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UK Proposes Banning Computer Generated Abuse

peterprior writes "The UK Justice Minister is planning to outlaw computer generated images and drawings of child sex abuse. While photographs and videos of child sex abuse are already illegal, undoubtedly to protect children from being exploited by these acts, what children will be protected by this new law? If there is no actual child involved is the law merely protecting against the possibility of offenders committing future crimes against real children?"

740 comments

  1. That's it! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Any further goatse, 2 girls 1 cup, or tubgirl links will result in the poster being modded -1 Troll and reported to the UK computer police.

    1. Re:That's it! by PinkyDead · · Score: 1

      You mean the poo in 2Girls1Cup was CGI!

      I have to say, I always suspected it.

      --
      Genesis 1:32 And God typed :wq!
    2. Re:That's it! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Reminds me of the time my sister demonstrated how realistic a fake dog turd was compared to a real one but putting it on the floor, then picking up the wrong one.... :)

    3. Re:That's it! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I still haven't been able to bring myself to watch it :(

    4. Re:That's it! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    5. Re:That's it! by fbjon · · Score: 1
      I guess it's hard for some, but I don't think it's that bad. If you notice certain cuts, you'll also notice that it's unlikely real stuff that they are handling in the beginning. That makes it pretty lame. Videos of people getting hurt is what really wrenches my stomach.


      Anyway, back on topic. The purpose of the law is probably the same as banning possession (not just distribution) of child porn: jacking off to certain types of porn makes you more like what the porn suggests. Supposedly.


      Sounds similar to the argument against video game violence to me.

      --
      True confidence comes not from realising you are as good as your peers, but that your peers are as bad as you are.
    6. Re:That's it! by FMZ · · Score: 5, Funny

      First they came for the pedophiles, and I did not speak out - because I was not a pedophile. Then they came for the anal stretchers, and I did not speak out - because I was not Goatse. Then they came for the girls who like to share cups of feces, and I did not speak out - because I was not a girl with a friend with a cup. Then they came for me - and there was no one left to speak for me.

    7. Re:That's it! by Gription · · Score: 1

      No one is thinking mainstream enough.

      Think Bart Simpson getting throttled by Homer. Matt Groening is going down!
      (The Simpsons... Now that is a pathway to a sick porn addiction!)

    8. Re:That's it! by LucidBeast · · Score: 1

      Please arrest poster of parent that who is FMZ. Posting jokes, which don't make me laught constitutes CGA IMHO.

    9. Re:That's it! by Wooky_linuxer · · Score: 4, Funny

      tubgirl, is that you?

      --
      Where is that guy who'd die defending what I had to say when I need him?
    10. Re:That's it! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So 2guys1Horse is OK then?

    11. Re:That's it! by sm62704 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      As will this Greek statue from about 300 BC and this young boy with the small penis that Michaelangelo Bonoratti carved about a thousand years ago (it's been thirty years since my art classes and I've slept since then and can't be arsed to look it up).

      I haven't seen the 2 girls 1 cup, is that new?

      If I rewrite my journals so instead of hookers the girls are teenagers, are the UK police going to come across the pond after me? Or is it only illustrations? Text can tittilate also, you know.

      Tami (link NSFW) is only about four foot eight, if I draw her (only flat chested instead of those big fat boobies) would I be breaking the law in England? How about if I draw "Bighead", the hooker with the smallest boobs I've ever seen?

      I't nice to know that politicians in other countries are as fucktardedly brain dead as ours. There's hope for my country after all!

      --
      mcgrew's razor: Never attribute to stupidity that which can be explained by greedy self-interest
    12. Re:That's it! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah, but can we mod the submitter -1 Pedo?

    13. Re:That's it! by Wandering+Wombat · · Score: 2, Funny

      Homererotic asphyxiation is a protected right!

      --
      I like to place meaningful quotes in my sig, so people will know that I know what meaningful quotes are.
    14. Re:That's it! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Imagine, a feline from the roof of your room is oogling your self-abuse.

    15. Re:That's it! by sm62704 · · Score: 1

      is that you, non-huffable kitten?

      --
      mcgrew's razor: Never attribute to stupidity that which can be explained by greedy self-interest
    16. Re:That's it! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Close, but no.

  2. Thought Police! by kawabago · · Score: 5, Insightful

    This can only mean there are now illegal thoughts.

    1. Re:Thought Police! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

      There already are.

      Most child porn laws specify "sexual activity" OR "intent to arouse".

      This means that an image can both simultaneously be not child porn (a mom takes a picture of her daughter naked on the beach) and child porn (a pedo is aroused after downloading a copy of it).

      You could outlaw ALL nude images and prosecute parents for pictures of kids in the bath, but i'm not sure that's a good solution.

      But even if you did, then you would have to point out the several ongoing cases in the US involving clothed kids dancing or posing, which are being tried under child porn laws, despite the kid's parents having signed a waiver and agreed to the photos.

      So you could outlaw that, but then, how do you determine what is child porn?

      At which point does a studio portrait become porn? And considering that PRODUCING child porn carries sentences on the order of 20 years plus lifetime registration, you better make that line damn clear.

      Or you could just use the world "intent" and make sure it's nice and fuzzy so you can basically prosecute anyone who makes you feel squeamish, which is what happens now.

      So yes, there ARE illegal thoughts already.

      Welcome to the modern world. Thanks for joining us.

    2. Re:Thought Police! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There always have been. If you thought that Communism was a pretty neat idea in America in 1950 I wouldn't have given much for your chances...

    3. Re:Thought Police! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Easy solution: ban any and all pictures of children. No ambiguities anymore, and it'll also have the nice side effect of keeping us safe from new parents bombarding us with pictures of their drooling spawn...

    4. Re:Thought Police! by mpe · · Score: 1

      But even if you did, then you would have to point out the several ongoing cases in the US involving clothed kids dancing or posing, which are being tried under child porn laws, despite the kid's parents having signed a waiver and agreed to the photos.
      So you could outlaw that, but then, how do you determine what is child porn?
      At which point does a studio portrait become porn? And considering that PRODUCING child porn carries sentences on the order of 20 years plus lifetime registration, you better make that line damn clear.


      What about CCTV footage, mainstream TV/movies (including those where an adult actor is playing a "child" character), pop videos, etc? Add to that the complications resulting from laws on child pornography, age of consent and legal emancipation typically not matching up.

    5. Re:Thought Police! by dontmakemethink · · Score: 1

      Of course there are illegal thoughts. Sex is a result of thought, so is music, so is scientific insight, so is crime. The law prohibits certain acts, but the illegal act is really only evidence of illegal thought.

      Look at how crimes are investigated: motive, opportunity, and intent. Proving only one aspect won't convict anyone, and two are completely a matter of thought.

      Keep in mind, thinking of a crime is far from criminal, and even forming motive and intent is not criminal, provided you do not act on an opportunity that presents itself. Police are generally not even allowed to create opportunity to flush out those with motive and intent, or the perpetrator can claim entrapment as a defense. So rest at ease ye filthy minded folk, you're in no danger of getting busted for thinking of bad things.

      However, pathological pedophiles are unable to control latent "bad thoughts", and there is currently no way to treat the condition by giving them control or enabling them to ignore the impulses.

      So when considering computer-generated kiddie porn, let's weigh the potential benefits (ABSOLUTELY NONE) versus the potential damage (EXACERBATING AN ALREADY HOPELESS BATTLE).

      There are times to stand up for your rights, and times to stand aside and acknowledge a greater cause. Ask two of my childhood friends which way you should go. They were victims of a pedophile, they should have some valuable insight.

      Contacting them will be problematic though, they both killed themselves in high school.

      --

      War as we knew it was obsolete
      Nothing could beat complete denial
      - Emily Haines
    6. Re:Thought Police! by dontmakemethink · · Score: 1

      Oh, forgot the best part. The pedophile was caught, confessed, convicted. Served 2/3 of a 4 year sentence and was released unconditionally.

