INNOCENT IMAGES NATIONAL
INITIATIVE
The
Innocent Images National Initiative (IINI), a component of FBI's Cyber Crimes
Program, is an intelligence driven, proactive, multi-agency investigative initiative
to combat the proliferation of child pornography/child sexual exploitation (CP/CSE)
facilitated by an online computer. The IINI provides centralized coordination
and analysis of case information that by its very nature is national and international
in scope, requiring unprecedented coordination with state, local, and international
governments, and among FBI field offices and Legal Attachés.
Today
computer telecommunications have become one of the most prevalent techniques used
by pedophiles to share illegal photographic images of minors and to lure children
into illicit sexual relationships. The Internet has dramatically increased the
access of the preferential sex offenders to the population they seek to victimize
and provides them greater access to a community of people who validate their sexual
preferences.
The
mission of the IINI is to reduce the vulnerability of children to acts of sexual
exploitation and abuse which are facilitated through the use of computers; to
identify and rescue witting and unwitting child victims; to investigate and prosecute
sexual predators who use the Internet and other online services to sexually exploit
children for personal or financial gain; and to strengthen the capabilities of
federal, state, local, and international law enforcement through training programs
and investigative assistance.
THE
HISTORY OF THE INNOCENT IMAGES NATIONAL INITIATIVE:
While
investigating the disappearance of a juvenile in May 1993, FBI Special Agents
and Prince George's County, Maryland, Police detectives identified two suspects
who had sexually exploited numerous juveniles over a 25-year period. Investigation
into these activities determined that adults were routinely utilizing computers
to transmit sexually explicit images to minors, and in some instances to lure
minors into engaging in illicit sexual activity. Further investigation and discussions
with experts, both within the FBI and in the private sector, revealed that the
utilization of computer telecommunications was rapidly becoming one of the most
prevalent techniques by which some sex offenders shared pornographic images of
minors and identified and recruited children into sexually illicit relationships.
In 1995, based on information developed during this investigation, the Innocent
Images National Initiative was started to address the illicit activities conducted
by users of commercial and private online services and the Internet.
The
IINI is managed by the Innocent Images Unit within the FBI's Cyber Division at
FBI Headquarters in Washington, DC. Innocent Images field supervisors and investigative
personnel work closely with the Innocent Images Unit regarding all IINI investigative,
administrative, policy, and training matters. The IINI provides a coordinated
FBI response to this nationwide crime problem by collating and analyzing information
obtained from all available sources.
Today
the FBI's Innocent Images National Initiative focuses on:
- Online
organizations, enterprises, and communities that exploit children for profit or
personal gain.
- Individuals who travel, or indicate a willingness to travel,
for the purpose of engaging in sexual activity with a minor.
- Producers
of child pornography.
- Major distributors of child pornography, such as
those who appear to have transmitted a large volume of child pornography via an
online computer on several occasions to several other people.
- Possessors
of child pornography.
The
FBI and the Department of Justice review all files and select the most egregious
subjects for prosecution. In addition, the IINI works to identify child victims
and obtain appropriate services/assistance for them and to establish a law enforcement
presence on the Internet that will act as a deterrent to those who seek to sexually
exploit children.
THE
GROWTH OF THE INNOCENT IMAGES NATIONAL INITIATIVE:
Over
the last several years, the FBI, local and state law enforcement, and the public
has developed an increased awareness of the CP/CSE crime problem and more incidents
of online CP/CSE are being identified for investigation than ever before. In fact,
currently more personnel resources are expended towards violations worked under
the IINI than any other program within the FBI's Cyber Division. Between fiscal
years 1996 and 2003, there was a 2050% increase in the number of IINI cases opened
(113 to 2430) throughout the FBI. It is anticipated that the number of cases opened
and the resources utilized to address the crime problem will continue to rise.
The increase
in Innocent Images investigations demonstrated the need for a mechanism to track
subject transactions and to correlate the seemingly unrelated activities of thousands
of subjects in a cyberspace environment. As a result, the Innocent Images case
management system was developed and has proven to be an effective system to archive
and retrieve the information necessary to identify and target priority subjects.
