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In Reply to: Re: It's tricky posted by Rocky on December 17, 2003 at 00:01:28:
Laws in the US are so broad and vague that you don't even have to have a photo of an actual child to be convicted. It can be an adult who just looks underage. Here is a link from the American Civil Liberties Union website:
http://archive.aclu.org/news/w081397c.html
The whole thing gets even more nuts when computers get involved.
All I'm suggesting is that people who aren't carrying a badge and a gun should be very careful about handling this kind of material. Especially careful about sending it to each other via the Internet or by mail, which is what I think was being suggested in the initial message in this tread.
I think that child pornography is a horrible thing, and the people who are involved in it should go to jail forever. However, I also think that law enforcement in this country have gone totally overboard with some of the newer laws. For example, you can get arrested in the US for having magazine and newspaper ads featuring children in their underwear if law enforcement thinks they can make a case that you had those ads to use in a purient nature.
There is a witch hunt mentality on this issue right now, which is particularly disturbing since virtually every computer that has been connected to the Internet has some kind of porn on it. I've been asked by a 65 year old grandmother if I could do anything about the unsolicited emails she gets on a daily basis featuring "Hot Horny Teen Sluts", complete with full color photos.
