The Darkest Web: 1. Meeting a monster

The podcast follows US Homeland Security special agents Greg Squire and Pete Manning as they combat child sexual abuse, focusing on their early work and the evolution of their tactics. It begins with a case involving a young boy in the Netherlands, whose abuse images lead to the arrest of Robert Micklesons and the discovery of a vast network of child abuse. The agents travel to Amsterdam to interview Micklesons, aiming to understand his motivations and methods. This encounter exposes them to the dark web and the TOR network, prompting them to investigate online child exploitation. The agents then focus on identifying a 12-year-old American girl, "Lucy," whose abuse images are found on Micklesons' hard drive, using forensic analysis and considering innovative approaches like involving Facebook to locate her.