All relevant data obtained during an undercover session is loaded into the Innocent
Images case management system where it is updated, reviewed, and analyzed on a
daily basis to identify priority subjects.
INNOCENT
IMAGES NATIONAL INITIATIVE INVESTIGATIONS:
IINI
undercover operations are being conducted in several FBI field offices by task
forces that combine the resources of the FBI with other federal, state and local
law enforcement agencies. Each of the FBI's 56 field offices has worked investigations
developed by the IINI. International investigations are coordinated through the
FBI's Legal Attaché program, which coordinates investigations with the appropriate
foreign law enforcement. IINI investigations are also coordinated with Internet
Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Forces, which are funded by the Department
of Justice. Furthermore, IINI training is provided to all law enforcement involved
in these investigations, including federal, state, local, and foreign law enforcement
agencies.
During
the early stages of Innocent Images, a substantial amount of time was spent conducting
investigations on commercial online service providers that provide numerous easily
accessible "chat rooms" in which teenagers and pre-teens can meet and converse
with each other. By using chat rooms, children can chat for hours with unknown
individuals, often without the knowledge or approval of their parents. Investigation
revealed that computer-sex offenders utilized the chat rooms to contact children
as a child does not know whether he or she is chatting with a 14-year-old or a
40-year-old. Chat rooms offer the advantage of immediate communication around
the world and provide the pedophile with an anonymous means of identifying and
recruiting children into sexually illicit relationships.
Innocent
Images has expanded to include investigations involving all areas of the Internet
and online services including:
- Internet
websites that post child pornography
- Internet News Groups
- Internet
Relay Chat (IRC) Channels
- File Servers ("FServes")
- Bulletin
Board Systems (BBSs)
- Peer-to-Peer (P2P) file-sharing programs
FBI
Agents and task force officers go online undercover into predicated locations
utilizing fictitious screen names and engaging in real-time chat or E-mail conversations
with subjects to obtain evidence of criminal activity. Investigation of specific
online locations can be initiated through:
_ A citizen complaint
_
A complaint by an online service provider
_ A referral from a law enforcement
agency
_ The name of the online location (such as a chat room) can suggest
illicit activity
The
FBI has taken the necessary steps to ensure that the Innocent Images National
Initiative remains viable and productive through the use of new technology and
sophisticated investigative techniques, coordination of the national investigative
strategy and a national liaison initiative with a significant number of commercial
and independent online service providers. The Innocent Images National Initiative
has been highly successful. It has proven to be a logical, efficient and effective
method to identify and investigate individuals who are using the Internet for
the sole purpose of sexually exploiting children.
The
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) operates a CyberTipline
at www.cybertipline.com that allows parents and children to report child pornography
and other incidents of sexual exploitation of children by submitting an online
form. The NCMEC also maintains a 24-hour hotline of 1-800-THE-LOST and a website
at www.missingkids.com.
Complaints
received by the NCMEC that indicate a violation of federal law are referred to
the FBI for appropriate action. A FBI Supervisory Special Agent and four Investigative
Analysts (IA) are assigned full-time at the NCMEC to assist with these complaints.
The IAs review and analyze information received by the NCMEC's CyberTipline. The
IAs conduct research and analysis in order to identify individuals suspected of
any of the following: possession, manufacture and/or distribution of child pornography;
online enticement of children for sexual acts; child sexual tourism; and/or other
sexual exploitation of children. The IAs utilize various Internet tools and Administrative
Subpoenas in their efforts to identify individuals who prey on children. Once
a potential suspect has been identified, the IAs compile an investigative packet
that includes the applicable CyberTipline reports, subpoena results, public records
search results, the illegal images associated with the suspect, and a myriad of
other information that is forwarded to the appropriate FBI field office.
INNOCENT
IMAGES STATISTICAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
Between
fiscal years 1996 - 2004 (2nd Quarter), the Innocent Images National Initiative
has recorded the following statistical accomplishments:
Number
of Cases Opened...............................................................................................................
