pornography3

Net users can help fight child porn
The FBI announced Monday that it had charged dozens of people for using
computers and the Internet to distribute child pornography. Those caught in the
sweep, called ``Operation Candyman,'' allegedly used e-mail and the Web to
distribute the clandestine material. The group had 7,000 members, the
Department of Justice said. Child pornography, defined by federal law as a visual
depiction of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct, has been around for
centuries, but the Internet has given it new life. The same Internet we rely on for
news, information and communications is also used to distribute this hideous
material in what Attorney General John Ashcroft described as ``the dark corners
of cyberspace.''
Though an increasing number of law enforcement agents are on the prowl for
child pornography, many of the cases that come to their attention are reported by
Internet users and Internet service providers. The CyberTipline
(www.cybertipline.com, 800-843-5678), was established in 1998 as a way for
Internet users and Internet service providers to report online crimes against
children, including child pornography and online enticement, such as an adult
using a chat room to arrange to meet a child for sex.
The CyberTipline has so far received more than 65,000 leads -- all but about 4,000
having something to do with the Internet. The vast majority (56,000) were about
child pornography. It is operated by the National Center for Missing and Exploited
Children (NCMEC), with financial support from the Secret Service and the
Department of Justice.
Reports are forwarded to appropriate federal law enforcement agencies
including the FBI, U.S. Customs Service and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
(Disclosure: I serve on the board of directors of NCMEC, a publicly and privately
funded non-profit organization that serves as a national clearinghouse and
resource center for child protection.)
Anyone can make a report to the CyberTipline. Although you are encouraged to
provide as much detail as possible, you are not required to give your name or any
other personal information. Internet service providers are required by federal
law to use the CyberTipline to report suspected cases of child pornography.
And don't be surprised if you or even your children come across this material.
Although many people who trade child pornography are clandestine, some of it is
out in the open or thinly veiled. I receive e-mail messages on a regular basis from
readers who have stumbled upon what they believe to be child porn. If you come
across it, you definitely should file a report, but you should not download, save or
print any images. Don't forward images to anyone, including the CyberTipline or
law enforcement. The mere possession or transmission of this type of material is
against the law, and even if your motives are honorable, you could be in legal
jeopardy if you store it or pass it along.
In 1999 a veteran radio reporter was sentenced to 18 months in jail for
possession of child pornography that, he claimed, was being collected for use in
a story. An appeals court upheld his conviction despite objections from the
Society of Professional Journalists, National Public Radio and other organizations.
Make a note of where you found it, such as a specific URL, FTP site, IRC Chat
room, e-mail message or newsgroup. The form at the CyberTipline will ask you for
this and other specific information.
It's important to distinguish between child pornography, which is illegal, and adult
pornography or sexually explicit material that is protected by the First
Amendment. Web sites, newsgroup and even unsolicited e-mail messages that
are sexually explicit -- even if you find them offensive -- aren't necessarily against
the law. There are plenty of Web sites that claim to have sexually explicit pictures
of ``teens'' who are ``barely legal,'' but often the models used are over 18. While
many people find such material objectionable, it is not illegal. Nor is it necessarily
illegal for someone to send you unsolicited e-mail, inviting you to look at such
material. Sometimes it is difficult to tell by looking if the models are over or under
18. Don't try to figure this out yourself. Report it to the CyberTipline and let
trained professionals take it from there.
Our laws against child pornography are designed to protect children from
exploitation, but the practice doesn't only affect the children who are depicted.
The increasingly widespread distribution of child pornography increases risk for
all children because, in the minds of some people, it legitimizes both the
pornography itself and abuse of children. People who collect or frequently view
child pornography, according to experts, begin to see the practice as ``normal.''
After all, ``lots of people do it, so it can't be all that perverse.''