The German government has taken down what is being called one of the world’s biggest darknet platforms for child pornography.
According to the Federal Criminal Police Office and Frankfurt prosecutors, the “Boystown” site had more than 400,000 registered users and had been active since at least 2019, The Associated Press reported.
The site consisted of several forums and chats, with photos and videos being kept in the forums. Users communicated through the system’s chat function and the chats had different channels depending on language, Julia Bussweiler said, according to the AP.
Three Germans who ran the site, along with one user, were arrested.
Authorities said the user, who was identified as a 64-year-old man from Hamburg, was one of the most active users and uploaded more than 3,500 posts.
No names were released, the AP reported.
Prosecutors said they found images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children, some as young as a toddler, the AP reported.
German authorities worked with Europol and law enforcement from the Netherlands, Sweden, Australia, the U.S. and Canada.