      --

      War as we knew it was obsolete
      Nothing could beat complete denial
      - Emily Haines
    7. Re:Thought Police! by courseofhumanevents · · Score: 1

      A quick word-replacement and your post is justifying the banning of all porn in general.

    8. Re:Thought Police! by digitig · · Score: 1

      So when considering computer-generated kiddie porn, let's weigh the potential benefits (ABSOLUTELY NONE) If you read the RA (sorry, I must be new here) you will find that what is actually being targeted is porn that is computer generated from actual images, so there is real harm involved, and presumably it can be hard to prove whether or not a particular computer generated image is derived from a real image or not. The issue is whether this is a proportionate response, particularly considering the original abuse and the original picture of the abuse would already be illegal. I don't think it is, but it is consistent with a mindset unfortunately widespread here in the UK that risks can be and should be completely eliminated.
      --
      Quidnam Latine loqui modo coepi?
    9. Re:Thought Police! by mh1997 · · Score: 1

      This can only mean there are now illegal thoughts.
      Hate crimes have already made certain thoughts illegal. The seriousness of the crime increases based on certain "thoughts" like racial superiority or homophobia.

      Personally, I don't care why a person would kill me, I would be upset no matter the motivation.

    10. Re:Thought Police! by Stanislav_J · · Score: 5, Insightful

      The whole "intent to arouse" thing is troublesome, to say the least. One, how do you discern intent and, two, arouse who? The average person, or someone who happens to have a very specific fetish?

      I'm sure, long before the Internet and computers existed, there were individuals who got their jollies looking at the children's underwear photos in the Sears catalog. Sears certainly did not publish those photos with the "intent to arouse," and 99.99999% of those looking at the catalog would not have that reaction. When we start banning things because some teeny tiny minority of users MIGHT derive sexual pleasure from them in a manner that triggers the "eewwww!" factor in most people, we're getting mighty close to thoughtcrime.

      So, if a photographer produces photos of underage children in their underwear that are in every way indistinguishable from the Sears photos, but markets them under a website called "hotpreteensintheirundies.com" and uses suggestive, lascivious language to describe them, these otherwise unremarkable images become "child porn." This reminds me of the famous case I recall from my college communications classes where a publication (was it Screw magazine? This was a long time ago...) was judged not to contain obscene material; however, because the publisher marketed it as "obscene," and used that word in promotion, it was considered to be obscene. This is ludicrous.

      By rights, there should be no harm, no foul when it comes to images if (a)no children were actually physically assaulted or harmed (as in the underwear images above), or (b)no actual sexual activity is depicted, or (c)the individuals involved are actually 18+, or (d)the individuals depicted do not actually exist (as in computer or manually generated art). In all of these cases, no actual child was in any way harmed or sexually assaulted.

      The notion that such images may possibly, maybe, under the right circumstances, in some very few rare and isolated cases inspire a potential pedophile to actually harm a child is irrelevant. (And, as others have pointed out, WE DON'T KNOW if this is the case, because hardly any studies have been done, and probably will never be done, because of the distasteful nature of the subject matter.) ANYTHING can potentially inspire a sick mind to do heinous things. (The book "Catcher in the Rye" and the movie "Taxi Driver" were never intended to inspire a potential assassin, yet they played a significant role in, respectively, motivating Chapman to kill Lennon, and Hinkley to shoot Reagan.) As soon as we start criminalizing things based on "maybes" and "mights" and unproven possible unintended effects on isolated psychopaths, then the Law has become an orderless, featureless blob of goo instead of a carefully crafted guideline to protect the safety of the general society.

      But (HEAVY SIGH), we ARE talking about CHILDREN here. And, as we all know too well, anything that even slightly reeks of "protect the children" insures that common sense and logic will quickly be cast aside....

      --
      "Every great cause begins as a movement, becomes a business, and eventually degenerates into a racket." -- Eric Hoffer
    11. Re:Thought Police! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Personally, I don't care why a person would kill me, I would be upset no matter the motivation. Even if that motivation were self-defense? What if there was no motivation (a.k.a. an accident)? I suppose you would treat the guy defending himself the same as the murderer who kills for sport. Wake up and realize that intent has always played a role in justice, and for good reason. That's not a thought crime. It's sensible legal code.
    12. Re:Thought Police! by Armchair+Dissident · · Score: 2, Informative

      I know you're joking, but this is pretty much what is happening in the UK. Photographers are being warned - especially in London - against taking any photographs of children as they risk being prosecuted. The reasoning?

      Well, apparently, one thing that child pornographers do is take a picture of a child and cut-and-paste the head from that picture onto a picture of a naked body. Ergo - so the "reasoning" goes, anyone taking photographs of children in public must be a child pornographer.

      There was a time when child pornography laws were about protecting children. Now they're about kowtowing to hysterical ramblings of the tabloid idiotorials

      --

      The ways of gods are mysteriously indistinguishable from chance.
    13. Re:Thought Police! by Eivind · · Score: 1

      Certainly a sticky mess. Like it works today, you can typically produce something that will be labeled "child-porn" by doing nothing more than selective cutting and assembling of works that are -not- child-porn. And a machine can probably do it, without human intervention, and without filming a crime.

      If a 16-year old has sex with his girlfriend somewhere with taped camera-surveilance in Norway, the owner of the camera is suddenly in posession of child-porn. Despite the fact that age of consent is 16, so the filmed acts are perfectly legal.

      Thing is, porn with actors under 18 is "child-porn" despite the fact that age of consent is 16. Way to go, making a mess !

    14. Re:Thought Police! by Threni · · Score: 1

      Here's some ASCII child porn:

      O
      - o
      k

      Am I a criminal now? I don't feel any different. Or does there have to be a certain level of proficiency at photoshop or some 3d package to break the law? Perhaps the better you are technically, the more of a criminal you are?

      I thought one of the criticisms of porn was that people get caught up in idealised sex and do the real thing less. If this were true, wouldn't computer child porn be a good thing? And if it's not true, could people please stop pretending that it is and be honest about why they don't like porn?

    15. Re:Thought Police! by Eivind · · Score: 1

      Potential harm is nonsense as justification for law anyway. Just about EVERYTHING has the POTENTIAL to create harm. Particularily stuff that is really really useful. For the fairly obvious reason that useful stuff tends to be useful to criminals too.

      Hammers, knifes, the written word, guns, fire, the wheel and chocolate-icecream are all very useful things. They all also have the POTENTIAL to create harm. (and indeed demonstrably regularily does), which is no reason at all to forbid them.

    16. Re:Thought Police! by moeinvt · · Score: 2, Interesting

      "If a 16-year old has sex with his girlfriend somewhere with taped camera-surveilance in Norway, the owner of the camera is suddenly in posession of child-porn."

      Interesting. With all of the government operated surveillance in the UK, if enough young people have sex in public it might be possible to bring down the whole bloody government (or at least those in the "Ministry of Spying on the Citizens") on possession of child pornography.

    17. Re:Thought Police! by blueg3 · · Score: 1

      No, "intent to arouse" refers to the intent of the person taking the picture, not the potential effect on someone who views the picture in the future. In your scenario, the image does not qualify as child porn. (Unless, of course, it was distributed on the Internet with the intent that it be downloaded by pedos.)

    18. Re:Thought Police! by OhHellWithIt · · Score: 1

      There have always been illegal thoughts. It is only a matter of enacting the proper legislation so people can be punished for having them.

      --
      "Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past." -- George Orwell
    19. Re:Thought Police! by samkass · · Score: 1

      I remember way back in 18-240 engineering class we were using a logic probe (for the software only folks in the audience, it's a little device that looks like a digital thermometer with a light to indicate if the line is 1 or 0). It had a label on it that read, "WARNING: Severe misuse may cause injury or death." I guess they meant stabbing someone with it, but it raised two questions in my mind: 1. Is there anything in the world which, if severely enough misused, couldn't cause injury or death, and 2. What lawsuit prompted such a silly warning?

