US 'worst' for online child abuse

[dreamer]

LINK.http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/5195460.stm

More than 50% of online images of child abuse reported to an internet watchdog can be traced to the US, a report says. Investigations by the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) found nearly 2,500 US sites containing illegal images. The IWF study also said that some sites that contain the illegal content remain accessible for up to five years despite being reported to relevant authorities. In April the US Attorney General proposed changes in the law to tackle the problem. The proposals by Alberto Gonzales included new laws that would require Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to report images of child abuse. In June a Technology Coalition comprising Microsoft, Time Warner AOL, Yahoo, Earthlink United Online and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) also announced plans to tackle online child abuse in the US. The IWF, which is based in the UK, said that the reason why the US hosted the majority of illegal content was because the country has the most ISPs and the most web traffic in the world.

I find it interesting why these sites don't get closed sooner, From when they first get there domain names, i always thought domains were checked.

[Lullaby Chainer]

Quote by: dreamer LINK.http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/5195460.stm I find it interesting why these sites don't get closed sooner, From when they first get there domain names, i always thought domains were checked.

I'm not aware of internet censorship in this area. Could you kindly direct me to such a law?

[Chris]

child porn is illegal though.... Its not censorship.

[Lullaby Chainer]

Quote by: |Chris| child porn is illegal though.... Its not censorship.

So is murder. You can still show it online.

[dreamer]

Quote by: Lullaby Chainer I'm not aware of internet censorship in this area. Could you kindly direct me to such a law?

link.http://news.com.com/2100-1023-200684.html

New York: The best-known online decency law at the state level was knocked down by a federal court in New York last Friday. Like the CDA, the New York law targeted Net users who made "harmful" material depicting "actual or simulated nudity, sexual conduct, or sadomasochistic abuse" available to minors over the Net. Violators would have been punished with up to four years in prison. The law was passed last November. Although the suit filed against the law by the American Library Association and the ACLU argued that the law violated the First Amendment, U.S. District Judge Loretta Preska's decision didn't address the free speech issue. Instead, she ruled that the New York law violated the Constitution's interstate commerce clause, which prohibits one state from regulating another's commercial activity. Oklahoma: A law passed in May of 1996 prohibits employees at state agencies and educational institutions from storing obscene material on their computer systems. University of Oklahoma professor Bill Loving has challenged the law at higher institutions of learning. A separate Oklahoma law adopted in April of 1995 makes it illegal to transmit material over the Net deemed "harmful to minors." Virginia: The state restricts use of publicly funded computers to search for, post, print, or store "sexually explicit" material "showing the female breast with less than a fully opaque covering of any portion thereof below the top of the nipple" or images of "sexual bestiality, sexual excitement, conduct or sadomasochistic abuse, human male or female genitals, pubic area, or buttocks." The law took effect July 1, 1996. In May, six professors challenged the law on the grounds that it violates their First Amendment rights to speak and teach freely. California: The state last December extended an existing law defining obscenity and child pornography statutes to prohibit transmission of pornographic images by computer. Legislation pending in the state's judiciary committee would also make it a crime for adults to seduce a minor or to distribute "harmful" material to children using the Internet, email, or a commercial online service. Illinois and North Carolina: These states passed laws in 1995 and 1996 respectively to prohibit the use of a computer for the sexual solicitation of a minor. Kansas, Maryland, Montana, and Texas: All four states have extended child pornography statutes to prohibit the distribution of pornographic images over computer networks or the storage of such images on a computer.

Well the only thing i can find is a few states doing the own laws.