Robert Alexander Shouse, a 37-year-old from Houston, was sentenced to 30 years in prison for the production and possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
Shouse was identified by law enforcement in 2018 as an administrator for a CSAM website on the dark web that facilitated the sexual exploitation of minors while keeping secret the identities of the perpetrators.
In his role, Shouse maintained the website, which allowed users to post links to images and videos of CSAM. These links enabled users to navigate to other websites, such as file-hosting websites where images or videos were stored, and to download images and videos of child sexual abuse and child erotica. Additionally, forum users could discuss the sexual abuse of children.
Authorities seized the website and terminated its operation in 2019.
Shouse engaged in horrific sexual abuse of minors, created child sexual abuse material involving those minors, and facilitated the trafficking of thousands of sexually explicit images and videos of minors through the dark web site that he controlled.
He used money and gifts to sexually abuse a nine-year-old child for six years. Shouse's actions targeted hundreds of children, stealing their innocence and shattering their lives
The case underscores the commitment of the FBI and the Justice Department to investigate and prosecute sexual crimes against children.
Commentary
In the above source, the perpetrator is claimed to have operated his CSAM from the dark web.
The term "dark web" first emerged in 2009. Most internet users use the surface web, data that can be accessed by a typical web browser. A typical web browser cannot access the dark web.
The dark web is a part of the internet search engines have not indexed and requires specific software, configurations, or authorization to access.
Through the dark web, private computer networks can communicate and conduct business anonymously without divulging identifying information, such as location.
The darknets which constitute the dark web include small, friend-to-friend networks, as well as large, popular networks such as Tor, Hyphanet, I2P, and Riffle operated by public organizations and individuals.
The dark web is known for hosting illicit material, including credit card numbers, drugs, guns, counterfeit money, stolen subscription credentials, hacked accounts, and malware.
In addition to CSAM, the dark web is used for human trafficking, including child sex trafficking.
Although most news regarding the dark web is related to criminal activities, it also has a legitimate side. Many use the dark web to preserve their privacy and avoid tracking by commercial browsers and search engines.
The final takeaway is that not everyone who accesses the dark web is trafficking CSAM or children for sex. Nevertheless, child safe environment organizations should prohibit organizational computers from using the dark web and prohibit adults from possessing CSAM and interacting with children on the dark web.
Sources: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/dark-web-administrator-sentenced-sexually-abusing-minors-and-possessing-thousands-child and https://www.fromdev.com/2025/02/is-the-dark-web-illegal-everything-you-need-to-know.html and https://legalclarity.org/is-it-illegal-to-go-on-the-dark-web/#google_vignette