      --
      E pluribus unum
    20. Re:Thought Police! by mh1997 · · Score: 1

      Personally, I don't care why a person would kill me, I would be upset no matter the motivation.

      Even if that motivation were self-defense? What if there was no motivation (a.k.a. an accident)? I suppose you would treat the guy defending himself the same as the murderer who kills for sport. Wake up and realize that intent has always played a role in justice, and for good reason. That's not a thought crime. It's sensible legal code.

      Huh? Even if I am a cold blooded murderer, I would still be upset if someone killed me - even if he were defending himself while I was trying to murder him. Call me silly, but I hate getting killed.

      We'll go to the other side, I am crossing the street with the do not walk sign flashing. You are driving at the speed limit doing everything humanly possible to be a good driver. I step in front of your car and am killed through no fault but my own. I am still upset that I have been run over by your car. Again, it is getting killed no matter the motivation or lack of motivation in this case that has me upset.

      I guess what I meant by a hate crime and motivation was that if you murdered me you get a punishment - for example - 10 years. However, if you killed me because I am homosexual (I am not, this is just an example), you get the already mentioned 10 years + additional years because you committed a hate crime - murder was bad, but the thought - in this case hating homosexuals - makes it worse.

    21. Re:Thought Police! by Mr.+Slippery · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Of course there are illegal thoughts...Keep in mind, thinking of a crime is far from criminal

      See how you contradict yourself here?

      Look at how crimes are investigated: motive, opportunity, and intent. Proving only one aspect won't convict anyone, and two are completely a matter of thought.

      It's motive, means, and opportunity. Only motive is a matter of thought, and it only needs to be proven if there's not direct evidence; if fifty witnesses see you commit a crime and you're apprehended immediately, no one needs to consider your motive to convict you.

      It's not that having a motive is a crime, it's that we generally believe that people do things for reasons; the jury is only going to believe that John murdered Joe if they can imagine a reason.

      There are times to stand up for your rights, and times to stand aside and acknowledge a greater cause.

      There is no greater cause than freedom.

      I'm sorry that friends of yours were sexually abused. People who sexually abuse people need to be removed from polite society. People who are accomplices in the sexual abuse of other people need to be removed from polite society.

      But people who view images of sexual abuse are no more guilty of abuse than people who watch slasher pics - or the news - are guilty of murder. And people who create or view entirely synthetic images of sexual abuse have done nothing that violates the rights of others.

      --
      Tom Swiss | the infamous tms | my blog
      You cannot wash away blood with blood
    22. Re:Thought Police! by Anne_Nonymous · · Score: 1

      >> This can only mean there are now illegal thoughts.

      This is nothing new. Hate crime laws target thoughtcrime.

    23. Re:Thought Police! by LBU.Zorro · · Score: 1

      Got to disagree.

      This new law actually does criminalise thought to a greater extent than the mere action - it has moved beyond what you have done that is harmful to what some ignorant people (and I'd have to include you in this group) assume that a person might do in the future, and not even based on foresight, precognition or any other non-existant but future predicting technology or spiritual power just based on what they want the world to be.

      All you are basing your victimisation of some people on is the fact that if YOU were in this situation with the sick drives you imagine you would not be strong enough to control yourself or live within the law.

      But from what you have said, there is no way to treat pathological pedophiles right? So there is no sense attempting to treat them through the criminalisation of cartoons. Computer generated cartoons from actual images are easy enough to deal with, since you figure the original has to be around at some point, and most computer processes are not as one way as people would like to believe.

      So when considering criminalising hentai, manga, lots of things, let's consider the potential benefits of your actions (ABSOLUTELY NONE AS YOU ALREADY STATED - IT WON'T HELP WITH THE HOPELESS BATTLE) and the potential damage of randomly criminalising art - some of it is art, some sick, I'm not going to judge - (INCALCULABLE DAMAGE COULD OCCUR). Literally the sky is the limit as to how much harm could end up from your ignorant position.

      And people mention the slippery slope argument many many times - mostly I ignore them since laws like this go against my principles anyhow, but when it's there in front of your face....

      I would say it starts with the criminalisation of photo's of extreme imagry, but it didn't, many laws before this erode constantly at rights and impinge onto people's lives for no reason. Religious hate crimes - somewhat overbroad although I do wish all the religions would just shut up and act like adults. Extreme porn images (where you can be convicted for having photos of something that you can legally do - and you can be convicted for having a tame non extreme photo that happens to have come from a set of extreme photos, even if you don't have any extreme photos - something of a case for being convicted of a crime without having commited one). Now cartoons are to be banned (and yes, direct conversions from kiddie porn videos should be dealt with, but sorry no, tentacle rape by a demon - whilst not my cup of tea - isn't and shouldn't be banned).

      And as for your, "my two childhood friends, victims of a pedophile? who also suicided" I have to say you're not all that convincing, and I wouldn't put it past someone to simple make those unverifiable facts to try and make their point. And should they be real people who really suffered, then I feel sorry for them, but that doesn't change my opinion, people can and do rise above their situations, but more will be lost than saved through ignorance like yours than stupid, political knee jerk reactions to a manufactured media frenzy.

      And to help my point along, I dated a girl at school who'd been abused as a child, and no it's not easy and yes there are scars, and she's still alive and now happily married, and no I don't know if the pedophile was arrested etc, but considering the country she came from it's unlikely. And unlike your two friends who decided death was preferable to life she's still around - she wasn't beaten by the abuser, she beat him.

      Finally, just to really vent - suicide, whilst I feel bad for the family, friends and loved ones I can only see the suicidee as an idiot. You can sugar coat it, but frankly they exceeded their mental capacity for the world and bowed out - some of them are even selfish enough to take other's with them, by say driving down the wrong side of a motorway and smashing into an oncoming car (as did a fellow office worker where I work).

      It is never that bad, there are absolutely millions of examples of people who have it so much

    24. Re:Thought Police! by russotto · · Score: 1

      Of course there are illegal thoughts. Sex is a result of thought, so is music, so is scientific insight, so is crime. The law prohibits certain acts, but the illegal act is really only evidence of illegal thought.


      Certainly not. The illegal act is the product of thought, but the thought itself is not illegal. Outside Soviet Russia, anyway. The closest you'll come is certain conspiracy laws, but they themselves are authoritarian abominations.

      Look at how crimes are investigated: motive, opportunity, and intent.

      That's motive, MEANS, and opportunity, for investigation. Did they have a reason to do it? Did they have the instruments by which it was done? And were they there when it was done? But in that sort of investigation, that an illegal act has been committed is not usually in question.
    25. Re:Thought Police! by Devoidoid · · Score: 1

      what is actually being targeted is porn that is computer generated from actual images This is "law." What is nominally being targeted, what is actually being targeted, and what is hit, are three different things.
    26. Re:Thought Police! by Authoritative+Douche · · Score: 1

      If thoughts are outlawed then only outlaws will have thoughts. That actually explains a lot these days.

    27. Re:Thought Police! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The logic is...

      A person with child pornography could argue that they generated the pornography with their computer and that it wasn't real.

      The only way the prosecutor could counter that would be to find the child in the picture and prove that what was in the image actually happened.

      By making computer generated abuse just as illegal, it closes off this loophole.

      You have to consider the benefits of you having a right to computer generated child porn against the benefits of closing this loophole.

    28. Re:Thought Police! by holmedog · · Score: 1

      The reason for this entire thought process is that almost every defense lawyer for a child pornography case uses the same argument. "This image was digitally created unless you can show us the original child".

    29. Re:Thought Police! by vux984 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      The whole "intent to arouse" thing is troublesome, to say the least.

      Why is the 'perpetrators' intentions troublesome? Surely its obvious that it bears on the degree of the crime, and whether a crime was even comitted.

