Playpen was a
darknet
A darknet or dark net is an overlay network within the Internet that can only be accessed with specific software, configurations, or authorization, and often uses a unique customized communication protocol. Two typical darknet types are social n ...
child pornography
Child pornography (also abbreviated as CP, also called child porn or kiddie porn, and child sexual abuse material, known by the acronym CSAM (underscoring that children can not be deemed willing participants under law)), is Eroticism, erotic ma ...
website that operated from August 2014 to March 2015.
The website operated through the
Tor network
Tor is a free overlay network for enabling anonymous communication. It is built on free and open-source software run by over seven thousand volunteer-operated relays worldwide, as well as by millions of users who route their Internet traffic ...
, which allowed users to use the website anonymously. After running the website for 6 months, the website owner, Steven W. Chase, was arrested by the
FBI
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...
. After his arrest, the FBI continued to run the website for another 13 days as part of Operation Pacifier.
When it was shut down in March 2015, the site had over 215,000 users and hosted 23,000 sexually explicit images and videos of children as young as toddlers.
Website shutdown
The shutdown operation, called Operation Pacifier, involved the
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...
(FBI) hijacking the site and continuing to serve content for two weeks (from February 19, 2015 until March 4, 2015). During this time, the FBI used a
malware
Malware (a portmanteau of ''malicious software'')Tahir, R. (2018)A study on malware and malware detection techniques . ''International Journal of Education and Management Engineering'', ''8''(2), 20. is any software intentionally designed to caus ...
-based "
Network Investigative Technique
Network Investigative Technique (NIT) is a form of malware (or hacking) employed by the FBI since at least 2002. It is a drive-by download computer program designed to provide access to a computer.
Controversies
Its usage has raised both Fourth ...
" (NIT) to hack into the web browsers of users accessing the site in what is known as a
watering hole attack, thereby revealing their identities. The operation led to the arrest of 956 site users and five prison sentences.
While the FBI claimed to have knowledge about the existence of the website from its inception, it was unable to track down the server locations or the site owner. This was because the website was hosted anonymously through
Tor
Tor, TOR or ToR may refer to:
Places
* Toronto, Canada
** Toronto Raptors
* Tor, Pallars, a village in Spain
* Tor, former name of Sloviansk, Ukraine, a city
* Mount Tor, Tasmania, Australia, an extinct volcano
* Tor Bay, Devon, England
* Tor ...
. A mishap on the part of the site owner that revealed his
IP address
An Internet Protocol address (IP address) is a numerical label such as that is assigned to a device connected to a computer network that uses the Internet Protocol for communication. IP addresses serve two main functions: network interface i ...
was what finally allowed law enforcement to track down both the servers and personnel.
Convictions
The investigation led to the conviction of Steven W. Chase, a 58-year-old man from
Florida
Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...
who created the website, of charges of engaging in a child exploitation enterprise and advertising, transportation and possession of child pornography. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison in May 2017. His two co-defendants pleaded guilty and were sentenced to 20 years each earlier in 2017 for their involvement in Playpen.
In 2017, the FBI dropped charges against one defendant after the court for that case requested details on the NIT malware. The FBI preferred to keep the
NIT malware
Malware (a portmanteau of ''malicious software'')Tahir, R. (2018)A study on malware and malware detection techniques . ''International Journal of Education and Management Engineering'', ''8''(2), 20. is any software intentionally designed to caus ...
a secret for future investigations.
Shutdown criticisms
The investigation was criticized by the
Electronic Frontier Foundation
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is an American international non-profit digital rights group based in San Francisco, California. It was founded in 1990 to promote Internet civil liberties.
It provides funds for legal defense in court, ...
because of the generality of the warrant, and because after having taken control of the website, the
FBI
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...
continued to operate the website for nearly two weeks and thus distribute child pornography, thus committing exactly the same crime the bureau sought to stop. The lawyer of a defendant in the case stated that the FBI not only operated the website, but improved it so its number of visitors rose sharply while it was under their control.
Challenges were raised about the FBI's possible misuse of the initial search warrant, leading to the likely dismissal of much of the gathered evidence against one defendant. The warrant stated it was to be used to gather information on people in the Eastern District of Virginia only, but because the NIT malware indiscriminately infected people using the site, it was in fact used to gather information from many other areas. Before the change to
Rule 41 in 2016 to allow it, this was illegal. On August 28, 2019, the
Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the warrant was invalid but that the evidence obtained was not required to be
excluded due to the
good-faith exception doctrine.
References
External links
Electronic Frontier Foundation -- Frequently Asked Questions about Playpen case{{Tor hidden services
Child pornography websites
Defunct Tor hidden services
X
Internet properties disestablished in 2015
Internet properties established in 2014
Underground culture