First joint operation by the two countries to tackle cyber crime
The US and China have reportedly joined hands to shut down a network of Chinese child pornography sites.
According to an AFP report, the two countries closed the ring having at least 48 pornographic sites aimed at Chinese Internet users.
Eighteen of the 48 sites contained graphic images of children, China's public security ministry said.
The ministry said the joint operation was "the first successful joint law enforcement campaign by the two nations on online crimes."
"We will continue to strengthen joint judicial cooperation with other nations to tackle international cyber crimes such as online pornography, fraud, gambling and hacking," it added.
Earlier this month, Attorney General Eric Holder and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano in the US revealed that 72 individuals across the world had been indicted for child sexual abuse in coordinated crackdown 'Operation Delego'.
Authorities dismantled the online bulletin board 'Dreamboard' which was created in 2008 and allegedly used by 600 people across the world to pictures and videos of child sex abuse. Material equivalent to 16,000 DVDs were seized.
"To put it simply, we have charged that these individuals shared a dream -- to create the preeminent online community for the promotion of child sexual exploitation," said Holder.
"But for the children they victimised, this was nothing short of a nightmare."
Operation Delego, an ongoing investigation that was launched in December 2009, targeted the 72 charged defendants and more than 500 additional individuals around the world for their participation in Dreamboard.
It is believed that 'Operation Delego' represents the largest prosecution to date in the US of individuals who participated in an online bulletin board conceived and operated for the sole purpose of promoting child sexual abuse, disseminating child pornography and evading law enforcement.
Officials also said that 'Operation Delego' involved extensive international cooperation to identify and apprehend Dreamboard members abroad.
They said, "Through coordination between ICE; the Department of Justice; Eurojust, the European Union's Judicial Cooperation Unit; and dozens of law enforcement agencies throughout the world, 19 Dreamboard members across five continents and 13 countries have been arrested to date outside the United States, including two of the five lead administrators of the board."
"Those countries include Canada, Denmark, Ecuador, France, Germany, Hungary, Kenya, the Netherlands, the Philippines, Qatar, Serbia, Sweden and Switzerland."
Numerous foreign investigations related to Operation Delego remain ongoing, said the officials.
"The dismantling of Dreamboard is another stark warning to would-be child predators who think they can trade in child pornography and commit heinous acts against innocent children while hiding behind pseudonyms and other technological tricks," said ICE Director John Morton.
"As these criminals try new techniques to digitally erase their trail, ICE's Homeland Security Investigations along with our U.S. and international law enforcement partners continue to upgrade our strategies and technology to track down the depraved individuals who bring suffering to children."