FOI 145991

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST REFERENCE NO: 145991

I write in connection with your request for information which was received on 14^th January 2022. Please find below the response to your request:

 

Please conduct a keyword search for “AnonIB” “Anon IB” and “Anonymous Image Board”.

 

AnonIB is an online database / website hosting explicit images.

 

How many times have any of the keywords “AnonIB” “Anon IB” or “Anonymous Image Board” appeared in crime reports/MO texts between January 1 2020 and December 31 2021?

 

For each offence please provide:

 

• What the alleged offence was.
• The date of when the alleged offence was recorded (the month is fine).
• A summary from the MO Text - I understand that redactions may need to be made to remove personal information.
• The age and sex (where known) of the complainant.
• The outcome for the alleged offence, if known.

 

If the time frame needs to be reduced to comply with FOI restrictions, please work backwards from December 31 2021, providing the time frame the search covers.

 

 

 

Reply:-

I can confirm that West Mercia Police holds the information you have requested

How many times have any of the keywords “AnonIB” “Anon IB” or “Anonymous Image Board” appeared in crime reports/MO texts between January 1 2020 and December 31 2021?

 

12 reports were identified

 

For each offence please provide:

 

• What the alleged offence was.

 

Malicious Communications x11

 

Obscene Publications, Etc. And Protected Sexual Material x1

 

• The date of when the alleged offence was recorded (the month is fine).

 

All were June 2020

 

• A summary from the MO Text - I understand that redactions may need to be made to remove personal information.

 

The majority of the MO’s were based on the first one listed.

 

Revenge Porn Victim has been made aware that private sexual images of themselves have been uploaded to a website called BOARDS.ANONIB. This is a website of Russian Origin, designed so that people can upload and comment on nude/pornographic images if people in certain Geographic Areas. It is unknown who has uploaded the images to the website but it is reasonable to suspect that they have been uploaded by people the victims have sent the photos to in confidence and would be distressed if they were shared publicly.

 

Revenge Porn Victim has been made aware that private sexual images of themselves, when she was 17 years old, have been uploaded to a website called BOARDS.ANONIB. This is a website of Russian Origin, designed so that people can upload and comment on nude/pornographic images if people in certain Geographic Areas. It is unknown who has uploaded the images to the website but it is reasonable to suspect that they have been uploaded by people the victims have sent the photos to in confidence and would be distressed if they were shared publicly.

 

Victim has been made aware that private sexual images of themselves have been uploaded to a website called BOARDS.ANONIB. This is a website of Russian Origin, designed so that people can upload and comment on nude/pornographic images if people in certain Geographic Areas. It is unknown who has uploaded the images to the website but it is reasonable to suspect that they have been uploaded by people the victims have sent the photos to in confidence and would be distressed if they were shared publicly. In this instance, victim was 17 when images were taken. The website cannot be taken down as it originates and RUSSIA. All users are anonymous and there is no way to trace who has uploaded the images through the website. Individual victims will have to contact individual search engines requesting that the website is blocked. Contact will be made with all victims to establish other lines of enquiry.

 

 

• The age and sex (where known) of the complainant.

 

Female x11

Male x1

 

Ages:

28 x1

23 x1

26 x4

21 x1

27 x1

24 x2

23 x1

22 x1

 

 

• The outcome for the alleged offence, if known.

All 12 crimes had the outcome:

OC14 Evidential Difficulties Victim Based – Named suspect not identified: The crime is confirmed but the victim either declines/ or is unable to support further police investigation to identify the offender.