This is an example of exactly the sort of sting operation that Hance and I have been saying we need a lot more of to solve the online child predator problem. Law enforcement officials have arrested 125 people nationwide as a result of a massive sting operation to root out Internet child pornography. According to the Reuters report: “Those arrested are accused of using a commercial Web site to access videos and images of hard-core pornography involving children as young as infants engaged in sexual activities with adults, according to federal officials.”
“When I say ‘hard-core’ pornography, I am talking about child pornography that includes images of children as young as six months involved in bondage and sodomy,” U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie said. “This type of depraved conduct is something a civilized society cannot tolerate.”
Amen to that. This now becomes a good case study to see if our government is really serious about this issue. Will our government do the right thing and put these scumbags behind bars for a long, long time, or will they give them a slap on the wrist and let them walk after just a few years of hard time, meaning they’ll be out on the streets and behind keyboards again soon?
As always, I say lock ’em up and throw away the key. Again, that’s the more sensible approach than the current move to regulate the Internet and social networking sites through intrusive age verification schemes or data retention mandates.
The Technology Liberation Front is the tech policy blog dedicated to keeping politicians' hands off the 'net and everything else related to technology.
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