• We are a multilingual website again. Read the notice about this.
  • Understand AI use at MyPTSD: all AI use is explained in our AI help page. AI use is by choice here. It exists if you want it, but does nothing unless you choose to use it.

Asking the police to search the dark web?

  • Post starter Post starter Sarahhill
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
S

Sarahhill

Hello, I think I've oreviously tried to post this but I'm not sure if it went through so I'm gonna give it another go! Also, I wasn't sure which section to post this in so i took a guess.
Anyway, i have a few memorised website adresses that i somehow memorised during my traumas, from the dark web. Some of my trauma was videoed, and I'm pretty certain they posted them somewhere on the dark web.
Now, if i give the police the website URL's do you think they'd be qble to check to see if any if mine are on there? Then surely CPS wouls believe me then? And i'd believe myself, because i still don't believe myself that this really happened!
 
Hello, I think I've oreviously tried to post this but I'm not sure if it went through so I'm gonna give it another go! Also, I wasn't sure which section to post this in so i took a guess.
Anyway, i have a few memorised website adresses that i somehow memorised during my traumas, from the dark web. Some of my trauma was videoed, and I'm pretty certain they posted them somewhere on the dark web.
Now, if i give the police the website URL's do you think they'd be qble to check to see if any if mine are on there? Then surely CPS wouls believe me then? And i'd believe myself, because i still don't believe myself that this really happened!

You will need to talk to their cyber forensics investigator if they have one. That’s about the only person who would have the knowledge on where to look.
 
Now, if i give the police the website URL's do you think they'd be qble to check to see if any if mine are on there?
You should also be aware that it's extremely likely you'd need to make a formal complaint. There's nothing wrong with doing that - but it would be a process, not a more casual "can you check this out" kind of thing.

I'm fairly certain the process would be different, depending on whether or not you were a minor at the time of the recorded incident(s)....but, don't quote me on that.
 
You should also be aware that it's extremely likely you'd need to make a formal complaint. There's nothing wrong with doing that - but it would be a process, not a more casual "can you check this out" kind of thing.

I'm fairly certain the process would be different, depending on whether or not you were a minor at the time of the recorded incident(s)....but, don't quote me on that.

I was a minor at the time of the incidents, I've already had the whole polive report thing done a few years back so I'm hoping they can just read that! Certainly maje my life easier!
Thankyou for your reply!
 
1. Is CPS child protective services (US), or CPS crown prosecution service (UK)?

You will need to talk to their cyber forensics investigator if they have one. That’s about the only person who would have the knowledge on where to look.
2. This.

A) In the US cybercrime divisions are only found in certain departments, and those departments usually focus on what’s most prevalent in the area... that doesn’t get toooooooo tangled up in FBI (Bank fraud, child porn, & terrorism make up the bulk of the FBI’s cybercrime last I knew), & Interpol. It’s the nature of the thing, as the Internet means crimes are crossing not only state lines, but international ones as well.

Where you’d probably find the most traction in the US is with the FBI. You can contact the local field office, tell them you were trafficked as a kid & have some of the darkweb addresses, and ask who you should reach out to.

I know of quite a few NGOs that monitor the web & liase with local law enforcement for trafficked and exploited children... but the FBI would know who’s best active / work with those groups already... and also has a pretty badass victims program.

B) In the UK, I’m afraid I don’t know the agency who handles internet sex trafficking of kids... I would suspect MI5, as they’re the British equivalent to the FBI, but the Brits organize themselves differently, and it could very easily be an entirely different service.
 
Last edited:
1. Is CPS child protective services (US), or CPS crown prosecution service (UK)?


2. This.

A) In the US cybercrime divisions are only found in certain departments, and those departments usually focus on what’s most prevalent in the area... that doesn’t get toooooooo tangled up in FBI (Bank fraud, child porn, & terrorism make up the bulk of the FBI’s cybercrime last I knew), & Interpol. It’s the nature of the thing, as the Internet means crimes are crossing not only state lines, but international ones as well.

Where you’d probably find the most traction in the US is with the FBI. You can contact the local field office, tell them you were trafficked as a kid & have some of the darkweb addresses, and ask who you should reach out to.

I know of quite a few NGOs that monitor the web & liase with local law enforcement for trafficked and exploited children... but the FBI would know who’s best active / work with those groups already... and also has a pretty badass victims program.

