An international database that utilizes the digital comparison of images and videos to identify and prosecute people suspected of sexually abusing children is credited with stopping an abuse situation in the United Kingdom in only 10 hours, according to a report in Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin.
And it's just one of 10,000 cases that already have been boosted by the worldwide coordination among investigators and law enforcement.
In the U.K. case, an investigator in Australia discovered and uploaded photographs that appeared to depict criminal activity to a restricted worldwide database, although the names of the people involved and the location were unknown.
Specialists in the United States were able to decipher information about the individuals, and authorities, together with the worldwide Crimes Against Children unit of INTERPOL, alerted authorities in the United Kingdom.
They were able, only 10 hours after the images first were shared with the database, to arrest the suspect and rescue the victim, authorities said.
It's all part of the International Child Sexual Exploitation database, the only global platform of its kind. It allows specialists to "use sophisticated image and video comparison software to make connections between victims, abusers and locations," INTERPOLÂ said.
Experts analyze the audio, videos and images that appear online, and victim-identification experts retrieve clues about the victims.
The system is available to those with access to the secure international communications system for police. Certified users can provide immediate responses to questions about child sexual exploitation.
"Whil[e] we are pleased to have assisted law enforcement around the world identify and rescue 10,000 victims of child abuse, this is just the tip of the iceberg, said Jurgen Stock, the secretary general of INTERPOL.
"The scale of this crime is shocking, made worse by the fact that these images can be shared online globally at the touch of a button and can exist forever. Each time an image or video clip is shared or viewed, the child is being re-victimized.
"INTERPOL is committed to supporting the vital work being done every day around the world by the specialist officers investigating these horrific crimes, but more can still be done. Governments, the private sector and the public also have a role to play in protecting the most vulnerable members of our communities," he said.
For the rest of this report, and more, please go to Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin.