Operation Lighthouse tracks 7,700 suspect accounts in CSAM crackdown

The initiative brought together law enforcement agencies, including the Australian Federal Police, Europol, and the UK’s National Crime Agency, alongside private-sector firms such as Binance, Coinbase, and Block. By combining blockchain transaction records with internal data from exchanges and payment services, participants mapped financial activity tied to distributors and marketplace administrators. The effort successfully flagged 16 accounts directly associated with registered sex offenders.

While cryptocurrency represents a smaller share of overall CSAM-related finance, its use has risen as offenders attempt to obscure trails via privacy coins like Monero or instant exchangers that bypass standard verification. The investigation focused on priority targets rather than general training, using months of pre-sprint data enrichment to pinpoint activity. Participating exchanges are now processing these leads to support account-level investigations and potential legal action, leveraging the transparency of public blockchain records to connect illicit payments to identifiable services.