The typical child pornographer, according to the center, is single and white and male. He could be any age. He is normally well respected in his community. He often works in a position of trust, like a pastor, teacher or coach. His victims are seldom strangers. They are his neighbors' kids, his nieces and nephews or, often, his own children. These men exist behind anonymous usernames in a sordid online underworld hidden from public view. Still, they find each other, often through primitive software known as Internet Relay Chat, which allows participants to create public forums. Since its creation in the 1980s, chat room topics have been diverse. Offerings are as benign as knitting and as disturbing as pedophilia. Because the system is unregulated, users often make no effort to hide their interests, according to Neil O'Callaghan of the federal Cyber Crimes Center. He knew of one forum titled: "Rape, torture and murder children." The men use code words. Young boys, for instance, are referred to as "asparagus." New contacts typically invite each other to a private chat on mainstream sites like Yahoo or Hotmail. Within online communities, hierarchies form. The people who produce the most heinous images are given access to the most desired content. "They try to one-up each other," Foucart said. "It almost becomes competitive."