Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!solo.csci.unt.edu!vaxb.acs.unt.edu!cirby
From: cirby@vaxb.acs.unt.edu (((((C.Irby)))))
Newsgroups: comp.org.eff.talk
Subject: Re: Computer Porn? Aaaaagh!
Message-ID: <1991Mar21.124347.45868@vaxb.acs.unt.edu>
Date: 21 Mar 91 12:37:47 GMT
References: <1991Mar18.223347.45852@vaxb.acs.unt.edu> <63349@bbn.BBN.COM>
Lines: 91

In article <63349@bbn.BBN.COM>, cosell@bbn.com (Bernie Cosell) writes:
> cirby@vaxb.acs.unt.edu (((((C.Irby))))) writes:
> }The central thought of the story was that children might get to see
> }some pornographic images (they called them "videos") by logging onto
> }a BBS and downloading some GIFs.

> }Here's the good part: the whole story was built on "maybe."
> 
> What is that the good part?  All of the allegations are *true*, right?

The *assumptions* weren't exactly "true."
They didn't *make* any allegations- they said it *could* happen.

They had *zero* examples of kids getting access to porn.  Look at that
"might" in my paragraph above.  Under the same idea, a kid "might"
knock over a liquor store with Dad's shotgun, or "might" break into
a neighbor's house...

I said it before: the whole story was built on "maybe."

> For good or ill, it is quite illegal to distribute "pornography" to
> minors in almost any circumstance [and even to adults in some].  People
> who run an 'adult book store' have a positive duty to prevent that
> material from selling their wares to minors, why should a BBS operator
> be any different?  Or are you arguing that one should be exempt from
> obeying the laws simply because one is on the other side of a modem?
> 

Most of the BBSes down here do *some* checking, and the adult boards 
tend to do more checking than the regular ones.  The story *did* say
that the adult boards checked applicants out.

We're not talking about "being exempt from laws."  We're talking about
being accused of distributing porn to minors- with NO apparent evidence
of a crime.

In other words- they were manufacturing a story.


> 
> }I can hear the outraged parents ripping modems out of the wall already.
> 
> }...and the District Attorneys calling up Arizona for tips on prosecuting
> }computer crime...
> 
> I don't understand, again: many parents *DO* believe that they should
> have some control over what their children learn about sex.  Is that so
> crazy?

No- but when a local TV station uses the "computer" angle to make
the same old pornography issue seem new, we should probably pay 
some sort of attention...

> And since I think the activity almost certainly is illegal, why
> shouldn't the DA be involved?  We can discuss whether the laws on
> pornography, and specifically its distribution to minors, make any
> sense,

No- what we need to do is *ask if a crime has actually been committed*.
According to the news, there *was* no crime- but there *might* be one
sometime.  And as you noticed, there are laws on the books to deal
with the problem.    

The District Attorney in Dallas has *real* crime to deal with.  The
murder rate is very high here- but some person suddenly wants to
restrict BBSes just because their kid could do something wrong?

[Note: I *know* that some kids get access to pornogifs.  But 90%
of the ones I've seen in their possession come from friends.  And 
it's still *much* easier to get porn over-the-counter.
Bandwidth alone keeps most of the stuff on the Internet...]

> but your content-free, seemingly ill informed mocking hardly
> adds anything worthwhile to that discussion.

"Content-free?"  "Seemingly ill-informed?"
Go back and read the original post.  My comments weren't really
about porn in the hands of kids.  I was pointing out a badly-done
TV news story with little substance.  The point was:

A television station took a story about computer porn GIFs and
tried to turn it into a "kids and porn" story.  It was clumsy,
poorly-documented, and could cause some problems for those of
us with no interest in that stuff.

-- 
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