Lighthouse Shines Light on Crypto-Enabled Child Abuse Networks

Operation Lighthouse, a multi-day crypto-intelligence sprint led by Chainalysis, has delivered 14,300 investigative leads across 11 cryptocurrency exchanges and payment services. The operation focused on crypto-enabled child sexual abuse material (CSAM) networks.

The initiative brought together law enforcement agencies, private-sector partners, and specialized nonprofits in a coordinated public-private effort. Participants included Europol, the Australian Federal Police, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the UK National Crime Agency, Binance, Coinbase, Block, and the Internet Watch Foundation.

During the operation, investigators examined 29,120 cryptocurrency addresses and digital identifiers. This led to the identification of 7,700+ suspect accounts across 125 countries, including 16 registered sex offenders.