Comments on: Your ISP as Net watchdog

Feds mull having Internet service providers retain records of their customers' online activities.

[phenyl]

Somebody Who Sees It

Finally, somebody who seems to see the situation for what it is.

Title 18 secton 2252 contains provisions for outlawing the production and sale of child porn. The process of doing these two things takes an awful toll on some children, and the parts of 2252 that punish such behavior are appropriate.

However, there is a section of 2252 that is unbelievably restrictive regarding the simple possession of child porn. The punishment for simply viewing such a picture is absurdly draconian, and is mandatory.

I find it creepy that someone would want to view this stuff. But combine the miniscule behavior that results in a horrific sentence with the ease of having that "contraband" hacked onto your computer, and this is obviously nothing more than a way to induce terror into the computer-using public's mind.

Let's not forget that it was written, in part, by Mark Foley, of sexual-pervert fame.

All of this is a recipe to, at very minimum, force unknowing and innocent victims to spend all their life's savings to prove they had no idea such a thing was on their computers.

This is the wrong way to attack this problem. Prosecute manufacturers and sellers, yes. Prosecute hapless net users who know little of the security issues and dangers, and you have definitely stepped over the line.

Here is my solution, and I am implementing it immediately.

Every week in the mail, for years, I have received a little card with two photos of missing children on it. Usually, it is actually one missing child and one person with whom that child was last seen. I RELIGIOUSLY (and I don't do much else religiously) made DAMN SURE I looked at those photos carefully, just to see whether I had run across anyone in them in recent memory.

Starting today, ALL such cards will be the first into the shredder, and I'll make the trip from the mailbox to the shredder with my driving glasses on so I cannot see the pictures.

Same with billboards. I will NEVER call any toll-free number, even if I recognize a missing child. And I will not report any crime I see being committed against a person I perceive to be under the age of 18.

These new rules will remain in effect as long as the ridiculous, jack-booted thug section of 2252 is on the books.

The cause of protecting children has lost a very valuable asset. I hope that it loses yet more, and realizes that it better get back to the job of protecting actual children rather than terrorizing innocent computer users.