Operation Auxin
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (April 2018) |
| Operation Auxin | |
|---|---|
| Operation Name | Operation Auxin |
| Type | Child pornography crackdown |
| Roster | |
| Planned by | United States |
| Executed by | Australia, Canada, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States |
| Mission | |
| Target | associated users associated with website portal Landslide Productions. |
| Objective | To round up and prosecute suspects named in a Tip by the United States FBI from Operation Avalanche |
| Timeline | |
| Results | |
| Arrests | ~200 |
| Accounting | |
Operation Auxin was an
US investigation
Between 1999 and 2001, after a tip, a US investigation was conducted into Landslide Productions Inc., a Texas-based online pornography portal operated by Thomas and Janice Reedy. The portal was found to have provided access to child pornography and the Reedys were both convicted of trafficking child pornography in August 2001.
Following the investigation and conviction "Operation Avalanche" was launched, in the US, to trace and prosecute child pornography users identified in the Landslide database. In addition, the website was run for a short time as part of a sting operation by the FBI to capture new suspects.[8] The FBI also passed identities from the Landslide database to the police organisations of other countries, including 7,272 names to the UK.
Legality
Legal Challenges
The initial credit card evidence used in the investigation has since been widely debunked due to there being no established link between a credit card being used and actual pornography being downloaded.[2] Additionally, multiple cases of credit card fraud involving organised crime syndicates has also raised the possibility that credit card numbers retrieved from Landslide.com may have been used by a third party and not their owners at all.[3]
Similarly Operation Ore in the United Kingdom have come under intense fire both from those wrongfully convicted and from civil rights groups.[3]
Results
Nearly 200 people arrested in Australia
Country Specific Results
- Australia 200 arrests (see Operation Auxin)
- Canada (see Operation Snowball)
- Ireland (see Operation Amethyst)
- Italy (See Operation Pecunia))
- Switzerland (see Operation Genesis aka Action Genesis)
- United Kingdom (see Operation Ore))
- United States (see Operation Avalanche))
Participating Countries
- Australia - Australian Federal Police (AFP)
- United Kingdom - National Crime Agency (NCA)
- United States - Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
References
- ^ "Operation Auxin explained". Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 11 February 2009.
- ^ Campbell, Duncan (19 April 2007). "Operation Ore flawed by fraud". The Guardian.
- ^ a b Campbell, Duncan (1 July 2005). "Operation Ore exposed". Alphr.
.svg){kind=small}  | This article related to the history of Australia is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
 | This law enforcement–related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
International Operations Stemming from Operation Avalanche | |
|---|---|
| Operations |
|
