The growth of the internet has made it much easier for people to communicate from different sides of the globe. The web has opened new opportunities for conducting business and sharing knowledge. But the online communications boom has also made it much easier for predators to abuse children and get away with it.
Pedophiles can stay home and – with the help of their computer and a webcam – abuse children who live thousands of miles away. For small amounts of money, predators can live-stream child acts that they direct – with little risk of getting caught.
Predator’s Web was reported and written by Lena Masri, who reviewed hundreds of pages of court records and other documents over several months. You can follow her on Twitter at @masrilena.