International police Operation Alice take down 373,000 dark web sites exploiting children

(Pierluigi Paganini – Security Affairs) An international law enforcement operation, code named Operation Alice, shut down one of the largest dark web scams, uncovering over 373,000 fake sites tricking users seeking child sexual abuse content. The operation, first investigated in Germany in 2021, centered on the platform “Alice with Violence CP” and was allegedly run by a single individual controlling hundreds of thousands of fraudulent marketplaces for illicit material and cybercrime services. “On 9 March 2026, a global operation led by German authorities and supported by Europol was launched against one of the largest networks of fraudulent platforms in the dark web. The investigation began in mid-2021 against the dark web platform “Alice with Violence CP”.” reads the press release by Europol. “During the investigation, authorities discovered that the platform’s operator was running more than 373 000 fraudulent websites advertising child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and cybercrime-as-a-service (CaaS) offerings.”. From 9 to 19 March 2026, law enforcement from 23 countries worked together to go after the operator of a dark web platform. – International police Operation Alice take down 373,000 dark web sites exploiting children