Freedom Hosting

In 2011, Anonymous launched Operation Darknet, an anti-child pornography effort against activities on the dark web. One of the largest sites, Lolita City, hosted by Freedom Hosting,{{cite journal|publisher=Congressional Research Service|location=Washington, D.C.|date=7 July 2015|first=Kristin|last=Finklea|title=Dark Web|url=https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc700882/m1/1/high_res_d/R44101_2015Jul07.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211027153951/https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc700882/m1/1/high_res_d/R44101_2015Jul07.pdf|archive-date=27 October 2021|access-date=4 December 2021|via=University of North Texas Libraries|page=6}} was subject to a denial-of-service attack (DDoS), and later had its member list leaked following an SQL injection attack, as was The Hidden Wiki which linked to it.{{cite news|last1=Gallagher|first1=Sean|title=Alleged Tor hidden service operator busted for child porn distribution|url=https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2013/08/lleged-tor-hidden-service-operator-busted-for-child-porn-distribution/|access-date=30 May 2015|date=4 August 2013}}

News reports linked a Firefox browser vulnerability to a United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) operation targeting Freedom Hosting's owner, Eric Eoin Marques. In August 2013, it was discovered that the Firefox browsers in many older versions of the Tor Browser Bundle were vulnerable to a JavaScript attack, as NoScript was not enabled by default.{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/interactive/2013/oct/04/egotistical-giraffe-nsa-tor-document |title='Peeling back the layers of Tor with EgotisticalGiraffe' – read the document |newspaper=Guardian |date=4 October 2013 }} This attack was being exploited to send users' MAC and IP addresses and Windows computer names to the attackers.{{cite web |url=http://www.infoworld.com/t/data-security/tor-browser-bundle-windows-users-susceptible-info-stealing-attack-224157 |title=Tor Browser Bundle for Windows users susceptible to info-stealing attack |first=Ted |last=Samson |work=InfoWorld |date=5 August 2013 |access-date=28 April 2014}}{{cite magazine |url=https://www.wired.com/2013/08/freedom-hosting/ |title=Feds Are Suspects in New Malware That Attacks Tor Anonymity |first=Kevin |last=Poulsen |magazine=Wired |date=8 May 2013 |access-date=29 April 2014}}{{cite web |url=http://ghowen.me/fbi-tor-malware-analysis |title=FBI Malware Analysis |first=Gareth |last=Owen |access-date=6 May 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140417081750/http://ghowen.me/fbi-tor-malware-analysis/ |archive-date=17 April 2014 }}{{self-published inline|date=April 2014}} The FBI acknowledged they were responsible for the attack in a 12 September 2013 court filing in Dublin;{{cite magazine |url=https://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2013/09/freedom-hosting-fbi/ |title=FBI Admits It Controlled Tor Servers Behind Mass Malware Attack |first=Kevin |last=Poulsen |magazine=Wired |date=13 September 2013 |access-date=22 December 2013}} further technical details from a training presentation leaked by Edward Snowden showed that the codename for the exploit was EgotisticalGiraffe.{{cite news |first=Bruce |last=Schneier |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/oct/04/tor-attacks-nsa-users-online-anonymity |title=Attacking Tor: how the NSA targets users' online anonymity |work=The Guardian |date=4 October 2013 |access-date=22 December 2013}}

The site was founded and administered by an American-Irish citizen, Eric Eoin Marques (born {{Birth date|1985|4|29}}), who was born in New York City to an Irish mother and a Brazilian-born Portuguese father who worked as a successful architect.{{Cite web |last=O’Doherty |first=Caroline |date=2021-09-16 |title=Eric Eoin Marquez: The Irishman labelled the 'kingpin' of child abuse material |url=https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/spotlight/arid-40699247.html |access-date=2023-11-24 |website=Irish Examiner |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2013-08-24 |title=Eric Eoin Marques: 28-year-old architect's son from Dublin accused of being world's biggest dealer in child abuse images |url=https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/eric-eoin-marques-28-year-old-architects-son-from-dublin-accused-of-being-worlds-biggest-dealer-in-child-abuse-images/29525485.html |access-date=2023-11-24 |website=Independent.ie |language=en}} He had been referred to a psychiatrist as a young teenager with no specific diagnosis made.{{Cite web |last=O’Doherty |first=Caroline |date=2019-03-23 |title=Man with socialisation difficulties or a cold-blooded criminal? |url=https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-30912751.html |access-date=2023-11-24 |website=Irish Examiner |language=en}} He was described as timid and socially withdrawn, and had failed to complete school. In 2005, Marques started a business named Host Ultra with his father before dissolving it in 2011. His father had justified the large amounts of money Marques made by claiming he worked at a bank.

