[Reston, VA] – ADF Solutions, a global leader in digital forensics and media exploitation solutions, is delighted to announce its sponsorship and exhibition at the Crimes Against Children Conference (CACC).

Digital forensic software is a powerful investigative tool that law enforcement and investigators have turned to for solving crimes against children. Perpetrators have found new avenues to exploit and harm vulnerable children by obtaining sexually explicit content.

CSAM  or child sexual abuse material refers to any visual media depicting children engaged in sexual activity, which is produced, distributed, or accessed for sexual gratification or profit.

The U.S. Department of Justice launched the ICAC Task Force program in 1998 to help law enforcement learn how to prevent, combat and investigate Internet Crimes Against Children.  ICAC Task Force training is scheduled regionally across the United States each year. 

The ICAC conferences are announced each year and include training and events held in:

Child sexual abuse material or CSAM has become the more common term for child pornography. The term accurately captures the reality of these images and videos. CSAM is distributed heavily through online channels. It has become easier for individuals to perpetuate these videos and images through multiple platforms. These platforms can include social media, online gaming, and email [1]. 

At one time or another, law enforcement agencies find themselves investigating child sexual abuse material. Now more than ever there are a variety of ways in which this material is distributed amongst persons and online. It has become a priority to provide investigators with the tools necessary to identify and report on these materials. 

Today's access to technology and the Internet is unfortunately making it easier for cyber criminals to commit crimes can oftentimes go undetected. It is the job of ICAC Task Forces, high tech crime units and police leaders to find the most effective ways to fight cybercrime and protect children.  

January brings awareness to Human Trafficking, a crime that involves exploiting a person for labor, services, or commercial sex. Anyone can be a victim of human trafficking and it is not only limited to the exploitation of children. Human trafficking is a global problem and can occur just about anywhere, and often involves multiple jurisdictions, whether local, state, or international.

Investigating crimes against children has been at the forefront of law enforcement’s initiatives to dedicate the specialized manpower and equipment in order to battle this issue. It is not an easy issue to tackle as it manifests in many different ways and sometimes requires three or more specialized units working together to bring the offenders to justice and then another specialized unit to manage the offenders after release. On top of all the investigation time, we add digital devices to the mix, used to commit and perpetrate these crimes. When it comes time to conduct a search warrant, knock and talk, interview, or victim/witness statement, investigators need a solution to find the relevant data, minimize the number of devices brought back to the lab, minimize the impact to victims, witnesses, and innocent family members. 

Check out our law top law enforcement webinars.

The 2021 Northwest Regional Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Conference has returned this year. The conference is a multi-state, multi-disciplinary Internet Crimes Against Children event which provides training to prosecutors, digital forensic examiners, sheriffs, police investigators and ICAC Task Force members.  

Dates: October 6-8, 2021

Location: Redmond, WA

Digital Media Investigators throughout the United Kingdom rely on the Child Abuse Image Database (CAID) in their digital investigations involving Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM). 

The Massachusetts Attorney General's Office (AGO) has announced the dates for the NCCC  2021 National Cyber Crime Conference (MASS.gov).

Crimes against children investigations can lead CSAM investigators to have to review thousands or even tens of thousands of images. Investigators need tools to help them find relevant evidence quickly. 

ADF Solutions, the leading provider of automated forensic software for investigators and lab examiners, today announced the ability for on-scene and lab investigators to leverage the facial analytics and age detection capabilities of Suspect Technologies to speed child exploitation and human trafficking investigations. 

Today's access to technology and the Internet is unfortunately making it easier for cyber criminals to commit crimes can oftentimes go undetected. It is the job of ICAC Task Forces, high tech crime units and police leaders to find the most effective ways to fight cybercrime and protect children.  

ADF launches New Law Enforcement Capabilities to Speed Modern Slavery Investigations  

Bethesda, Maryland: ADF Solutions’ new Anti-Human Trafficking Search Profiles were built in conjunction with the Anti-Human Trafficking Intelligence Initiative (ATII) to help law enforcement quickly identify and investigate human trafficking at the scene of the crime. 

Learn how to easily remove CSAM images and other properties from view

One of the most important factors in a child exploitation investigation, is having the ability to show a report to a colleague, co-worker, prosecutor, or present to present your findings in court without re-victimizing the subject of the photo, or shocking the sense of the viewer of the report. Having a professional report that still reflects the properties that need to be presented is essential to your case.

Digital Forensic Investigators and Examiners need to be able to find evidence quickly and one of the ways that ADF provides this capability is using PhotDNA. 

Child sexual exploitation and modern slavery are related aspects of human trafficking which result in the commercial exploitation of children and often being victims of Child Sexual Abuse Material creation as well.  

ADF’s newest software versions include new field tablet capabilities and smartphone collection features 

Putting Victims First. That’s the message that Richard W. Brown, the CEO of Project VIC International impressed upon me when I had the opportunity to speak to him about how and why he helped found the non-profit organization which helps law enforcement agencies around the world fight child exploitation. 

Child pornography- more properly identified as Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM). It’s appalling that there is a need for a definition for this kind of material. U.S. Federal Law defines child pornography as any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct involving a minor- meaning any person less than 18 years old. 

The Massachusetts Attorney General's Office (AGO) has announced the dates for the NCCC  2020 National Cyber Crime Conference (MASS.gov).

The U.S. Department of Justice launched the ICAC Task Force program in 1998 to help law enforcement learn how to prevent, combat and investigate Internet Crimes Against Children.  ICAC Task Force training is often held annually within regions across the United States. 

COVID-19 Announcement: Due to the global pandemic, many conferences are being rescheduled. Please check the event websites before making any travel plans and stay safe.

The 2020 ICAC conferences are announced each year and include training and events held in:

Investigators can leverage ADF digital forensic software on the front-line to investigate and prosecute child exploitation cases

Front line investigators and digital forensic examiners are encountering an ever increasing number of images in almost every investigation they perform. This exponential growth in the volume of images can challenge investigators searching for illicit online activity, Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM), extremist propaganda, or other types of image content. 

In this short video, ADF digital forensic specialist, Rich Frawley, demonstrates ADF's digital forensic image recognition and classification capabilities. 

Most children in the United States now have access to internet services. The internet enables children to have access to vast amounts of valuable and educative information that facilitates their growth. However, the internet further exposes children to numerous dangers. Some of the risks children are exposed to on the internet include pornography, racist, sexist, violent, and demeaning information.

These risks prompted the formation of the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force program. The organization is a national network of 61 coordinated task forces that represent over 4,500 local, state, and federal law enforcement and prosecutorial agencies. The state and regional ICAC task forces are maintained and expanded by the ICAC program to address technology-facilitated child exploitation crimes.