UK – A new GCHQ-NCA unit will catch pedophiles in the Deep Web

Prime Minister Cameron announced that a newborn cyber unit composed by officials from GCHQ and NCA will fight online pedophiles even in the Deep Web.

Prime Minister David Cameron has revealed that national intelligence agencies will join the efforts to track and arrest online abusers and pedophiles. The British Prime Minister announced that the British Intelligence will have greater powers for online monitoring of suspects.

British authorities warned that up to 1,300 children are exposed to online abuse from pedophiles, it is a moral and social obligation to fight this social evil.

Cameron explained the strategy of the British Government at the #WeProtectChildren online global summit in London, announcing the creation of a new unit composed by members from the GCHQ and the National Crime Agency (NCA).

One of the most difficult goals of law enforcement that operate against online pedophiles, is to track this category of criminals that makes large use of anonymizing networks like Tor.

The newborn unit will be involved in investigation on crimes that exploit the deep web, Cameron referring the anonymizing networks like Tor said that they act as “digital hiding places for child abusers.”

“The unit will receive £10 million next year to create specialist teams to find explicit content on the web. There are also plans to criminalize sexual comments sent to children on the internet by adults. The Prime Minister also cited cases in which security services were able to track UK citizens involved in pedophilic activities while using software designed to protect their identities.” reports RT.com news portal.

British police have also warned that up to 1,300 children are vulnerable to abuse from pedophiles they may come into contact with online.

“GCHQ is using its world-leading capabilities to help the NCA reach into the dark web and bring to justice those who misuse it to harm children,” declared Director Robert Hannigan. “With the NCA, we are committed to eliminating digital hiding places for child abusers.”

Cameron explained that the new unit will benefit of a new technology that allows law enforcement to curb the sharing of illegal photographs and videos online. Additionally, organizations such as the Internet Watch Foundation will assist multinational internet firms including Google and Facebook to identify and block illegal images.

The British Intelligence will receive the support of organizations such as the Internet Watch Foundation and IT giants, including Google and Facebook, to identify and persecute the illegal activities.

“Every time someone chooses to view an online image or a video of a child being abused, they are choosing to participate in a horrific crime,” Cameron said. “Every single view represents that victim being abused again. They may as well be in the room with them.”

The noble intentions of the British Intelligence are indisputable, however, according to revelations made by Snowden, this kind of investigations can have serious repercussions on the human rights and support massive surveillance programs.

Pierluigi Paganini

(Security Affairs –  GCHQ , Dark Web)