Marques was arrested in Ireland on 1 August 2013, on a provisional extradition warrant issued by a United States court on the 29th of July that year.{{cite web | url=https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-30603042.html | date=8 August 2013 | title=US given 10 days to request extradition of child porn suspect | work=Irish Examiner}}{{cite web | url=https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-20238754.html | date=3 August 2013 | title=FBI says Irishman is baron of online child porn | work=Irish Examiner | last1=O'Faolain | first1=Aodhan | last2=Managh | first2=Ray | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201022014412/https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-20238754.html | archive-date=22 October 2020}} The FBI sought to extradite Marques to Maryland on four charges — distributing, conspiring to distribute, and advertising child pornography — as well as aiding and abetting advertising of child pornography. The warrant alleges that Marques was "the largest facilitator of child porn on the planet".{{cite news |url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/eric-eoin-marques-man-branded-3046701 |title=Man branded 'largest facilitator of child porn on the planet' remanded in custody again |first=Jessica |last=Best |work=Daily Mirror |date=21 January 2014 |access-date=29 April 2014}}{{cite web |url=https://blog.torproject.org/blog/tor-security-advisory-old-tor-browser-bundles-vulnerable |title=Tor security advisory: Old Tor Browser Bundles vulnerable |first=Roger |last=Dingledine |work=Tor Project |date=5 August 2013 |access-date=28 April 2014}} His attorneys fought for several years to prevent his extradition to the United States on the grounds that he had Asperger's syndrome and would not receive the appropriate care in a US prison if extradited.{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/irish-man-fighting-extradition-to-us-over-child-abuse-image-charges-has-aspergers-syndrome-court-10242852.html |title=Irish man fighting extradition to US over child abuse image charges has Asperger's syndrome, court hears |first=Lewis |last=Smith |work=Independent |date=11 May 2015 |access-date=27 February 2016}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.irishexaminer.com/viewpoints/analysis/the-irishman-labelled-the-child-porn-kingpin-454978.html|title=The Irishman labelled the 'child porn kingpin'|date=2017-07-17|access-date=2018-06-30|url-status=live|work=Irish Examiner|last1=O'Doherty|first1=Caroline|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201107232213/https://www.irishexaminer.com/business/arid-20454978.html|archive-date=7 November 2020}} In December 2016, the Irish Court of Appeal ruled the extradition should proceed.{{cite web | url=https://www.rte.ie/news/2016/1212/838362-eric-eoin-marques/ | title=Man loses extradition challenge in child abuse images case | work=RTE News | date=16 December 2016 | access-date=21 March 2017 | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161213123627/https://www.rte.ie/news/2016/1212/838362-eric-eoin-marques/ | archive-date=13 December 2016}} This was not the end of his appeal process, however, and his lawyers announced they would make a new appeal to the Supreme Court. This appeal was dismissed by the Irish Supreme Court on 20 March 2019.{{cite web | url=https://www.rte.ie/news/courts/2019/0320/1037484-eric-eoin-marques/ | title=Man loses extradition appeal over pornography charges | last1=Reynolds | first1=Paul | date=20 March 2019 | work=RTE News | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190329141101/https://www.rte.ie/news/courts/2019/0320/1037484-eric-eoin-marques/ | archive-date=29 March 2019}} Marques faced life in prison if tried and convicted in the United States.Aaron Rogan, Ruaidhrí Giblin, [https://www.thetimes.com/world/ireland-world/article/online-child-abuse-host-to-appeal-extradition-ppsz0wbbr 'Dark web host' appeals against US extradition], The Times. December 20, 2016, Accessed March 21, 2017 On 6 February 2020, Marques pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to advertise child abuse images, as part of a plea agreement that would entail a prison term of 15 to 21 years.{{cite web|url=https://apnews.com/333f49180c72bb5efa3baa1a6c4e166b|publisher=The Associated Press|date=February 6, 2020|access-date=July 14, 2020|title=Man dubbed 'largest facilitator' of child abuse images pleads guilty}}{{cite web | url=https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/dark-web-child-pornography-facilitator-pleads-guilty-conspiracy-advertise-child-pornography | title=Dark Web Child Pornography Facilitator Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Advertise Child Pornography | date=6 February 2020 | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210112200738/https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/dark-web-child-pornography-facilitator-pleads-guilty-conspiracy-advertise-child-pornography | archive-date=12 January 2021}} On 6 September 2021, Marques was sentenced to 27 years imprisonment and ordered to forfeit over $154,000.{{cite web | url=https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2021/09/man-once-called-worlds-largest-facilitator-of-child-porn-sentenced-to-27-years/ | title=Man once called world's "largest facilitator of child porn" sentenced to 27 years | work=Ars Technica | last1=Brodkin | first1=Jon | date=16 September 2021 | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210917002028/https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2021/09/man-once-called-worlds-largest-facilitator-of-child-porn-sentenced-to-27-years/ | archive-date=17 September 2021}}{{cite web | url=https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/dark-web-child-pornography-facilitator-sentenced-27-years-prison-conspiracy-advertise-child | date=16 September 2021 | title=Dark Web Child Pornography Facilitator Sentenced to 27 Years in Prison for Conspiracy to Advertise Child Pornography | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210916211149/https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/dark-web-child-pornography-facilitator-sentenced-27-years-prison-conspiracy-advertise-child | archive-date=16 September 2021}}

