Bitcoin and Child Sex Trafficking Busts

The deeper ramifications of #DrainTheSwamp have recently manifested as the shutting down of a few websites. Backpage.com has forever been associated with prostitution and so-called escorts. And it was a Federal shutdown notice on their page that let everyone know, perhaps backpage.com was accepting advertisements knowingly from suspected child traffickers.

Considering that child trafficking has not once made the main stream media's top ten 10 list since #Trump has taken office, its common for people to have no understanding of how big an issue this has been. The bill signed into law by President Trump is called “FOSTA”. FOSTA stands for Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act. And it's basic meaning is it will “Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking.".

Should we be worried about a infringement of the 1st Amendment here? The potential for exploiting the interent seems to have been worded in such a way as to allow it not to harm free speech. And, the very loophole that pimps, prostitutes, and specifically child traffickers used to profit from the child sex trade has been closed.

On the FBI's own site there is an article about how the FBI recently concluded an operation called Cross Country XI. Now, if you are not familiar with Roman numerals that means this operation was called Cross Country 11. And with a bit of digging, you can easily find Cross Country X recently went down on October 17, 2017. Now consider that this operation was first made public in 2014 and was called Cross Country. So, that means that the FBI has been involved with uncovering child sex trafficking for almost 5 years now.

Carl Ferrer, the CEO of Backpage's personal adverts, was arrested when he landed in Houston recently. Also under scrutiny are Michael Lacey and James Larkin who were major shareholders in backpage.com. The question here is, "How much did these men know about the rampant child sex trafficking on their site?".

Also recently shut down, in what is considered to be a related action, Craigslist.com has shut down their personals listings. And, considering this was peppered with adverts for prostitutes as opposed to actual singles looking for connections it's quite possible the site shut this down because they suspected child trafficking being facilitated by their site.

This message from Craigslist is what pops up when you navigate to their site even if you are not searching the personals.

The scary part about all this, for crypto users, is that after Visa and Mastercard pulled out of backpage.com the gap was filled by Bitcoin. And, as Steem is an anonymous currency, all blockchains could come under fire now. So, the intention of blockchain currencies to allow free commerce outside of traditional channels is in danger of regulation. And, it would seem that regulation would first and foremost be aimed at eliminating the anonymous use as it is this dynamic that was exploited by the child sex trade.

And, while the Steemit community is on one hand 100% committed to free speech, at the same time, I am sure we are all horrified by the potential for human abuse using anonymous transactions. And that brings a lot of responsibility to cryptocurrency users. Henceforth, taking a stand against child trafficking while being pro-cryptocurrency means that each one of us must have zero tolerance for child-trafficking endeavors.

If you are in the United States and believe someone may be a victim of human trafficking, report your suspicions to law enforcement by calling 911 or the 24-hour National Human Trafficking Hotline line at 1-888-373-7888.

So, stepping up as citizen journalists promoting the First Amendment of the USA and the right to free speech has been exploited by criminals who have enslaved young girls for the sex trade. And from the research we have seen, it seems this is an industry that is more profitable than drugs. But, thinking you will come across a pimp offering a child for sex only in the most deranged and degraded places is a mistake.

The reality is that large organizations that are often considered wholesome are rife with child sex trafficking. When I lived in Denver, there was a child-sex trafficking bust at a cattleman stock show. The story surround more than 80 child sex workers and the busting of over 200 traffickers and child sex solicitors. Ironically, when I searched for that article, the numbers of the actual bust were greatly reduced. And, it makes you wonder if this was deliberate. Of course, it's also hard to find the specific instance I saw on local Denver news since so many busts have occurred since the start of Operation Cross Country.

And this leaves the cryptocurrency user with a great responsibility to any community in which they find themselves. While most crypto-users are not concerned with circumventing silly marijuana laws by using crypto, knowing the same currency is being used to exploit children is cause for alarm. And that means that any offer of sex for crypto with a minor should be reported immediately. Not only are you protecting children, you are protecting the crypto-community and health of it as a viable currency as a whole.