more trafficking networks and rescue more children.

With over a decade of specialized subject matter expertise investigating child trafficking networks in the Philippines, HSI has generated huge volumes of data that needed to be interpreted. With traffickers and victims in one country and criminal buyers living around the world, cooperation between national authorities is crucial to combat online child abuse.

A Growing Abuse Industry

Livestreamed child sex abuse is a growing industry involving traffickers in the Philippines and elsewhere who curate a vetted customer base of buyers who pay to watch the livestreamed abuse of children. Criminal buyers direct traffickers to perform acts of sexual abuse on children in real time during private webcam interactions. Offenders also travel to the Philippines to engage in the hands-on abuse of children. These criminal networks are closed and require participants be vetted to engage. Abuse happens over encrypted connections, leaving little digital evidence and making this nefarious crime difficult to investigate.

At the very core of HSI’s work is the welfare of our children, and partnerships like this with Europol have led to remarkable results. HSI and police authorities in the Philippines have rescued nearly 300 children and arrested 60 traffickers. HSI and partners around the world have arrested 160 criminal buyers and dismantled nearly 50 trafficking rings.

Europol hosted the sprint at its Headquarters in The Hague, facilitated the information exchange and provided analytical support to investigators.

HSI special agents from New England and Maryland and from HSI attaché offices in the Netherlands, Germany, the United Kingdom and the Philippines were joined by 32 investigators from nine countries including Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Norway and the United Kingdom. Significant support was provided by the International Center for Missing & Exploited Children, the Tim Tebow Foundation and the Child Rescue Coalition.

HSI is a global leader in the fight against child exploitation. Last year, HSI special agents dedicated 1.2 million case hours toward investigating child exploitation. This heinous crime harms the most vulnerable in our society: our kids. As technology evolves and more people have access to the internet, children are at a greater risk than ever. HSI’s special agents and analysts around the world are dedicated to countering this threat.

Report suspected child exploitation to the HSI tip line at 877-4-HSI-TIP or through the CyberTipline on the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children's website.