B) In the UK, I’m afraid I don’t know the agency who handles internet sex trafficking of kids... I would suspect MI5, as they’re the British equivalent to the FBI, but the Brits organize themselves differently, and it could very easily be an entirely different service.
Thankyou so much for this! Although unfortunately, i live in the UK :( Which is a pain, i feel like my case would probably already went to court if i was in the US, your guys' take on beyond reasonabke doubt is different to ours, and makes a lot more sense!
Wow I've never heard of the MI5 - I'm gonna look into this! I'm thinking... talk to the manager of the placement i live in tomorrow as i know she's a) very good at her job and b) deffo wants to help me out and see what she says! Thankyou, anyway!

Do you guys know much about how much evidence it takes for the UK (or US if its similar) to take to trial - like, does it have to be an DNA evidence thing or will they accept psychiatrists documentation, behaviour, witness statements (and hopefully these bloody videos if anyone finds them)? If youre not sure no worries, just thought it was worth and ask!

I should think it well worth looking into, well done on remembering the addresses.

Well wishes :)

Thankyou!!!
 
I'm gonna take another angle on this...

What do you fear about the videos, and / or hope to accomplish?

Because to the usual porn viewer, it may be just a picture / vid / face, move on. Not that personal as it is to the victim. One in the flood of many.

And if it were about say employment finding those... they have no business to be looking at porn, during work, a. Nor to be browsing the dark side of the web, b. They have even less business looking at pictures of someone they know... and harassing you or worse about it? Is downright criminal on many levels.

As is anything else if anyone acted untowardly to you based on that prior crime - harassing you, threatening you, assault, blackmail... all of that not on you. But them.

Firing you on the basis of that also isn't, AFAIK UK law, very kosher.

Other thing coming to mind...
Ime just taking down evidence of one's victimization doesn't bring closure. Therapy on that trauma, does.

And, assuming your nickname here is your real name, or one you go by IRL? You might want to keep those details to yourself, the next time, to protect yourself better. :)

Added To: National Referral Mechanism may be of interest. ;) They can probably steer you in the direction of wanted legal and other help, better, too.
 
Last edited:
So, an alternative take on this - if you're somewhere central in the UK, and you rock up to a police station with something along the lines of:
"Are you able to see if the footage of me being abused as a child is on this site...?"
it's unlikely that the response you're going to get is "We don't do dark web here...".

That may happen.

What's more likely is they'll find someone to talk to you. And take some details (deal is, you tell them what you're comfortable telling them, and you tell them "I'm not comfortable sharing that" to any other question, yeah?).

And then, particularly if you're somewhere central? Someone with specific training in helping/talking to people who have been through this stuff will get in touch with you.

If you have the address of a possible dark web site for child porn? Please consider taking it to the police.

A lot of evidence in cases like that comes down to the technical side of connecting sites & online transactions with people. That will take a long time.

But where there is a site, even on the dark web, a lot of that evidence will speak for itself. Whether it goes to trial, most often they don't. Where there's good evidence (like video evidence), these things more often get pleaded out. They negotiate a prison term without you having to go through trial.

Thing is, the information you have? May not just the evidence you need for your own circumstances to put your abuser in prison. It may be the evidence required to put a dozen other abusers in prison - for victims that have been going through life assuming they'd never get any justice.

Something to think about. It's a very personal decision. Talk it through with your T. But, for me personally (and my matter will probably never make it to formal charges being laid), reporting my trauma to the police was a big part of treating myself like I was worthy of that. And that was really important for my healing journey.
 
I’m really with @Sideways on this, giving those addresses to authorities could give immense help in countless other cases. I do understand the scariness and vulnerability of not knowing if there’s something out there of you. Or knowing there is but you have zero control over it. For those, therapy is really the only way to come to terms with it. Because the reality is even if you find them, you don’t know if they were shared other places, you don’t know who all has viewed them and there’s no way to hold those people accountable. I know it sucks. But I would absolutely report those addresses regardless of what I hope to accomplish in my own case.
 
I'm gonna take another angle on this...

What do you fear about the videos, and / or hope to accomplish?

Because to the usual porn viewer, it may be just a picture / vid / face, move on. Not that personal as it is to the victim. One in the flood of many.

And if it were about say employment finding those... they have no business to be looking at porn, during work, a. Nor to be browsing the dark side of the web, b. They have even less business looking at pictures of someone they know... and harassing you or worse about it? Is downright criminal on many levels.

As is anything else if anyone acted untowardly to you based on that prior crime - harassing you, threatening you, assault, blackmail... all of that not on you. But them.

