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 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.
- 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.
- Producers of child pornography.
- Individuals who travel, or indicate a willingness to travel, for the purpose of engaging in sexual activity with a minor.
- 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 have 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, more personnel resources are currently expended towards violations worked under the IINI than any other program within the FBI's Cyber Division. Between fiscal years 1996 and 2007, there was a 2062 percent increase in the number of IINI cases opened (113 to 2443) 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 many 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, since children do not know whether they are 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”)
- Online Groups and Organizations (eGroups)
- Peer-to-Peer (P2P) file-sharing programs
- Bulletin Board Systems (BBSs) and other online forums
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), which can suggest illicit activity
The Innocent Images International Task Force became operational on October 6, 2004 and includes law enforcement officers from the following countries: United Kingdom, Norway, Finland, Ukraine, Belarus, Australia, Thailand, the Philippines, Croatia, Latvia, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Canada, Sweden, Fiji, Cyprus, Iceland, Denmark, Panama, and Europol. To date, more than 47 international officers have traveled to the United States and have worked side-by-side with special agents of the FBI at the Innocent Images Unit. The task force allows for the real-time transfer of information from and to the FBI and between task-force members and their countries. Task Force officers stay in the United States for several months and remain an integral part of the task force once they return to their home countries. The FBI's Innocent Images International Task Force successfully brings together law enforcement from around the world to address the global crime problem of online child exploitation.
The most common crimes investigated under the IINI are in violation of Title 18 United States Code (USC):
§ 1462. Importation or Transportation of Obscene Matters
§ 1465. Transportation of Obscene Matters for Sale or Distribution
§ 1466. Engaging in the Business of Selling or Transferring Obscene Matter
§ 1467. Criminal Forfeiture
§ 1470. Transfer of Obscene Material to Minors
§ 2241(a)(b)(c). Aggravated Sexual Abuse
§ 2251(a)(b)(c). Sexual Exploitation of Children
§ 2251A(a)(b). Selling or Buying of Children
§ 2252. Certain Activities Relating to Material Involving the Sexual Exploitation of Minors
§ 2252A. Certain Activities Relating to Material Constituting or Containing Child Pornography
§ 2253. Criminal Forfeiture
§ 2254. Civil Forfeiture
§ 2257. Record Keeping Requirements
§ 2260(a)(b). Production of Sexually Explicit Depictions of a Minor for Importation into the US
§ 2421. Transportation Generally
§ 2422. Coercion and Enticement
§ 2423(a). Transportation of Minors with Intent to Engage in Criminal Sexual Activity
§ 2423(b). Interstate or Foreign Travel with Intent to Engage in a Sexual Act with a Juvenile
§ 2425. Use of Interstate Facilities to Transmit Information about a Minor
§ 13032. Reporting of Child Pornography by Electronic Communication Service Providers |
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. |
