

There is a certain amount of digging someone would have to do to find something illegal.

But how do those who share taboo material get away with it? More so, why has there not been a bigger push to stop the illegal trade of child pornography and exploitation of minors? Perhaps this is because the posts offering and soliciting child porn are not right up front on the main page. He spends hours looking up hashtags, liking photos, commenting, and sending direct messages. Tools that keep the darkness from bubbling up and causing alarm.Įdgar is a pedophile and his favorite tool is Instagram. Everything, from the way he cuts his hair to the shirt he’s wearing and even the socks he picks, is a mask. But he tells me later this is all a facade. On the outside, he does not seem that different from your average social media-obsessed young person. He has built a comfortable lifestyle for himself. On the street, he appears to be a normal member of society. It took a lot of courage for him to come through for this interview with me, and even more to continue with the ones that followed. He sits quietly waiting for a sign that everything is okay that we won’t be disturbed for a few hours. Under the tags #Gay10, #Gay11, and #Gay12 pictures are uploaded that blur the lines of legality and child pornography.Įdgar, 32, knows all too well how to slip through these cracks. It is within those cracks that what one man, Edgar, says “fantasy” awaits anyone willing to spend the time looking. Although there are clear cut guidelines as to what can and cannot be posted, some things slip through the cracks. In the United States alone, as of March, there are an estimated 77.6 million users. As of December 2014 the app had 300 million active users and more than 75 million active users a day. The social media app houses millions of photos online. However, what if that taboo porn were more available to those who seek to view it? For many, this is a cold fact that often goes unnoticed.

Deep, in the darkest depths of the internet, the trade of child pornography exists.
