British Agency Touts Breakup of Internet Child Porn Ring

A British antipedophilia agency trumpeted the arrest of over 700 suspects in a massive Internet-based child sex ring today, the result of a nearly yearlong investigation. Authorities from 35 countries were involved in the sting, which resulted in the rescue of 31 children, according to an announcement by the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Center.

The investigation centered on a chat room called “Kid the Light of our Lives,” presumably a reference to the famous first line of Vladimir Nabokov’s 1955 novel Lolita, about a man who becomes obsessed with a 12-year-old girl.

The proliferation of sexual content on the Internet, both legal and illegal, has given many parents cause to worry about what their children encounter online. Of particular worry is the possibility that sites like MySpace.com, which invite users to provide personal information and network with friends, expose children to sexual predators. A Sept. 18, 2006, U.S.News & World Report cover story specifically addressed ways that parents can protect children from such dangers--without simply pulling the plug altogether.