US and French authorities have seized two domains linked to a website accused of advertising leaked sexually explicit images and videos, including material involving minors.
Hackread.com is not naming the site in the headline or publishing its domains because of the nature of the alleged material and to avoid directing traffic toward it.
The US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia said the action was part of Operation Inevitable, a coordinated law enforcement operation targeting child sexual abuse material ( CSAM ) and the non-consensual publication of intimate images.
French law enforcement also arrested a man suspected of being the main administrator of the site identified in the Justice Department’s announcement. Authorities did not immediately name the suspect in the public announcement.
According to the Justice Department, the seized domains were used to advertise content for sale. The FBI’s Washington Field Office, USAO-EDVA and French law enforcement partners took part in the operation.
The case brings together two areas of online abuse that law enforcement often investigates together: CSAM distribution and image-based sexual abuse. Sites that trade in leaked intimate images can also be used to advertise or distribute material involving minors, making domain seizures and administrator arrests a priority for cross-border investigations.
Authorities are asking anyone who believes they may be a victim to report it through the FBI’s dedicated portal at ncii.ic3.gov . The Justice Department’s announcement is available here .
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