Firing you on the basis of that also isn't, AFAIK UK law, very kosher.

Other thing coming to mind...
Ime just taking down evidence of one's victimization doesn't bring closure. Therapy on that trauma, does.

And, assuming your nickname here is your real name, or one you go by IRL? You might want to keep those details to yourself, the next time, to protect yourself better. :)

Added To: National Referral Mechanism may be of interest. ;) They can probably steer you in the direction of wanted legal and other help, better, too.

Sorry i can't figure out to multi quote, so i hope this makes sense!

I don't particually fear anything... to be honest, someone i'll work with finding my videos didn't really cross me mind - i'd like to think my future colleagues wouldn't be on the dark web, let alone be looking at child porn. And if they did, and had simething to day about it, police - straight away!
I guess my reasoning for wanting to talk to the police about it is to see if it was enough evidence to get the peoole from my traumas locked up, because, that would feel like closure for me (although, therapy is the ultimate, but the prison thing is pretty big too)

This isn't my real name! I just picked a random one because my sleep deprived self couldn't think of a better one - certainly certainly need to change this!

Oooh i'll check this out! I'll do a wee bit of googling and see what i find - Thankyou!

So, an alternative take on this - if you're somewhere central in the UK, and you rock up to a police station with something along the lines of:
"Are you able to see if the footage of me being abused as a child is on this site...?"
it's unlikely that the response you're going to get is "We don't do dark web here...".

That may happen.

What's more likely is they'll find someone to talk to you. And take some details (deal is, you tell them what you're comfortable telling them, and you tell them "I'm not comfortable sharing that" to any other question, yeah?).

And then, particularly if you're somewhere central? Someone with specific training in helping/talking to people who have been through this stuff will get in touch with you.

If you have the address of a possible dark web site for child porn? Please consider taking it to the police.

A lot of evidence in cases like that comes down to the technical side of connecting sites & online transactions with people. That will take a long time.

But where there is a site, even on the dark web, a lot of that evidence will speak for itself. Whether it goes to trial, most often they don't. Where there's good evidence (like video evidence), these things more often get pleaded out. They negotiate a prison term without you having to go through trial.

Thing is, the information you have? May not just the evidence you need for your own circumstances to put your abuser in prison. It may be the evidence required to put a dozen other abusers in prison - for victims that have been going through life assuming they'd never get any justice.

Something to think about. It's a very personal decision. Talk it through with your T. But, for me personally (and my matter will probably never make it to formal charges being laid), reporting my trauma to the police was a big part of treating myself like I was worthy of that. And that was really important for my healing journey.
Wow thanks so much for this!

I'm taking the plunge and giving this a go, even if they can't find shit of me - i can atleast help some other sweet souls out!

Agreed. I'll answer the questions best i can - ones i cant will get a polite "sorry, don't feel comfortable sharing that!"

I am pretty central, I'm pretty sure my city have people trained in talking to people around 'delicate'(?) Subjects, if not, i have people around me that'll track someone down aha!

Gosh i hope nothing goes to trial, that seems intense! But that's certainly a worry for another day! Good ro think about though, and, video evidence would definately help me out on that one!
Again, thankyou @Sideways

I’m really with @Sideways on this, giving those addresses to authorities could give immense help in countless other cases. I do understand the scariness and vulnerability of not knowing if there’s something out there of you. Or knowing there is but you have zero control over it. For those, therapy is really the only way to come to terms with it. Because the reality is even if you find them, you don’t know if they were shared other places, you don’t know who all has viewed them and there’s no way to hold those people accountable. I know it sucks. But I would absolutely report those addresses regardless of what I hope to accomplish in my own case.

Honestly this.
Thankyou!
 
Do you guys know much about how much evidence it takes for the UK (or US if its similar) to take to trial - like, does it have to be an DNA evidence thing or will they accept psychiatrists documentation, behaviour, witness statements (and hopefully these bloody videos if anyone finds them)? If youre not sure no worries, just thought it was worth and ask!
Sorry... I don’t.

No need to be envious of our system here, though... our conviction rate has almost doubled in recent years... to 3%. :facepalm: Sexual assault cases are almost never won.

RAINN | The nation's largest anti-sexual violence organization is US based, but still has good info/resources on it
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Donation drives

2026 Donation Goal

Goal
$1,800.00
Earned
$910.00
This donation drive ends in
0 hours, 0 minutes, 0 seconds
  50.6%

Trending content

Featured content

Back
Top Bottom