Topic: [2017-10-20] Cyber Crimes Unit to Catch Sexual Predators By Mining Bitcoin (Read 277 times)

I am not so familiar about laws governing funds (in this case Bitcoin) that the government confiscated but using common sense I think those funds have to be kept somewhere and not be utilized until there is already a court order allowing its release or use (in this matter). Well, while we are in the Bitcoin industry, certainly we are supporting of any drive that can catch people who are using Bitcoin for their own evil intentions. We don't have a place for perverts who are using their money to lure children into satisfying their lust and desire.

Child pornography has no place in the Bitcoin community and though we could not stop anyone to use the currency, we have to support the police who are doing the job of tracking these people. of course, it is not the fault of Bitcoin why we have this people because they can be using the dollar too in transacting their illegal business. It is time to push these people out of the system and because this is not a one-fight fight the police should make sure to continue on doing their job catching them.

Actually, I think it's just a simple misunderstanding. Seems to be that the police chief or boss there has an idea to just try using Bitcoin to set up honeypots. This is precisely how law enforcement found great success with taking down dark markets, and is the chief modus operandi for Interpol in capturing/shutting down child pornography rings. Honeypots are an old strategy but it still works. He just means to buy/obtain Bitcoin, not mine it.

Just a cop trying to keep up with the times. P.S. Of course the FBI have thought about it. They wouldn't have used Bitcoin seized without mixing it first though.

A Benton County Arkansas Cyber crimes police unit said they intend to catch child pornographers and sex criminals by mining bitcoin. The county’s sheriff, Shawn Holloway, said that technology is evolving rapidly. In this sense, law enforcers must remain a step ahead to keep up with nascent trends in criminality. This is especially true when it comes to “cyber crime” and dark web activity.



A local news article said, “Today the sheriff announced that members of their cyber crimes unit will now be “mining” bitcoins as a way to catch sexual predators and other criminals who are using the secret web browsers.”

This method will likewise help educate police personnel on cryptocurrency technologies.



The law enforcement unit plans to mine bitcoin and use it to buy child pornography. Then they will travel to arrest the offending suspect. A Detective for the department, David Undiano, clarified:

" People are selling child pornography on the dark web and on the internet. They are accepting bitcoins, not payments. We can’t use the sheriff’s office credit card, and we cant exchange child pornography. We need some type currency to get this and then identify who we are getting it from. That way, we can go arrest that person."

https://news.bitcoin.com/cyber-crimes-unit-to-criminals-by-mining-bitcoin

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I did not understand this police strategy, if bitcoin is anonymous how they will find the pedophiles using bitcoin?

"The department is conducting this educational meeting, because the FBI recently said there has been a rise in the number of people trading in pornography, buying drugs, and engaging in human trafficking"

another thing I do not understand, if FBI already has many bitcoins that confiscated from many thieves, why not use these bitcoins to catch such pedophiles instead of the police mining?