      Surely you can agree there is a difference between a man forgetting to turn off the stove and burning down his home killing his family... and a man plotting to set a fire, burn down his house and killing his family?

      Surely the former deserves sympathy, while the latter deserves to be punished to the fullest extent of the law.

      One, how do you discern intent and,

      Same way intent is always determined. You look for evidence. You present the evidence. And a jury decides. Its not perfect. And criminals often go free, and sometimes innocent people are convicted. But that's life in an imperfect world.

      How else would you have it?

      two, arouse who? The average person, or someone who happens to have a very specific fetish?

      Why would it matter WHO. If the intent was to arouse someone, then its intent was to arouse someone. If the intent was not to arouse someone, but someone got aroused anyway, then it still not intent to arouse.

      And, as we all know too well, anything that even slightly reeks of "protect the children" insures that common sense and logic will quickly be cast aside....

      1) If society as a whole finds something so distasteful that they want to purge it completely, why is it illogical that they would pass laws forbidding computer generated depictions of it? Why shouldn't they?

      2) What is the benefit to society of allowing or even legally protecting computer generated child porn? If society near universally doesn't want it, and considers the extreme minority that does want it to be sick and in need of help at best and a perverted deviant criminal at worst...

      At the end of the day there is no escaping the tyranny of the majority...if almost everybody agrees on something, then society will do it. There's no stopping that. There's no point in trying to stop it.

      If you want to change this, you'll have to change the way society thinks. Slavery wasn't abolished because it was illogical and common sense... it took time and effort to convince enough people to think of them as people, that racism and slavery were wrong. Good luck doing that for child porn though; as even the most open minded people generally think its beyond distasteful. They might see the validity of an argument for computer generated child porn not hurting anyone... but that's a long way from getting their support -- they are hardly going to march in protest of the child pornographers rights, to protect them from injustice. We'll fully legalize drugs, prostitution, gambling, and gay marriage long before we'll legalize any form of child porn.

      There's just virtually no support for it.

      So let it be banned, there's no stopping it, and no real point to trying to legalize it anyway.

      But be vigilant against politicians milking it for their own gain, or to slip other legislation through. We can't stop anti-child-porn legislation from passing, have little reason to stop it from passing... but we should be vigilant that we aren't passing anti-child-porn legislation that really has nothing to do with child-porn. Letting customs seize and search laptops for child-porn for example, is NOT about child-porn at all... its about letting customs seize and search everyone's laptops for whatever they want.

    30. Re:Thought Police! by dontmakemethink · · Score: 1

      Of course there are illegal thoughts...Keep in mind, thinking of a crime is far from criminal

      See how you contradict yourself here?

      It's no more a contradiction than "guns don't kill people, people kill people [with guns]". Imagination isn't criminal, intent is. People can be convicted of crimes from a sting operation where nobody is actually in any danger.

      Look at how crimes are investigated: motive, opportunity, and intent. Proving only one aspect won't convict anyone, and two are completely a matter of thought.

      It's motive, means, and opportunity. Only motive is a matter of thought, and it only needs to be proven if there's not direct evidence; if fifty witnesses see you commit a crime and you're apprehended immediately, no one needs to consider your motive to convict you.

      Perhaps that's the American version, means in most circumstances is tied to opportunity. One cannot have opportunity without means, and vice versa. A moot point.

      It's not that having a motive is a crime, it's that we generally believe that people do things for reasons; the jury is only going to believe that John murdered Joe if they can imagine a reason.

      I call that further evidence that it's the intent that is the crime, and the act is the effect of the intent. If a guy murders someone in front of 50 people, his sanity will likely come into play.

      There are times to stand up for your rights, and times to stand aside and acknowledge a greater cause.

      There is no greater cause than freedom.

      Now that's VERY American, and highly simplistic. Rights and freedom aren't necessarily the same thing either. I'm talking about rights that are linked to abuse, causing the loss of freedom of others.

      I'm sorry that friends of yours were sexually abused. People who sexually abuse people need to be removed from polite society. People who are accomplices in the sexual abuse of other people need to be removed from polite society.

      But people who view images of sexual abuse are no more guilty of abuse than people who watch slasher pics - or the news - are guilty of murder. And people who create or view entirely synthetic images of sexual abuse have done nothing that violates the rights of others.

      As much as activists have tried to tie violent imagery with violent crime, the argument hasn't convinced many people that violent imagery should be banned. However, child pornography is known to motivate pedophiles to re-offend, in most cases quite strongly, computer-generated or not.

      --

      War as we knew it was obsolete
      Nothing could beat complete denial
      - Emily Haines
    31. Re:Thought Police! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

      Good thing all of my pictures are computer generated images of children being stabbed. Sex may be horrible but people are cool with violence.

    32. Re:Thought Police! by Reziac · · Score: 1

      The extensibility of such a law is troubling as well -- even tho in all cases, no harm came to any actual persons. Witness:

      Drawings of kiddie porn == child pornographer
      Drawings of explosions == terrorist
      Drawings of dead bodies == mass murderer
      Drawings of people smoking pot == drug dealer
      Drawings of race cars == street-racing speeder

      etc, etc, etc. You can see how it could readily devolve to the ridiculous.

      "By rights, there should be no harm, no foul when it comes to images if (a)no children were actually physically assaulted or harmed (as in the underwear images above), or (b)no actual sexual activity is depicted, or (c)the individuals involved are actually 18+, or (d)the individuals depicted do not actually exist (as in computer or manually generated art). In all of these cases, no actual child was in any way harmed or sexually assaulted."

      These are good criteria for any law about any behaviour. Good law: does it address a REAL harm *directly* affecting REAL people? Bad Law: does it presuppose that harm necessarily follows from imagining or depicting said harm??

      --
      ~REZ~ #43301. Who'd fake being me anyway?
    33. Re:Thought Police! by tsm_sf · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I think your show Brasseye probably had the best take on the situation.

      --
      Literalism isn't a form of humor, it's you being irritating.
    34. Re:Thought Police! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The only real problem I have with this is your apathy for innocents being imprisoned.

      Also, you would have to prove that society as a whole finds it distasteful enough to purge the topic, you're just making an assumption there. While I do find it unappealing, I am a firm believer in "no harm no foul"!

      By punishing people when no harm to another has been commited, you're destroying the life of an individual for what purpose, because at some future time and date they "may" do something to a child. Why don't we go ahead and put everyone on that list. Who knows, sometime down the line you "may" get into a car wreck and kill a dozen children and leave the parents in a coma. Why don't we prevent that right now and lock you up? Careful of those round corners you're building, they can cause serious mental retardation later on in life.

      I think politicians are just wasting their time, when what they should be doing is going over the hundreds of inane silly laws, or better yet, the more serious and abused laws (DMCA for example) to show that they actually care about the populace and their constituents instead of passing more laws to put more people (innocent or not) into an already bloated prison system. There isn't even a tyranny of the majority anymore, democracy is dead in this country, has been for a long time. It is now the tyranny of those with resources (for example, Money) and the few in power with an agenda.

    35. Re:Thought Police! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Why would it matter WHO. If the intent was to arouse someone, then its intent was to arouse someone. If the intent was not to arouse someone, but someone got aroused anyway, then it still not intent to arouse.

      This isn't how the laws are applied (at least in the US) though, they apply them by if the images aroused the person possessing them then it's child porn, even if no one else would be aroused by them. The intent of the producers of the images aren't important, what's important is the reaction of the viewer. This is a serious problem as it allows the judge/jury to basically guess what the defendant was thinking when viewing the images, making it a thought crime. Here's an example case for you, a Dr. Bruce Craft. A few pertinent quotes:

      But it is only the perverted attitude of the prosecution that renders the pictures criminal. In the evil minds of the prosecution a glimpse of a small girl's underpants becomes "lewd exhibition of the genitals." The small boy whose penis is visible within the floppy leg of his pants is exhibiting "sexually explicit behavior." A picture of a clothed child sitting on the toilet making a silly face or of a child playing in the tub with no genitals visible becomes child pornography. A picture of a group of boys changing clothes in the woods after swimming in a stream must necessarily be sexually exciting. A picture of a fully clothed child was deemed to be lascivious, because their attention was drawn to "the crotch."

