In an interview with Tansa, Nitta said illegal images were “not good,” but he hadn’t been concerned enough to permanently stop his business.

(Illustration by qnel)

Malaysia resident Keisuke Nitta had been responsible for operating three image-sharing applications: in chronological order, Photo Capsule, Video Container, and Album Collection. Nitta himself acknowledged that he continuously operated them from September 2014 to March 2020.

Sexual images, including illegal ones, proliferated on all three apps.

December 2023, Tansa Editor-in-Chief Makoto Watanabe and I interviewed Nitta in person when he temporarily returned to Japan from Malaysia.

Nitta claimed that he had remade the apps to renew their image and prevent the numerous illegal activities that occurred therein. However, in reality, when Video Container ended its services, Nitta guided users to his next site, Album Collection. As a result, sexual images also spread on Album Collection.

Nitta explained that he had guided users to the new app because “it would be a problem if users left.”

We suspected that, in the end, making money had taken precedence over preventing crime.

And we had evidence to support our belief.

The message board with “benefits for both”

Our evidence was the “Photo Capsule Password Database Message Board,” which we found while investigating the app’s past data. As far as records show, the message board was operated from October 2014 to October 2015.

The site description states, “This site, the ‘Photo Capsule Password Database Message Board,’ is a database for users that benefits both those who upload and download photo capsules.”

“Password” refers to the passwords required to download images.

Why was this message board necessary? What were the so-called benefits? The site explained as follows.

“Benefits for those posting capsules
By posting passwords on this site, you can expect increased exposure for the passwords themselves and positive effects from the publicity.

 

“Benefits for those who want to download capsules
By regularly checking this database, you can download great capsules for free during the keyless download period.”

In other words, contributors could use the database as a tool to promote their “product” to an unspecified number of people. For those downloading images, it meant they could obtain normally paid images during the free periods.

Similar message board also used by a convicted operator

The message board contradicted the app’s purported service.

Photo Capsule originally touted itself as a service used to share images among family and friends.

However, the message board spread images to an unspecified number of people, encouraging users to post images that others would be willing to pay to download. As a result, users posted a large number of passwords indicating child sexual abuse images and other illegal images, leading to their further trade.

This led me to believe that apps like Photo Capsule operated by Nitta and others used sexual images as a major source for their profits.

Photo Capsule’s rival app, “Photo Box,” also launched a message board site for posting passwords.

In 2017, the operator was convicted of violating the Child Pornography Prohibition Act and other charges, and faced a punishment of two and a half years in prison, with four years suspended, and a fine of 4 million yen (about $28,200).

He testified at his trial that the message board had imitated Photo Capsule, which generates revenue from child sexual abuse images.

Passwords posted on the message board in January 2015,there were hidden words written meant transactions of CSAM videos

The IP addresses matched

In our interview, I asked Nitta about the “Photo Capsule Password Database Message Board.” (Brackets have been added by Tansa.)

“We were aware that there were things [the message board] that we didn’t operate,” he said.

However, when we checked this point with the white-hat hackers, we found that the IP address and hosting service contractor for Photo Capsule’s website and the message board site were identical. It was likely that Nitta, Photo Capsule’s operator, also set up the message board.

I questioned Nitta on this point.

“We checked the message board’s IP address. It matched that of Photo Capsule’s then website,” I said.

Nitta seemed at a loss for how to answer.

“Ah, and was that me?” he asked. “I don’t know anything about it.”

“If I had to guess, I’d say it was the previous operator,” Nitta said.

Nitta began operating Photo Capsule in September 2014. The message board’s data began in October of the same year. The time periods also matched.

However, Nitta only repeated vague answers and didn’t admit to anything.

Nitta said child sexual abuse images “weren’t good”

Through the interview, to my eyes Nitta didn’t seem to care about the harm caused by the proliferation of sexual images.

He defended himself by saying that he shared information with the police when illegal image transactions were found, and that he changed the app functions to prevent further harm. However, he never spoke of regret or feeling sorry for the victims.

Watanabe posed questions to confirm Nitta’s sentiments.

“Did you ever see the victims’ pictures or videos, such as when images were reported?” he asked.

“Ah, that’s right. Yes,” Nitta responded.

“What did you think when you saw them?” Watanabe followed.

“I don’t think it’s good,” Nitta said.

“Of course it’s not good, but didn’t it pain you, or make you feel you had to stop this kind of harm as soon as possible?” Watanabe pressed.

“Hm, well, I don’t think this kind of thing should happen,” Nitta said.

No further answers were forthcoming.

Transferring the hotbed of crime

Nitta said he had operated Photo Capsule, Video Container, and Album Collection essentially alone for five and a half years. He had been unable to prevent the spread sexual images at every stage.

Nitta said he transferred Album Collection to Eclipse Inc. in Hawaii in March 2020, because he “felt there was no end” to the need to respond to the police and user arrests. However, even after March 2020, Album Collection continued to be a hotbed of crime until it ceased operations in January 2024.

Why had Nitta transferred Album Collection, a business rife with criminal activity?

“You say you also wanted to stop the damage. If so, why didn’t you take down the app?” Watanabe asked.

“Hm. But who is most at fault in this situation?” Nitta asked in return.

He was implying that the users who posted illegal images were at fault.

But if Nitta had stopped operating the app once he felt he could no longer handle users’ illegal activity, the harm caused therein would have stopped.

We also asked Nitta for details about Eclipse, the Hawaiian company to which he had transferred Album Collection. Nitta said he had met William Leal, the company’s representative, once.

To be continued.

(Originally published in Japanese on June 20, 2024.)

Uploaded and Re-Uploaded: All articles