People
The Internet Takedown Index records the people publicly named in the takedowns it documents: defendants, alleged operators, administrators, developers, affiliates, and facilitators.
49 named people across 27 takedowns
A person's presence in this database does not imply guilt. Status language follows the public record and keeps allegations, charges, arrests, convictions, and sentences apart.
| Person | Role | Takedown | Status | Jurisdiction | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jong Woo Son , No alias recorded | Operator of Welcome to Video | Welcome to Video seizure | Arrested, Indicted, Convicted | South Korea / United States | Aug 2018 |
| Joseph Hakan Ayik , No alias recorded | Distributor of ANOM hardened encrypted devices | Operation Trojan Shield | Charged | Australia | Jun 2021 |
| Kim Dotcom , Also known as: Kim Schmitz | Founder and controlling figure of Megaupload | Megaupload seizure | Charged, Arrested | United States / New Zealand | Jan 2012 |
| Mathias Ortmann , No alias recorded | Megaupload executive | Megaupload seizure | Arrested | New Zealand | Jan 2012 |
| Maxim Rudometov , No alias recorded | Alleged developer/administrator of RedLine Stealer | Operation Magnus (RedLine and META infostealers) | Charged | Russia | Oct 2024 |
| Michael Lacey , No alias recorded | Co-founder of Backpage.com | Backpage.com seizure | Charged | United States | Apr 2018 |
| Mikhail Pavlovich Matveev , Also known as: Wazawaka, m1x, Boriselcin, Uhodiransomwar | Ransomware affiliate associated with LockBit, Babuk, and Hive | Operation Cronos wave 1 | Charged | United States / Russia | May 2023 |
| Mikhail Vasiliev , No alias recorded | LockBit affiliate | Operation Cronos wave 1 | Arrested, Sentenced, Pleaded guilty, Extradited | Canada / United States | Jul 2024 |
| Minh Quốc Nguyễn , No alias recorded | Operator of ChipMixer | ChipMixer takedown | Charged, Publicly wanted | Jurisdiction not recorded | Mar 2023 |
| Miwand Zakhimi , No alias recorded | Distributor of ANOM hardened encrypted devices | Operation Trojan Shield | Charged | Jurisdiction not recorded | Jun 2021 |
| Osemah Elhassen , No alias recorded | ANOM device distributor | Operation Trojan Shield | Sentenced | United States | Jan 2024 |
| Ross William Ulbricht , Also known as: Dread Pirate Roberts, DPR | Founder and sole controlling administrator of Silk Road | Silk Road seizure | Arrested, Charged, Convicted, Sentenced, Released | United States | Jan 2025 |
| Rostislav Panev , No alias recorded | Alleged LockBit developer | Operation Cronos wave 1 | Arrested, Extradited | Israel / United States | Mar 2025 |
| Ruslan Magomedovich Astamirov , No alias recorded | LockBit affiliate | Operation Cronos wave 1 | Arrested, Pleaded guilty | United States | Jul 2024 |
| Rustam Rafailevich Gallyamov , Also known as: bentley, topinquiring | Leader and developer of the Qakbot botnet | Operation Endgame wave 2 | Charged, Publicly wanted | United States / Russia | May 2025 |
| Sebastien Vachon-Desjardins , No alias recorded | NetWalker affiliate | NetWalker ransomware disruption | Charged, Sentenced | United States / Canada | Jan 2022 |
| Sergei Makinin , No alias recorded | Developer of IPStorm | IPStorm botnet dismantlement | Pleaded guilty | Jurisdiction not recorded | Nov 2023 |
| Seyyed Hossein Hosseini , No alias recorded | Distributor of ANOM hardened encrypted devices | Operation Trojan Shield | Charged | Jurisdiction not recorded | Jun 2021 |
| Shane Ngakuru , No alias recorded | Distributor of ANOM hardened encrypted devices | Operation Trojan Shield | Charged | Jurisdiction not recorded | Jun 2021 |
| Steven W. Chase , No alias recorded | Creator and lead administrator of Playpen | Operation Pacifier / Playpen | Convicted | United States | No dated action |
| Unidentified individual known as "Brain" , Also known as: Brain | Alleged operator of Radar/Dispossessor | Radar/Dispossessor ransomware disruption | Publicly wanted | Jurisdiction not recorded | Aug 2024 |
| Valeriia Ermakova , No alias recorded | Alleged operator of Z-Library | Z-Library domain seizure | Charged, Arrested | Argentina | Nov 2022 |
| Wilhan Martono , No alias recorded | Owner/operator of CityXGuide | CityXGuide seizure | Charged | Jurisdiction not recorded | Jun 2020 |
| YunHe Wang , Also known as: Tom Long, Jack Wat, Wang Yun He | Administrator of the 911 S5 residential proxy botnet | 911 S5 botnet dismantlement | Arrested, Sanctioned, Charged | Singapore / United States | May 2024 |
Showing 26 to 49 of 49 people
Not everyone in a takedown is named
Authorities often report a number of arrests without publishing names. Those counts stay on the takedown record, so this list is smaller than the reported arrest totals.
A role is an allegation until a court says otherwise
The role column repeats the role stated in the public record. Where no conviction is recorded, it remains an accusation and nothing more.
Reviewed to August 20, 2026
Where a case left the public record before it concluded, the last recorded action is the last one published. A missing outcome is not an outcome.