Investigators crack code paedophiles use to share abuse

Computer analysts have cracked a secret code that paedophiles use to share child sexual abuse material online.

A team of 13 experts at the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) spent months deciphering thousands of coded words and slang phrases predators used to find and share photos and videos.

The IWF, a Uk-based charity for finding and removing child sexual abuse from the internet, said it was a “significant breakthrough” in the fight against online paedophilia.

In total, it identified 3,681 “seemingly innocent” words and phrases that abusers type into search engines, so they don’t attract suspicion. Paedophiles know they have double meanings that direct them to abusive material.

These words will now be used by internet companies, including search engines, to block any searches that would produce illegal content. The research will also help IWF investigators to find and remove new child abuse material they hadn’t previously identified.

IWF’S hotline manager, who wanted to be known only as Chris, said analysts read thousands of conversations in chat rooms and newsgroups.

He said: “It’s almost like cockney rhyming slang – when you see those phrases being used in those forums, and on those platforms, that are not common parlance anywhere else, you get an instinct for what they mean from the context in which they are being used”.

However, Sarah Smith, technical projects officer at the IWF, said that paedophiles’ language is “constantly evolving”.

She added: “It is always an arms race when we are dealing with the offender community. It is a high-stakes, high-risk game for them to try to ensure they can maintain their access to this content and also to ensure they are not identified.”