Key facts
- Operation Lighthouse, led by Chainalysis, identified over 7,700 suspect accounts linked to child sexual abuse material.
- The operation investigated 29,120 crypto addresses and digital identifiers connected to over 100 CSAM platforms.
- 14,300 investigative leads were generated across 11 crypto exchanges and payment services.
- Suspects flagged included registered sex offenders, military personnel, law enforcement officers, medical professionals, and educators.
- The operation involved Europol, the UK National Crime Agency, Binance, Coinbase, Block, and the Internet Watch Foundation.
- The results are expected to lead to arrests, prosecutions, and account-level disruption.
A global operation led by blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis, dubbed Operation Lighthouse, has identified more than 7,700 suspect accounts linked to child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
The operation investigated 29,120 crypto addresses and digital identifiers connected to over 100 CSAM platforms, forums, and distribution networks across the surface and dark web. It generated 14,300 investigative leads across 11 crypto exchanges and payment services, flagging suspects in 125 countries.
Among the identified suspects were 16 registered sex offenders, as well as military personnel, law enforcement officers, medical professionals, and educators who had direct access to children. Tom McLouth, senior intelligence analyst at Chainalysis, emphasized the real-world risk to children behind each lead.
The multi-day operation, hosted at the National Cyber-Forensics and Training Alliance in New York, brought together law enforcement agencies, private-sector partners, and specialized nonprofits, including Europol, the UK National Crime Agency, Binance, Coinbase, Block, and the Internet Watch Foundation. Participants utilized onchain intelligence to develop leads for subsequent legal processes and case development.
Chainalysis stated that the operation's results are expected to result in arrests, prosecutions, and account-level disruptions. This initiative follows other efforts by crypto firms and child-protection organizations to enhance intelligence sharing regarding crypto activity linked to exploitation, highlighting the necessity of joint action due to perpetrators exploiting various financial and internet services.
Blockchain tracing has previously proven effective in CSAM investigations, such as the 2019 U.S. Justice Department takedown of Welcome to Video, a large darknet child sexual exploitation market. That investigation, which used Chainalysis software, led to arrests, victim rescues, and the seizure of significant amounts of material.