Sender: •••@••.••• Craig A. Johnson" wrote: >Without knowing all the details, I think we can cautiously applaud >this bust by the Feds. While I would have to applaud the apprehension of anyone who abuses children, I hope we don't get carried away and miss the zinger at the end of the times article and I quote: >``We are not going to permit exciting new technology to be misused >to exploit and injure children,'' Attorney General Janet Reno said >Wednesday in announcing the arrests. This was at the beginning and is something that most people would easily agree with. > >Lawmakers have debated whether to impose restrictions on the use >of computer networks. On Wednesday, a bill making it illegal to use >computers to produce child pornography was introduced by Sen. >Orrin G. Hatch, R-Utah, who is chairman of the Judiciary >Committee. Who'd want to oppose this idea? But, perhaps we'd better look a little more closely at what they want to do. . . . >The measure would expand the definition of child pornography to >include any photograph, film, videotape or computer image >produced by any means, including electronically by computer, if it >depicts or appears to depict a minor engaging in sexually explicit >conduct. ````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` `````````````` Wait a minute, what are they really saying here. Under a provision like this, the movie Romeo and Juliet would suddenly become kiddy porn. >``Today, visual depictions of children engaging in any imaginable >form of sexual conduct can be produced entirely by computer, >without using children, thereby placing such depictions outside the >scope of federal law,'' Hatch said in a statement. Suddenly we've got a person's fantasies turned into a criminal act. Now that's a thought crime if I ever heard of one. Of course, Reno said, ``We are not going to permit exciting new technology to be misused to exploit and injure children.'' But, Orin Hatch chairs the Senate Juciciary. And you know, if you think about it, the two positions are not necessarily contradictory. >``Computers can also be used to alter sexually explicit >photographs, films and videos in such a way as to make it >impossible for prosecutors to identify individuals, or to prove that the >offending material was produced using children.'' Under current law, the adult industry is forced to maintain strict records of the names and proof of age of all of their performers in sexually explicit movies. Anyone currently disseminating such material can already be presumed to be disseminating kiddy porn by the law. While the computer can be a tool wielded by a criminal in the commission of a crime, there is no need to criminalize the tool merely for being used. The only logical reason for such criminalization would be if it really had a deterent factor. Do you really think someone who has been involved in sexually abusing a child, videotaping it and producing multiple copies for dissemination to others would be deterred by such a law? Maybe I get too cynical about these things, but just add together the numbers of people involved in this kind of criminal activity out the millions of individuals on line, factor in the play the story is being given in the media, add in the draconian nature of the pending Deregulation bill and Hatches' bill and all the bills in all the states around the country, then go ahead and wonder why the story broke just now even though the surveilance had been going on for two years? BobbyLilly, Chairperson Cailifornians Against Censorship Together http://www.calact.org (under construction) ~=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=~=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=~-~=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=~=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=~ Posted by -- Andrew Oram -- •••@••.••• -- Cambridge, Mass., USA Moderator: CYBER-RIGHTS (CPSR) World Wide Web: http://jasper.ora.com/andyo/cyber-rights/cyber-rights.html http://www.cs.virginia.edu/~hwh6k/public/cyber-rights.html FTP: ftp://jasper.ora.com/pub/andyo/cyber-rights You are encouraged to forward and cross-post messages and online materials, pursuant to any contained copyright & redistribution restrictions. ~=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=~=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=~-~=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=~=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=~