      For people with a normal healthy view of things sexual, the pictures are innocuous. Some may perhaps be inappropriate, but they are certainly not criminal. Because they were deemed obscene by the judge as sole arbiter in the bench trial, they are by definition illegal. For this Craft faces essentially the rest of his life in prison.

      An objective test for child pornography is the application of the "Dost factors."

      If two or more of the factors are positive then a picture is deemed to be lewd: if the picture is centered on the child's genitalia; if the setting is sexually suggestive; if the child is naked or partially clothed; if the child appears to be sexually receptive, or the photo seems designed to be sexually exciting. None of the Craft pictures could be defined as obscene by the Dost factors.

      So here the judge alone, guided by the prosecution it sounds like, decided the photos were child porn even if no one sane would consider them that way, AND that even established guidelines (Dost factors) wouldn't consider them that way. To be honest it sounds more like the only people who found the photos arousing were the judge and prosecution, and yet this child psychiatrist ended up in jail.

      This is the reality of these laws. This isn't what society wants, and by and large this is kept from them. They're using the rallying cry of "think of the children" to pass laws that allow them to basically find anyone they want to guilty with. And that's a serious problem.

    36. Re:Thought Police! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      so will tween and teen soap operas (One Tree Hill, Gossip Girl, et al) not to mention clothing catologs with "children" be outlawed next? I put "children" in quotes because there doesn't seem to be any standard definition anymore. The term is loose as a spaghetti noodle bendable to the whims of the prosecutor.

    37. Re:Thought Police! by idontgno · · Score: 1

      "WARNING: Severe misuse may cause injury or death." I guess they meant stabbing someone with it,

      I doubt that, personally. Imagine, instead, using that logic probe on a high-voltage test point. I'm guessing a couple of kilovolts would overcome the dielectric protection of the probe's case and zap the user.

      Of course, I can't think of any electrical logic or signaling protocol with signal voltages that high, but I could almost imagine some moron going "I wonder if color CRT electron gun voltage is "1" or "0"?

      --
      Welcome to the Panopticon. Used to be a prison, now it's your home.
    38. Re:Thought Police! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Two words: Do it.

    39. Re:Thought Police! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      So yes, there ARE illegal thoughts already.

      Damned right. One guy who was a registered offender got a parole violation when cops busted into his apartment and found pictures he had drawn himself of kids in "provocative" situations.

      And if they ever get this "functional MRI" shit off the ground, everyone in the US (except politicians and cops of course) will be in deep shit. "Functional MRI" allows real-time observation of brain activity. It's currently used in brain research to see what parts of the brain get active when you speak, recall from memory, dance, sing or whatever other activity is of interest. Cop bastards are at present interesting in bending it to use as a "lie detector".

      The next step will obviously be miniaturization to the point where your permanently attached helmet will fire off an alarm to the local police station as soon as your "cerebral G-spot" gets tickled. Then the included GPS unit will allow the cops to smash your door in within minutes.

      Jesus, I should write dystopic sci-fi, but I can't thing far enough ahead to avoid being overtaken by events all the time.

    40. Re:Thought Police! by bluefoxlucid · · Score: 1

      So when considering computer-generated kiddie porn, let's weigh the potential benefits (ABSOLUTELY NONE) versus the potential damage (EXACERBATING AN ALREADY HOPELESS BATTLE). You are not a psychologist, so you are not qualified to make this statement.

      Being that I spent most of my life as an emotionless brick characterizing other people as state machines and learning to control them as such, I can say with confidence that I don't believe your understanding of the situation aligns with reality. Not that I'm saying there are or are not "benefits" to child pornography in any form (real, fake, hentai, CGI) to any person; but your judgment is an emotional rationalization based in no research and poor, manipulated, and convenient ideas and experiences.

      As for your dead friends, this is going to suck but... suicidal impulse is extremely thin and fragile. It takes literally no effort to change someone's mind; if you just happen to be there, and engage them at all (as is probably your first impulse), they'll stall and probably stop. Irritating girls who had 100 aspirin lined up was a hobby of mine for a while; I never lost one, and I was like 14 at the time. Sadly, most people put themselves in seclusion for a while (hours) BEFORE killing themselves, to allow their mind to create the frail bubble that lets them go through with it....
    41. Re:Thought Police! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No, child pornography is not known to motivate pedophiles to re-offend.

    42. Re:Thought Police! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Pedos are convicted regularly for downloading old skool "nudist" videos, etc.

      Do you think the intent of the dude taking videos of a nudist camp in the 1960s was INTENDING for it to be erotic?

      NO, but the intent of the dude possessing it is erotic, therefore it's classified as porn.

      It's the intent of the person being prosecuted that's judged (whether that's prosecuting distribution or mere possession).

    43. Re:Thought Police! by Mr.+Slippery · · Score: 1

      One cannot have opportunity without means, and vice versa.

      Of course one can. "Yes, your honor, we stipulate that my client had the opportunity to kill Mr. Smith, when they were alone on that camping trip. But my client is 5'2", 98 pounds, and has no training in fighting; while Mr. Smith was a professional heavyweight cage fighter and the medical report shows that he was killed by a barehanded blow. My client did not have the means to kill Mr. Smith."

      I call that further evidence that it's the intent that is the crime, and the act is the effect of the intent.

      No, mens rea is necessary for convictions for some crimes, some but does not itself make a crime. And for some statutes, mens rea isn't necessary - it doesn't matter whether you intended to commit a crime act or not, if it's found that you did the act, you're convicted.

      "I got in my car with the intention to go downtown and kill Ms. Jones [mens rea], sure. I had motive after what she had done to me, and I knew she kept a loaded and unlocked 9 millimeter Glock in the nightstand, so I'd have the means. But the car had a dead battery and wouldn't start. I never got the opportunity to do it." You could never make a criminal case out of that.

      I'm talking about rights that are linked to abuse, causing the loss of freedom of others.

      Abuse is a violation of the rights of others, and it is just to use force to stop it. Portraying abuse in a work of art, is not such a violation. Using force (which is what law does) to prevent someone from portraying abuse, is a violation of that person's rights.

      However, child pornography is known to motivate pedophiles to re-offend, in most cases quite strongly, computer-generated or not.

      Citation needed.

      Even if true, that is an argument only for keeping "child pornography" away from convicted child molesters. Fine. I don't have much problem with censoring what violent criminals in jail or on parole or probation read or see; and if you can't trust someone not to rape a kid when they see a photograph, then that person ought to be in one of those states.

      It's not an argument for pointing a gun at me if I happen to like drawing, or looking at pictures of, naked young people. (For the record, I can't draw worth a damn, and I generally find porn a bore - I prefer my own memories and fantasies.)

      --
      Tom Swiss | the infamous tms | my blog
      You cannot wash away blood with blood
    44. Re:Thought Police! by Eivind · · Score: 1

      Sounds like a plan. Not that it'll work -- the police would simply choose not to investigate or not to press charges.

      But it'd be fun anyway. If I where young enough to qualify, I'd be in.

    45. Re:Thought Police! by Abcd1234 · · Score: 1

      If society as a whole finds something so distasteful that they want to purge it completely, why is it illogical that they would pass laws forbidding

      And to jump straight to Godwin, there was a time when Germany felt that way about the Jews. And I think we know how good an idea that was.

      The lesson here: just because the majority think something should be outlawed, doesn't mean it should. This would be why we have a judicial system: to prevent the tyranny of the majority that you're willing to so tacitly accept.

