National Threat Assessment 2008. Organised Crime - Politie

2. Private networks
As people run the risk of getting caught in the public part of the Internet,
contacts are made more and more frequently in sections of the Internet that
are not accessible to everyone. The people who participate in these private
networks are usually more skilled with the Internet than the average citizen.
A lot of material is exchanged in these networks. The exchange of images of
child abuse online serves various purposes for this group of people. It is a means
of making contact with other paedophiles and of expanding the person’s own
collection. In addition, people also give each other tips and advice about issues
such as how to come into contact with children, the steps leading up to certain
sexual activities and the activities themselves, ‘interesting’ websites and how to
stay out of reach of the investigating authorities. Many Internet networks in
which images of child abuse circulate can only be accessed by other members
of the group. Sometimes you can only join if you can prove that you produce
material yourself. New material is ‘worth its weight in gold’ in the shady
subcultures of collectors, as you can exchange it for other material and it can
help you obtain a status within the group. No information is currently available
about the scale of these networks and the involvement of Dutch nationals.
Due to the virtual nature of the contacts, it seems obvious that these contacts
are not only Dutch, but worldwide.
3. DVD compilations
DVD compilations of images that circulate on the open and private sections
of the Internet are sold online. There is clearly a commercial purpose in these
cases, but as far as we know there is no real systematic collaboration like in
criminal organisations. These are usually individuals who ‘know their way
around’ in technical terms.
4. Commercial sites
On commercial websites you can gain access to images of child abuse with
a credit card. These sites are gaining in popularity. They are often run by the
same groups that also produce the commercial material. Some groups function
as real companies, with ‘departments’ that take care of production, departments
that organise the sites and departments that collect payments. As stated above,
the organisations often have their origins in countries of the former Soviet Union
and other countries from the former Eastern Bloc. The production also takes
place in these countries.
Consumers
Collecting and viewing images of child abuse used to be linked mainly with
stereotypical paedophiles and ascribed to a select group of individuals who acted
chapter 2 – Illegal markets
87