However, imagine a scenario where certain individuals wielding their advanced computer expertise employ it for positive purposes.
Enter Ryan Montgomery, a hacker who has embraced the noble path. Dubbed a "white hat hacker" or an ethical hacker, this 29-year-old virtuoso hails from Pennsylvania.
Having transitioned from online mischief-making, Ryan now dedicates his skills to assisting authorities in dismantling networks involved in the exploitation of children.
From The Epoch Times:
His stepping from the shadows into the light was spurred on by a text message he received from a distressed friend in 2020; but his journey into cyberspace began much earlier. Montgomery began hacking almost in the womb: in the days of Napster and AOL, at age 11.
Montgomery stared at his phone in shock, and felt sick to the stomach. He was at a friend’s house when he got the text and probably would have lost his lunch, were it not still morning. “PLEASE! This is an all-pedo site sharing videos of little girls, talking about how they raped and abused children,” it read. It continued, “Felt sick after reading that stuff on his website. These people all need to be found!” There was a link to the website “Rapey.co.”
There were screenshots of three children in bathing suits with wording of the darkest carnality. “Who wants to gangbang these little sluts?” the title went. “I got dibs on the one in the middle,” read the description, next to which there was a tag, “Pick One for Yourself.” The phrases “making her scream” and “gently grooming her” were somehow exceeded in their vileness by the declaration, “I need someone who wants to impregnate my little 16-year-old.”
In that instant, Montgomery was triggered to take immediate action the most effective way he knew how. Leaving his friend’s house, he got on the website and found a way to exfiltrate data en mass, collecting usernames, incriminating threads, and descriptions of acts beyond the pale. Day in and day out, he worked, until he had a compelling stockpile of evidence. He did not lift photos from the site, as he knew that was illicit material.
With this ample ammunition in hand, he contacted NCMEC, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, via their child pornography cyber tipline and sent over the damning database. “I never heard anything from them,” Montgomery told the newspaper, though he found it “ironic” what recently came out in a press release. Shortly after his hacking, there were arrests.
Ryan is a shining example of the type of hackers we desperately need, particularly in an era where children are vulnerable targets in the online realm.
Hats off to you, Ryan! Your exceptional efforts are truly commendable, and the impact of your work is nothing short of amazing!