    46. Re:Thought Police! by vux984 · · Score: 1

      And to jump straight to Godwin, there was a time when Germany felt that way about the Jews. And I think we know how good an idea that was.

      My history isn't as good as it should be, but my understanding is that Hitler gamed the election system heavily to obtain the head of state and rapidly dissolved any real democracy as soon as he was in control, well before the majority of offensive laws were passed against the jews. ie... it wasn't tyranny of the majority, it was the tyranny of hitler coupled with the apathy of the majority.

      The lesson here: just because the majority think something should be outlawed, doesn't mean it should.

      The lesson there? When democracy is dissolved into a dictatorship, bad things can happen. Or perhaps its a lesson on the evil of apathy in otherwise good people.

      This would be why we have a judicial system: to prevent the tyranny of the majority that you're willing to so tacitly accept.

      Sort of. But it doesn't matter what should or shouldn't be outlawed. On any issue which the great majority agree there is no stopping them.

      A judicial system can't prevent the tyranny of the majority if the majority is big enough. It can only prevent the tyranny of a small majority. Think about it.

      Suppose the supreme court of the united states made a ruling that the great majority strongly disagreed with. What recourse do the people have?

      If the majority is great enough, the the consitution itself can be amended, the supreme court can be dissolved and then reformed from scratch, and the unpopular rulings can be nullified.

      The odds getting that kind of support for your average issue is extremely low. But if you ever 'stir up the beast' there is no stopping it. Consider that only ~70% of the people were on the side of the American Revolution -- that was enough to gain the momentum to declare independence, and fight a war to form a new government from scratch.

      American's generally think of it as heroic.

      But at the same time, we can look at it from the loyalists point of view, those that were happy and comfortable with British rule. What would we call what happened to them? Tyranny of the majority sounds about right. The local government and judicial systems that protected them were dissolved out from under them; even the military, the force behind the 'legitimate' government, was defeated.

      Can you imagine how hollow your reassurances that a judicial system would prevent tyranny of the majority would seem to them. The 'majority' simply and literally dissolved the government itself in order to get its way, and that wasn't even a democracy, it would have been much easier if it was.

      Bottom line, any governmental system can be upended if enough people want to. Dictatorships etc may put up a fight, if the ones in charge are the ones being upended. But a democracy, by its design will bend to the will of the great majority, regardless of how unjust it might be. With enough people 'on board' the constitution and the rules for changing it can be rewritten to say what ever they want it to say. If this wasn't possible, you probably don't have a democracy in the first place.

    47. Re:Thought Police! by vux984 · · Score: 1


      This is a serious problem as it allows the judge/jury to basically guess what the defendant was thinking when viewing the images, making it a thought crime.

      No different than a "judge/jury basically guessing what [a murder] defendant was thinking when he [killed]".

      Was it self defense? Was he afraid for his life? Was he provoked to an insane rage? Did he know the victim was even there behind the the target poster when he put six rounds into it? Or did he plan this out weeks in advance?

      The only thing that separates first degree murder from second degree murder from manslaughter to a tragic but faultless accident is what the judge/jury guesses about what the defendant was thinking.

      Just killing someone isn't a crime.

      Killing someone on purpose with malice aforethought is among the most serious of crimes. Deliberately Killing someone in the heat of moment slightly less so.
      Killing someone without meaning to when it was completely avoidable further less so.
      Killing someone entirely by accident that you could not have reasonably have foreseen or prevented or in self defense when your life was immediately threatened... its not even a crime anymore.

      So, is 'Murder' a thought crime too?

      Of course not, you have to THINK about killing somene AND do it.

      And ssimilarly, here: you have to THINK about getting images of child porn, AND get images of children for that purpose.

      So here the judge alone, guided by the prosecution it sounds like, decided the photos were child porn even if no one sane would consider them that way, AND that even established guidelines (Dost factors) wouldn't consider them that way.

      Innocent people end up in jail convicted of murder too.

      I'm not saying its acceptable. I'm saying that its not unique to 'child porn', or any other crime.

      To be honest it sounds more like the only people who found the photos arousing were the judge and prosecution, and yet this child psychiatrist ended up in jail.

      Did the child psychiatrist find them arousing? You say the judge/jury has to guess. And guess they did. Did they have evidence he found them arousing? How do you know they guessed wrong? The fact that he was child psychiatrist would weight against him further if he WAS using them for that purpose.

      The real issue you have here seems to me not to be a question of whether he WAS using what we would find to be otherwise innoccuous pictures of children like pornography for the purposes of arousal, but whether or not THAT should be illegal. Frankly I'm not sure I think it -should- be.

      But at the same time, I'm not comfortable with a man who:
      a) fantasizes about children (although there is nothing I can do about this.)
      b) takes pictures of them for that purpose (regardless of whether or not I'd find them lewd myself)
      c) chooses a profession that sets him up as an authority figure in close contact with children

    48. Re:Thought Police! by vux984 · · Score: 1

      The only real problem I have with this is your apathy for innocents being imprisoned.

      Its not apathy. Its recognition of how society works. Innocent people are imprisoned for crimes they didn't commit all the time. Some are even executed for them.

      We need to introduce as and devise as many safeguards as we can to prevent this, and I'm personally against the death penalty as one of those safeguards against the ultimate miscarriage of justice. But we can't stop passing laws simply because innocent people will be imprisoned. That's idealistic, but impractical.

      Even murder comes down to 12 people guessing what was in the defendants head. Its only murder if he intended to kill. If he didn't intend to, it might be manslaughter... or even a completely faultless accident. Shall we repeal the laws against murder too? Simply because it comes down to guessing the defandants thoughts?

    49. Re:Thought Police! by Fulcrum+of+Evil · · Score: 1

      Some moron in the navy used one to measure his internal resistance. This put enough current across his heart that it killed him.

      --
      "We returned the General to El Salvador, or maybe Guatemala, it's difficult to tell from 10,000 feet"
  3. Re:Pedophiles by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Gee, I had no idea South Park was considered snuff. Oh my god, you killed free expression! You bastard!

  4. If they closed the loophole earlier ... by Deltic55 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    ... would a recent Simpson's movie have been unviewable in the UK due to Bart Simpson's brief nudity?

    1. Re:If they closed the loophole earlier ... by Zironic · · Score: 1

      That would depend on the exact phrasing of the law but most likely it might have needed censoring.

    2. Re:If they closed the loophole earlier ... by GrahamCox · · Score: 2, Funny

      would a recent Simpson's movie have been unviewable

      Many people thought so.

    3. Re:If they closed the loophole earlier ... by Craig+Mason · · Score: 1

      The film was passed as 'PG' without any cuts. It wasn't even brought up in the 'extended classification' notes, and was only discussed amongst the media.

    4. Re:If they closed the loophole earlier ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Bart is, what? 20 something by now?

    5. Re:If they closed the loophole earlier ... by sodul · · Score: 1
    6. Re:If they closed the loophole earlier ... by Candid88 · · Score: 1

      "That would depend on the exact phrasing of the law but most likely it might have needed censoring."

      Isn't it a little dumb to comment on a law when you yourself admits that you don't actually know anything about that law?

    7. Re:If they closed the loophole earlier ... by Zironic · · Score: 1

      Technically there is no law, there is a proposal that a law should be made. It's not dumb, it's just guesswork.

    8. Re:If they closed the loophole earlier ... by dave420 · · Score: 1

      No. No-one had it in their mouth.

    9. Re:If they closed the loophole earlier ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      ... would a recent Simpson's movie have been unviewable in the UK due to Bart Simpson's brief nudity?

      UK folk better start disposing of those old Coppertone tanning lotion paintings for which Jody Foster was the model.

  5. Age by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Without birth records or a child / parents to ask, how do you determine the age of a person in a drawing?

