January 10,2007
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Credit Card Data Leads to Kiddy Porn Bust
A team of German police recently busted a ring of child pornography distributors and subscribers, with partial help from the biggest sweep ever of credit card data in the nation. The operation, code-named "Mikado," was based out of Magdeburg, and spanned six months. Investigators combed the internet for illegal sexual images of minors, and set out to ID the perpetrators passing them around. In an unprecedented move, the team was allowed access to the records of the nation's 22 million credit card holders, to search for transactions that matched the type involved in buying the pornography.
The search resulted in the arrests of 322 people. Many were rich consumers who easily paid the 61 euros ($79.99 American) monthly for subscriptions and access to the materials. By scanning the credit card transaction databases for monthly charges of that amount, investigators were able to suss out suspects. Based upon the searches, police were able to root out the base of the operation, located in the Philippines, and seize "a large quantity" of the offending materials in compact disc, video cassette, and floppy disc.