• HackBB{{cite news|title=Child abuse sites on Tor compromised by malware|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-23573048|access-date=2 August 2015|date=5 August 2013}}
• Lolita City
• Tor Mail{{cite news|last1=Poulsen|first1=Kevin|title=If You Used This Secure Webmail Site, the FBI Has Your Inbox|url=https://www.wired.com/2014/01/tormail/|access-date=30 May 2015|date=27 January 2014}}
• The Hidden Wiki{{cite news|last1=Howell O'Neill|first1=Patrick|title=An in-depth guide to Freedom Hosting, the engine of the Dark Net|url=http://www.dailydot.com/news/eric-marques-tor-freedom-hosting-child-porn-arrest/|access-date=3 August 2015|date=4 August 2013}}

After the closure of Freedom Hosting, a new service, Freedom Hosting II, was created. In 2017, it ran 20 percent of all websites on the Tor network.{{cite news|last1=Cox|first1=Joseph|title=We Talked to the Hacker Who Took Down a Fifth of the Dark Web |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/talking-to-the-hacker-who-took-down-a-fifth-of-the-dark-web/|access-date=June 25, 2017|date=February 4, 2017}} It was taken permanently offline later in 2017 during a coordinated hacking attack.{{cite web | last=ID.nl | first=Redactie | title=Hackers leggen deel 'dark web' plat | website=ID.nl | date=26 August 2022 | url=https://id.nl/huis-en-entertainment/computer-en-gaming/software/hackers-leggen-deel-dark-web-plat | language=nl | access-date=17 April 2024}}{{cite web | last=Smith | first=Daniel | title=The Evolution of the Dark Web – Radware Blog | website=DDoS Services | date=23 August 2017 | url=https://www.radware.com/blog/security/2017/08/dark-web-evolution/ | access-date=17 April 2024}}

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{{Tor hidden services}}

Category:Defunct Tor hidden services

Category:Dark web

Category:Web hosting

Category:Internet properties established in 2008

Category:Internet properties disestablished in 2013

Category:Law enforcement operations against child pornography