    1. Re:Age by QuantumG · · Score: 4, Informative

      Oh, haven't you heard? The burden of proof is on the photographer these days. You're assumed guilty, and even if you can prove yourself innocent, it doesn't matter, you have to prove yourself innocent *first* and register your proof with a document retention company. I'm not shitting you.

            18 U.S.C. Section 2257 Compliance

      I'm sure the UK has similar laws.

      --
      How we know is more important than what we know.
    2. Re:Age by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If it doesn't have a delicious flatchest, it's not loli.

      Now, the hard part is deciding if something is shota or loli dickgirl ;)

    3. Re:Age by flaming+error · · Score: 1

      That's an interesting question. What about people who appear younger than they are, like Gary Coleman or Emmanuel Lewis?

      On the other hand, a computer-generated image could be virtually indistinguishable from an actual photograph.

      Either way, somebody with child porn will lose in court. Juries aren't famous for abstract philosophy.

    4. Re:Age by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Good point on the age. Plus, what if it is a sci-fi story?

      What if it is a world of the future where people live to be a 1000 years old but don't reach physical maturity until they are 100 years old but their mental maturity is unhampered.

      So that at 25 years of age, they look like they are just a few years old physically?

    5. Re:Age by 91degrees · · Score: 1

      The wording will be something along the lines of "anyone who is, or appears to be"

    6. Re:Age by mpe · · Score: 1

      Good point on the age. Plus, what if it is a sci-fi story?

      Or a historical story

      What if it is a world of the future where people live to be a 1000 years old but don't reach physical maturity until they are 100 years old but their mental maturity is unhampered. So that at 25 years of age, they look like they are just a few years old physically?

      Or where current trends towards physical maturity of humans being younger continue. What if someone other than Paramount had come up with a species such as the Ocampa?
      Even without intruducing aliens it's perfectly plausable for some future human society to have very different attitudes towards sexuality...

    7. Re:Age by Candid88 · · Score: 1

      Most countries' existing laws aren't actually based around the actual physical age of the model, rather what age the model appears to be.

    8. Re:Age by poot_rootbeer · · Score: 1

      Without birth records or a child / parents to ask, how do you determine the age of a person in a drawing?

      Unless the artist drew it on this date in 1990 or earlier, the drawing is underage, I guess...?

      What if a pornographist creates a work of prurient fiction involving characters who are chronologically adults, but suffer from glandular conditions that give them the appearance of permanent prepubescence? Would that be illegal?

      Fiction MUST NOT be criminalizable.

    9. Re:Age by Devoidoid · · Score: 1

      Oh, haven't you heard? The burden of proof is on the photographer these days. You're assumed guilty, and even if you can prove yourself innocent, it doesn't matter, you have to prove yourself innocent *first* and register your proof with a document retention company 18 USC 2257 does not permit the use of a document retention company. All mandated records (each image, the models in it, where it is published, the models' proof of age [which must be a US-gov't issued photo ID], all in a thoroughly cross-referenced database) must be held at the producer's place of business and available for Federal inspection during (undefined) regular business hours, until seven years after the producer has gone out of business under the weight of the recordkeeping or fear of his home-office being invaded by FBI agents while his wife and kids are home.


      Or, so I've heard.

    10. Re:Age by You+ain't+seen+me! · · Score: 1

      Without birth records or a child / parents to ask, how do you determine the age of a person in a drawing? Interesting point. I recently had a girlfriend - yes it is possible even for a /.er - she is 27 but is fairly flat chested and only 4ft 9in tall. In photos I have of her she looks early 20's but if I had the ability to draw I guess her age would be very difficult to determine. If it were the case that I made a drawing of her and was raided by the Thought Police (I do live in the UK) would I then have to get her to strip off in court to provide evidence of my innocence?
  6. Re:Pedophiles by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    I think we should dismantle every buildiing with naked babies with naked babies perched on top of massive, rock-hard shafts. So what if they're just statuary on the top of columns of every major cathedral in every Christian nation? That'll serve those awful pedophile priests right!

  7. Re:Pedophiles by Zironic · · Score: 5, Insightful

    So you have no problem with the concept of thought crime ?

    Killing people because of what they think is most likely not a good idea.

  8. Computer generate abuse? by Martian_Kyo · · Score: 5, Funny

    While (true)
    {
          me.bitchSlap(wife)
    }

    before anyone one says anything,
    I know this wont compile.
    Cause wife is null.

    1. Re:Computer generate abuse? by HateBreeder · · Score: 1

      A slightly better OO design would go:

      While (true) {
          wife.bitchSlap();
      }

      Where the "me" is an inherent part of the context.
      (i.e. wife implies you)

      --
      Sigs are for the weak.
    2. Re:Computer generate abuse? by Superken7 · · Score: 1

      Or maybe it will compile without warnings and tell you everything is OK, and when you are already running it.. core dump!

    3. Re:Computer generate abuse? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Nah, because you're using the wrong namespace.

      Wife left you for someone with a bigger malloc a long time ago.

    4. Re:Computer generate abuse? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That's definitely not a better design.

    5. Re:Computer generate abuse? by Derosian · · Score: 1

      You know the sad thing, this is the first funny moderated thread that I actually laughed out loud to, there is no hope for me now.

    6. Re:Computer generate abuse? by Martian_Kyo · · Score: 2, Funny

      if you think that wife implies you,
      you're in for a great surprise in your life.
      especially when it comes to the
      wife.sex()
      function

    7. Re:Computer generate abuse? by Martigens · · Score: 1

      Where the "me" is an inherent part of the context. (i.e. wife implies you) Ah, but only in the context of Soviet Russia does wife imply you.
    8. Re:Computer generate abuse? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      A java fanboy?

    9. Re:Computer generate abuse? by weetabeex · · Score: 0

      Eventually it would come to:

      while ( wife )
      {
      wife.bitchSlap();
      }

    10. Re:Computer generate abuse? by NiklasB · · Score: 1

      You must mean that wife is undefined.

    11. Re:Computer generate abuse? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It will compile, but you'll just be bitchslapping yourself.

    12. Re:Computer generate abuse? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That's not a problem at all!

      public void bitchSlap(Person person) {
          if(person == null)
              sob();
          else { // Who are we kidding? Slashdotters wouldn't have the physical strength.
              hysterics(person);
          }
      }

    13. Re:Computer generate abuse? by fishthegeek · · Score: 1

      MOD points hell! Where can I send you money! That was the funniest thing I've read in weeks!

      --
      load "$",8,1
    14. Re:Computer generate abuse? by eschelon · · Score: 1

      This wont compile cause me is null.
      ...
      result from executing bitchslap(wife) depends on how well you handle wife :)
      1.throwing up (exceptions) ...
      2.silently ignoring problems with try/catch...

    15. Re:Computer generate abuse? by YourExperiment · · Score: 1

      Where the "me" is an inherent part of the context. (i.e. wife implies you) But only in Soviet Russia.
    16. Re:Computer generate abuse? by halcyon1234 · · Score: 1

      dim me as Person;
      dim wife as Person;
      me = (father.output()).insert(mother);
      me.treatmentOf(gettype(Spouse)) = father.treatmentOf(mother);

      while (me) {
                 if (wife)  {
                           me.treat(wife)
                 }
                 else{
                            wife = me.findWife();
                 }
      }

    17. Re:Computer generate abuse? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It will compile just fine, you might get problems with null only at runtime.

    18. Re:Computer generate abuse? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      For those of us that are married, it will compile okay but will almost always throw a Divorce exception when it's run, requiring that the handler call GiveHerAllYourStuff() in order to get the exception to clear. After that one often experiences unrelated issues with insufficient resources.

