CNN: Child Porn Raids in 13 Countries

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) -- European police have raided 150 addresses in 13 countries in a coordinated operation against a major child pornography ring, Europol said Tuesday.


The European joint police force said the operation, code-named Icebreaker, netted computers, videos and evidence of the sexual abuse of children.


It was "the largest international police operation ever coordinated and supported by Europol within this area of crime," said a statement from the Netherlands-based agency. It was unclear how many people were detained.


Europol said national authorities, under the leadership of Italian police, "successfully targeted suspected members of Internet child abuse networks who download and exchange pictures of molested children."

More: http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/europe/06/14/porn.raid.ap/index.html

[GAspnes]

1. Go get'em

Just make sure the evidence is solid.

[gmoney]

2. In a related story: Pete Townsend is planning his next European tour...

Joke! I'm kidding Pete... honest. Gary Glitter would have been more accurate, but nobody in the US knows about him and his troubles.

Interviewer: Mr. Glitter, tell us about your youth...

Gary Glitter: Well, they're all filed alphabetically...

[sasquatch]

3. What Dick Cheney gonna do on the weekends now?

:shrug:

[Bigmack]

4. Fake porn...

I am NOT trying to hijack this post, but I've been wondering for some time about the kind of porn where they either digitally alter the participants (who are over 18) to look like children, or else they use digitally created "children".

I haven't actually seen either kind, but I've heard about them, and am wondering about the legality of digital porn like that. It seems like pedophiles would like them, but since the "actors" aren't actually children, the peds couldn't be prosecuted.

One further question... What do they prosecute a person for if they catch him communicating with a kid for sexual purposes over the Net, but there really is no kid... it's a cop?

[mongo]

6. it is my understanding

That the portions of the Online Child Protection Act (COPA) that made these images that are fake and not actual pictures of childern, was overturned by the 3rd circuit court.

The basic problem is that it made ANY depiction of a sexual act by an adult actor playing a minor also illegal. The movie The Blue Lagoon would have been child pornography under COPA.

Not that I am supporting photoshoping images of adults to look like children. Or adults obviously playing underage kids in pornos.

As far as prosecuting internet pedophiles, Here's the Ohio law. Most states have a similar law:

§ 2907.07. Importuning.

(A) No person shall solicit a person who is less than thirteen years of age to engage in sexual activity with the offender, whether or not the offender knows the age of such person.

(B) No person shall solicit another, not the spouse of the offender, to engage in sexual conduct with the offender, when the offender is eighteen years of age or older and four or more years older than the other person, and the other person is thirteen years of age or older but less than sixteen years of age, whether or not the offender knows the age of the other person.

(C) No person shall solicit another by means of a telecommunications device, as defined in section 2913.01 of the Revised Code, to engage in sexual activity with the offender when the offender is eighteen years of age or older and either of the following applies:

(1) The other person is less than thirteen years of age, and the offender knows that the other person is less than thirteen years of age or is reckless in that regard.

(2) The other person is a law enforcement officer posing as a person who is less than thirteen years of age, and the offender believes that the other person is less than thirteen years of age or is reckless in that regard.

(D) No person shall solicit another by means of a telecommunications device, as defined in section 2913.01 of the Revised Code, to engage in sexual activity with the offender when the offender is eighteen years of age or older and either of the following applies:

(1) The other person is thirteen years of age or older but less than sixteen years of age, the offender knows that the other person is thirteen years of age or older but less than sixteen years of age or is reckless in that regard, and the offender is four or more years older than the other person.

(2) The other person is a law enforcement officer posing as a person who is thirteen years of age or older but less than sixteen years of age, the offender believes that the other person is thirteen years of age or older but less than sixteen years of age or is reckless in that regard, and the offender is four or more years older than the age the law enforcement officer assumes in posing as the person who is thirteen years of age or older but less than sixteen years of age.

(E) Divisions (C) and (D) of this section apply to any solicitation that is contained in a transmission via a telecommunications device that either originates in this state or is received in this state.

(F) Whoever violates this section is guilty of importuning. A violation of division (A) or (C) of this section is a felony of the fourth degree on a first offense and a felony of the third degree on each subsequent offense. A violation of division (B) or (D) of this section is a felony of the fifth degree on a first offense and a felony of the fourth degree on each subsequent offense.

[Sean Reynolds]

5. Wasn't Michael Jackson moving to France?

:D