El Departamento de Justicia de EE.UU. afirma haber desmantelado sitios web sobre abusos a menores que contaban con más de 120.000 miembros y contenían millones de archivos. Scott MacFarlane, de CBS News, explica cómo la detención de un sospechoso apodado "Boss" fue una gran prioridad para el FBI.

Washington

The U.S. Department of Justice has shut down four dark web websites that were distributing child abuse images, as part of an operation named Operation Gray Skull. The sites, which were difficult to access and discover, had over 120,000 members and millions of files, with one site reportedly receiving 100,000 visitors in a single day.

William Michael Spearman, a former Army member from Alabama, was among 18 people convicted for their roles in operating these sites. The operation, which involved high-level FBI oversight and tactical intervention, is being described by officials as one of the most successful actions against online child exploitation in the department's history.

El Departamento de Justicia de EE.UU. cierra cuatro sitios web sobre abusos a menores

El caso de William Michael Spearman de Alabama fue tan importante que el entonces Director del FBI Christopher Wray firmó la orden de registro él mismo y usaron algunos dispositivos tácticos para atravesar la puerta para detener con seguridad a Spearman. Y de acuerdo con los archivos de la corte, hubo un buen forcejeo y las tres pistolas de Spearman estaban fuera de alcance. ¿Y qué hace que este caso sea tan importante? Spearman es un antiguo miembro del ejército de Alabama, pero recientemente se hizo llamar Boss. No jefe de una unidad militar, pero jefe de un sitio web oscuro dedicada a imágenes de abuso infantil, imágenes de abuso sexual infantil. Uno de los cuatro sitios web oscuros clausurados por el Departamento de Justicia de EE.UU. como parte de una operación que llaman Operación Calavera Gris, algo que han anunciado en los últimos días. Y Spearman es una de las 18 personas condenadas por papeles en el funcionamiento de estos sitios web oscuros. Pero son las cifras las que asombran en este caso. Los números, cuando los vimos, tuvimos que mirar dos o tres veces para asegurarnos de que los escribíamos correctamente. De hecho, lo hicimos. Los cuatro sitios web oscuros con imágenes de abuso infantil atrajeron a más de 120.000 miembros. Se trata de sitios web oscuros, de difícil acceso, difíciles de descubrir, y tienen imágenes de abuso infantil. Y tienen más de 120.000 miembros, millones de archivos. Y en un día, un sitio tuvo 100.000 visitas, visitantes, un día. El caso de William Michael Spearman terminó en una condena y una larga pena de prisión. Lo mismo ocurre con otros con los que está relacionado, relacionados con este caso. Pero el argumento del Departamento de Justicia aquí es que, sí, esta es una de las operaciones más exitosas en la historia del Departamento de Justicia en este tema. Pero también, un funcionario del FBI o del Departamento de Justicia me dijo que incluso sorprendió a los fiscales la cantidad de tráfico de estos sitios.

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Jerusalem

Middle East Conflict

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Brussels

Ukraine Invasion

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North Carolina

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East Coast of the United States

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Breakdown