Child porn up ‘exponentially’ online

The amount of child abuse imagery on the internet has increased “exponentially” and is expected to grow even more, the EU police agency has warned.

Europol predicted “higher levels of demand” for new child abuse material, fuelled by continued advances in technology. This includes the “proliferation” of live video streaming which does not necessitate the actual downloading of material, and the expansion of cloud computing.

The EU Serious and Organised Crime Threat Assessment, published by Europol, said this is only one area of criminal activity that is set to worsen.

The agency said cyber crime will further develop as a “serious threat to society” and economic crimes, such as counterfeiting of legal products, and frauds will emerge as significant threats, aided by the ongoing financial crisis.

It said drug gangs were shifting from trafficking cocaine and heroin to cannabis because of the low risks and high profits involved.

The report said property crime gangs were increasingly targeting vulnerable elderly people, a trend reflected in Ireland.

The police agency estimated there were 3,600 organised crime groups across the EU, which were increasingly multinational, often with a “group leadership” across gangs and countries.

In November, Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan said there were 25 organised crime gangs here, including five with significant international links.

Reflecting the Europol findings, he said Irish gangs were joining forces with both Eastern European and Russian outfits in the trafficking of drugs, illicit cigarettes and firearms.

The report said that, given the wide availability of free material online, especially via peer-to- peer technology, only between 6% and 18% of child abuse material is traded for money.

“The amount of video material depicting child sexual abuse available online has grown exponentially, due to innovations in video sharing technology and increased bandwidth,” it read.

“The threat of online child sexual exploitation is expected to increase in the coming years corresponding with higher levels of demand for new child abusive material, continued technological developments and more sophisticated offender security measures.”

The proliferation of video streaming means offenders no longer have to download material, which is necessary for an offence to be committed and crucial in terms of detection and investigation by police.

In addition, the spread of cloud computing will make the detection and investigation of abusive material more and more difficult.

The report also highlighted the “huge profits” earned by gangs trafficking people for the illegal labour and sex markets across Europe.

*www.europol.europa.eu