KOCHI: After Operation P-Hunt exposed a large number of takers for child pornography in Kerala, the state police have decided to strengthen its Counter Child Sexual Exploitation Centre (CCSEC) to prevent online child exploitation and track down paedophiles using digital technology.Manoj Abraham, ADGP and Cyberdome nodal officer, has issued a letter to all unit heads in the state seeking application from police personnel in the state to become part of the CCSEC.
Police personnel in the rank of civil police officer or senior civil police officer having graduate or postgraduate qualification in computer engineering/computer application are eligible to apply. “The CCSEC in Thiruvananthapuram is being strengthened to keep a close watch on the cyber world for paedophiles and their nefarious activities aimed at trapping children online,” said a senior police officer.The CCSE Centre was set up under Cyberdome on a direction by State Police Chief Loknath Behera with special emphasis on preventing online crimes against children.
“The CCSEC is functioning on the lines of counter-child exploitation centres in Australia. Europol, the law enforcement agency for the European Union, also has a specialised counter-child sexual exploitation centre to check rising crimes targeting children. The CCSEC has been set up to prevent, prepare, pursue and protect children,” the officer added.
Cyber security expert and Data Security Council of India member Manu P Zacharia said child sexual abuse material (CSAM) is being widely shared through peer-to-peer networks and by anonymously accessing Darknet networks.“Darknet and social networking apps are the main platforms to access child abuse material and for non-commercial distribution.
The high level of anonymity and strong networking possibilities in hidden internet platforms make criminals more comfortable in sharing offensive material and discussing their sexual interests. The CCSECs in other countries coordinate with agencies to identify the details of IP addresses that surf such platforms and share the details of users to track them,” he added.The Operation P-Hunt which was launched in April 2019 had resulted in the arrest of 124 persons so far in Kerala.