Membership on the largest “dark web” child pornography site rose by a third and it ran “much better” while it was operated secretly by the FBI, one defense lawyer in the “Playpen” case has argued, seeking to have the charges dismissed.
After taking control of “Playpen” in February 2015, the FBI continued to operate the child pornography site for two more weeks, seeking to infect users’ computers with malware. Over 4,000 computers worldwide were hacked in this fashion, and 186 people were charged. A defense attorney for one of them is now saying the FBI did a better job of running the site.
Steven Chase, the original administrator of Playpen, is accused of participating in a “child exploitation enterprise.” His attorney is seeking to have the case dismissed due to “outrageous government conduct,” Motherboard reported.
“The FBI distributed child pornography to viewers and downloaders worldwide for nearly two weeks, until at least March 4, 2015, even working to improve the performance of the website beyond its original capability,” wrote Peter Adolf, an assistant federal defender in the Western District of North Carolina, in a motion to dismiss the case filed Monday.
Adolf goes on to quote user comments indicating that “Playpen” performed much better under the FBI’s management, which led to the site becoming even more popular. – READ MORE