The Australian Federal Police (AFP) commissioner blasted Facebook for aiding to rape and torture of children.
According to Associated Press, as reported by Daily Mail, AFP Chief Reece Kershaw ripped into tech giants for sheltering pedophiles behind its end-to-end encryption. He also said more Australians access child pornography during the coronavirus pandemic.
Kershaw also told the National Press Club in Canberra on Wednesday, July 21, they received more than 11,000 reports of child exploitation while it is 10 times more rampant in the dark web.
While these tech companies have assisted them the police with their programs, the AFP chief said he was not happy with Facebook and others, which he claimed have contributed to children's rape and torture. "I can't see why that's a good thing," he said.
Kershaw, who was also nine months into the role, has challenged Australians against giving the police access to encrypted data to explain it to victims of child exploitation who may never get justice as technology is designed to hide the crooks' identity.
Meanwhile, the police raised heightened vigilance increasingly to foreign interference in Australia, and it reached levels that are not seen since the Cold War. Kershaw also vowed to take action against those who try to interfere in the systems and processes of either the commonwealth or state government.
Similarly, the AFP is also focused on the increasing threats of right-wing terrorism, but the police do not discriminate against certain ideologies. Instead, the police promise to go after those who would try to murder Australians.
AFP caught a child pedophile
According to a statement published on July 7, the AFP filed child abuse charges against a 40-year-old Sydney man after investigating a report from the United States' National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) on Mar. 11. It was related to uploaded child abuse material to an email account allegedly linked to the man.
The man was arrested in his residence in Hillsdale, Sydney. He was charged with one count of using a carriage service for child abuse material and use of carriage service to transmit indecent communication to persons under 16 years old as well as two counts of possession or control of child abuse material obtained or accessed.
Many electronic items were seized for evidentiary purposes and will be subject to forensic examination. AFP Detective Acting Superintendent Simone O'Mahony said that while Australian perpetrators may think that accessing and sharing child abuse material online is 'a simple click of the button,' it will have an immeasurable impact on victims. "One image can tell a story of rape and torture," said Detective O'Mahony, adding that Australians need to realize that accomplice of the abuse when they use and share child abuse material online, particularly in Facebook and other social media platforms.
The man faces a maximum penalty of 15 years' imprisonment. The police also urge the general public to report any information about anyone involved in child abuse and exploitation.