11,855
Number of Informations/Indictments....................................................................................................3,358
Number of Arrests/Locates/Summons................................................................................................3,682
Number of Convictions/Pretrial Diversions............................................................................................3,316
The FBI's Innocent
Images National Initiative is comprised of twenty-eight Under -Cover Operations
. These operations involve FBI Agents on-line in an undercover capacity to seek
child predators and individuals responsible for the production, dissemination,
and possession of child pornography. This is accomplished by using a variety of
techniques, to include purchasing child pornography from commercial web sites,
creating on-line personas to chat in predicated chat rooms, and co-opting predators'
e-mail accounts. Innocent Images has grown exponentially between fiscal year 1996
and 2003 with a 2050% increase in cases opened (113 to 2430). Between fiscal year
1996 and 2003, Innocent Images has recorded over 10,510 cases opened.
Recently,
Peer-to-Peer networks were identified as a growing problem in the dissemination
of child pornography. A GAO report published in September of 2003 indicated a
four-fold increase in reports complaining of child pornography in Peer-to-Peer
networks. In 2001, the FBI received 156 complaints about child pornography in
Peer-to-Peer networks. By 2002, the number of complaints had risen to 757. This
increase may be attributable to, among other things, the popularity of Peer-to-Peer
networks, as well as the overall increase in child pornography available on the
Intenet. These programs are free and are easy to install. In May of 2003, Sharman
Networks, the developer of a very popular file sharing program, reported that
their software had been downloaded more than 230 million times. This software
and other file sharing programs like it, allow users to share files with anyone
on the network. This creates an environment of relative anonymity amongst users
however, this anonymity is only perceived, users are not truly anonymous.
Using
Peer-to-Peer software, users' computers connect directly to one another to share
files, without going through a central server. Nevertheless, each time a computer
accesses the Internet, it is associated with an internet protocol, or "IP" address.
Therefore, despite the fact that a Peer-to-Peer connection is not facilitated
by a central server, users can still be identified in real time by the IP addresses
associated with their computers.
IP
addresses are the only way to definitively identify a particular user on a Peer-to-Peer
network. In this environment, users of Peer-to-Peer often believe they are anonymous.
There is some degree of truth in this assertion as peers in these networks are
anonymous to each other. That being said, they are NOT anonymous to law enforcement.
Through the use of covert investigative techniques and administrative subpoenas,
Agents can determine which individual users possess and distribute child pornography
over these networks. Utilizing search warrants, interviews, and computer forensic
tools, Agents can strengthen their cases and these individuals are eventually
indicted and prosecuted.
Agents
have determined Peer-to Peer networks are one of many Internet havens for the
open distribution of child pornography. Several of the individuals using Peer-to-Peer
networks to distribute child pornography openly describe the content of the material
they share as "illegal". This further contributes to the feeling of anonymity
in these networks and leads users to become even more brazen in their conduct.
To combat this,
the FBI has created an investigative protocol for Peer-to-Peer investigations
to begin aggressively apprehending offenders. After developing a Peer-to-Peer
investigative protocol with the Department of Justice's Child Exploitation and
Obscenity Section , a number of cases were initiated to determine the techniques
viability. Detailed discussion of these cases could possible jeopardize ongoing
investigations, however, I would like to assure this subcommittee that the FBI
is aggressively pursuing the trading of child pornography on Peer-to-Peer networks.
In these investigations,
Agents have found child pornography to be readily available using the most basic
of search terms. Often, child pornography was easily available when innocuous
search terms were used, such as 'Brittney Spears' or the word 'young'.
Additionally,
the FBI is exploring the possibility of working with Peer-to-Peer software clients
to allow them to more effectively warn users against the possession, distribution,
or production of child pornography. These industry members may also be interested
in placing icons or a pop-up link from their home page regarding subjects wanted
by the FBI for exploitation of children by use of the Internet.
While
these efforts may not prevent someone from downloading the material in question,
it will put the user on notice that they are, more than likely, violating the
law. These efforts will also assist investigations as it will eliminate the ability
of the subject to claim ignorance of the law.
n
closing, the FBI looks forward to working with other Law Enforcement agencies,
private industry, and the Department of Justice in continuing to combat this major
crime problem. The protection of our children requires the combined efforts of
all sectors of our society. I would like to thank Chairman Stearns and the committee
for the privilege to appear before you and for your interest in this major crime
problem.