'Anonymous' Hackers To Expose Child Sex Abusers
Activist network Anonymous is planning a day of action to expose establishment child abuse and cover ups.
The group, best known for high-profile computer hacks, has codenamed its latest task 'Operation Death Eaters' and is demanding an end to secrecy around abuse networks.
It says it will collect and then publish mass information on abuse scandals in the UK and around the world in the hope of ensuring people are fully aware of "paedo-sadist" abuse.
A London-based activist, who uses the pseudonym Jake Davis, told Sky News: "This isn't a situation where we are looking to create mayhem. It's about giving the public information so we can confront these problems that go back decades.
"The stories that are coming out are the torture and murder of children with our trusted politicians and that is unacceptable.
"You have to ask: Why are they protecting them?"
The group has recently published videos to YouTube promising to expose "paedo-sadists" and warning abusers that they should have been "expecting us".
There are concerns though about Anonymous' plan to expose abusers and whether its activities may hamper ongoing investigations - potentially putting children at further risk.
Former head of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection centre (CEOP), Jim Gamble, told Sky News: "It's fraught with so many difficulties.
"If there are people that have skills and abilities within Anonymous who actually want to do something positive to help law enforcement and others to inhibit paedophiles operating so freely online, then coming forward and working in some kind of framework would be great.
"But in the absence of that framework then there is the chance there could be some reckless disclosure, and from that reckless disclosure lives, and innocent lives, could be ruined.
"People make mistakes. We, during my time in law enforcement, made mistakes.
"We had information that we thought meant one thing and when we got to the back end of it, it actually meant something different.
"So jumping to conclusions, sharing information that hasn't been verified and doing it in a mass public way is going to have a far bigger downside than the deterrents on the upside will be."
Anonymous said activists were due hand out flyers on its day of action at events later in Glasgow, London, Leeds, Rochdale and Birmingham.
Co-ordinator Heather Marsh told Sky News the purpose of Operation Death Eaters is to open people's eyes to the scale of abuse networks.
She said: "We need the database to connect all news articles and court cases because we cannot visualise a beach if we are only ever presented with isolated grains of sand."
Earlier this week the group claimed to have closed down Twitter and Facebook accounts used by Islamic State (IS) terrorists, also known as ISIS.
Another new video posted to YouTube warned: "ISIS, we will hunt you, take down your sites, accounts, emails and expose you."
Its campaign against jihadists' websites started after the shootings at Charlie Hebdo magazine in Paris.
A National Crime Agencyspokesman said: "We understand anyone wanting to help protect children, but would always urge against any action which might jeopardise existing law enforcement investigations or other public inquiries.
"Anybody who thinks they have information relating to child sexual exploitation or abuse can report it to the NCA's CEOP Command via our website."
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