Privacy at a cost: the dark web's main browser helps pedophile networks flourish, experts say

"Millions of child predators are forming sprawling online communities on the dark web using the Tor network, where criminal behavior escalates through the sharing of child sexual abuse material, grooming strategies and normalization of exploitation, experts say. Despite repeated warnings of a growing number of predators taking advantage of it, Tor's developers have taken no action to curb the spread of this content, critics say."

"By encrypting data in multiple layers like that of an onion Tor makes digital activity difficult to trace. This privacy architecture, experts warn, has created a safe haven for child predators. The platform's design makes it virtually impossible to remove harmful posts or illegal content, they say, and the organization behind Tor has resisted pressure to implement even basic safeguards."

Millions of child predators are forming sprawling dark‑web communities on the Tor network where criminal behavior escalates through sharing of child sexual abuse material, grooming strategies and normalization of exploitation. Tor routes traffic through a global web of volunteer-run servers and encrypts data in multiple layers, making digital activity difficult to trace. The platform's architecture and resistance to content controls make removal of harmful posts virtually impossible. The Canadian Centre for Child Protection reported more than 19,000 notifications of CSAM to the Tor Project with no action taken. Critics say the organization has refused to implement basic safeguards.

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