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.''