    19. Re:Computer generate abuse? by Joe+the+Lesser · · Score: 1

      That function always fails with a isTiredOrHasHeadacheException :(

      --
      "I only speak the truth"
      Karma: null(Mostly affected by an unassigned variable)
    20. Re:Computer generate abuse? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      While (true)
      {

            me.bitchSlap(wife)
      }

      before anyone one says anything,
      I know this wont compile.
      Cause wife is null. Sure it will compile. Dereferencing a null is a runtime error.
    21. Re:Computer generate abuse? by fractoid · · Score: 1

      That's horribly ambiguous. It could well be interpreted as "wife slaps you". Or have I just been soviet russia'd?

      --
      Rampant carbon sequestration destroyed the Dinosaurs' tropical paradise. I'm here to help repair the damage.
    22. Re:Computer generate abuse? by HateBreeder · · Score: 1

      it depends on convention.

      If an object has methods that operate on himself,
      then wife.bitchSlap() cannot be ambiguous, as it is a method of wife.

      We can define an interface, say:

      public interface BitchSlappable {
            public void bitchSlap();
      }

      and a base wife class, like:

      public class Wife implements BitchSlappable {
          @Override
          public bitchSlap() {
              System.out.println("I was bitch-slapped!");
          }
      }

      Therfore, you can clearly see that bitchSlap() is an operation performed on the wife object.

      --
      Sigs are for the weak.
    23. Re:Computer generate abuse? by fractoid · · Score: 1

      Ah, you see, internally I'd named the interface "BitchSlapper". Therein lies the confusion! Young ones take note, giving your programming constructs sensible names is very important!

      --
      Rampant carbon sequestration destroyed the Dinosaurs' tropical paradise. I'm here to help repair the damage.
  9. Re:It's about psychology by sqrt(2) · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Even if you're right, that's the price of free speech. You either protect everything, even the vile, disgusting, hateful speech you disagree with or you don't have free speech at all.

    --
    If you build it, nerds will come. Soylentnews.org
  10. Think of the pixels! by admiralfurburger · · Score: 5, Funny

    Won't someone think of the pixels?

  11. logical progression by papabob · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Its banned to have images with real children, as it should be. Now they want to ban just a drawing. Then, they will want to ban writings talking about child abuse; think of it, not only adult/porn books but every novel in which any of the characters had been abused. After that it will be illegal to talk about sex with children. Results? child abuse will be an undeground thing again, flying below the radar of the society (as it was 30-40 years ago) and the govt/media will have to find the next ScaryThing(tm). Somebody should tell them that a mental illness cannot be fixed with a ban...

    1. Re:logical progression by moorhens · · Score: 1

      I suspect part of the reasoning behind the bill is about the general desensitising effect that any child porn images can have and a desire to keep such images away from mainstream thought. Barring the huge amount of assumptions in that last sentence, the sentiment is probably ok. But also it is potential protection for any children who are forced (either in person, or by proxy through illegal photographic images) to model for these dodgy artworks. And no, there will be no progression from this proposal to banning The Simpsons. That's not the way the British legislature works.

    2. Re:logical progression by sakdoctor · · Score: 5, Funny

      The logical progression is of course to ban children. If we don't have any children, then they can't possibly be abused and will therefore be safe.

      Is this good logic? Can I have a job as a politician yet?

    3. Re:logical progression by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Naw, just wait. The Pedophiles will get their rights just like the Homosexuals did.

      (Have i offended someone? Good!)

      The topic is not easy, not at all. While i can perfectly agree that raping children is wrong, pedophilia in- and itself does not hurt anyone.

      It's basically the same as homosexuality - something that's wired the wrong way (from a pure biological standpoint). That doesn't make these people bad, wrong, pervert, sick, or anything else like that.

      The only difference is that homosexuality can be lived out between consenting adults, while pedophilia cannot.

      However, current society treats pedophiles (and i'm talking about pedophiles, not rapists) like they already committed a crime.

      Add to that the issue that from a biological standpoint sex is a.ok. from the time a girl can get pregnant, but depending on where you live you'll have to wait much longer than that.

    4. Re:logical progression by umghhh · · Score: 1

      I think the only metal illness associated with this new law is on its authors - they most likely are so aroused by such pictures that in order to protect themselves they delegalize the whole lot. Maybe they should start be bothered for instance with people abusing us all like spam and malware authors instead but that would be too difficult I suppose.

    5. Re:logical progression by mr_jrt · · Score: 1

      I was under the impression that they want to ban this imagery because paedophiles are just converting photographic media into drawn forms to evade the current bans. I'd imagine you could probably just run a set of cell shading-esque toon filters over them if you so wanted, though I can't imagine it'd work too well.

      Not that I agree with the banning though, I think there are more targeted solutions that could protect children without impacting free expression....I just don't know what they are right now, which is why I don't aspire to be a politician :)

      --
      Boo.
    6. Re:logical progression by Anne+Thwacks · · Score: 2, Insightful
      The logical progression is of course to ban children.

      I am sure the UK government is working on this. After all, children will grow up, and some of them might be abusers. We can't take the risk. Think of the children!... ("Oh, Wait" is not supported by the present "government by knee jerk" strategy)

      --
      Sent from my ASR33 using ASCII
    7. Re:logical progression by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      As a homosexual who also happens to be disgusted by pedophiles, I must say I'm offended, and also glad you brought this up.

      I don't agree in some of the points. I think homosexuality is like pedophilia only in the sense that they constantly jump from one side to the other of the law (allowed in some cultures, outlawed in others, allowed at some period of history, outlawed at some other).

      I also think pedophilia is closer to nature than homosexuality (as you said it, a person is biologically ready once s/he can reproduce). But I'm not a big fan of nature anyway. We decide what's right or wrong, no need to use nature or god as an excuse.

      The reason society treats pedophiles as criminals is because pedophilia is a crime, by definition (as any other crime, I don't believe in natural or divine law). But I wouldn't be surprised if I got to see that law starting to bend before I die.

    8. Re:logical progression by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yes you can, but only in the short term.

    9. Re:logical progression by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No and therefore yes, respectively.

    10. Re:logical progression by Jesus_666 · · Score: 1

      Somebody should tell them that a mental illness cannot be fixed with a ban...
      It's not even a mental illness unless you want to characterize all paraphilias as mental illnesses. We can treat it like something similar (and offer self-help groups, counseling etc.) but we do need to acknowledge that it's not a mental illness - just a state that happens to be at odds with common morals. It can't be healed but we can try to help the affected to control themselves.

      We need to stop mischaracterizing things like this; that only leads to trouble for people who have enough of that already.
      --
      USE HOT GRITS WITH STATUE OF NATALIE PORTMAN (NAKED AND PETRIFIED)
    11. Re:logical progression by mdwh2 · · Score: 1

      And no, there will be no progression from this proposal to banning The Simpsons. That's not the way the British legislature works.

      The way that British legislature works is that The Simpsons will be legal, simply because it's a classified work, but the same scenes in a non-classified work (or even a screenshot from The Simpsopns) could still be made illegal.

      The fact that things exist in legally available material doesn't stop this Government wanting to criminalise such depictions.

    12. Re:logical progression by mdwh2 · · Score: 2, Informative

      I was under the impression that they want to ban this imagery because paedophiles are just converting photographic media into drawn forms to evade the current bans. I'd imagine you could probably just run a set of cell shading-esque toon filters over them if you so wanted, though I can't imagine it'd work too well.

      That's just Government spin - see my other comment - the loophole is already closed in a recent law. This new proposed law will cover all drawings and cartoons of underage sexual acts, whether derived from abuse or not.

      The claim that pedophiles are converting real images into cartoons (is there any evidence for that anyway? Why would they do that and not use non-abuse-derived cartoons?) may well just be scaremongering to get the press resporting this law as "Computer generated abuse" rather than "Sexual drawings of under-18s".

    13. Re:logical progression by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Your post would be valid if you could prove one thing. That something is wired the wrong way with gays. The fact that you can't makes your entire post useless.

    14. Re:logical progression by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Amateur. No politician job for you. Still too coherent.

      When children are outlawed, only outlaws will have children. And how would your silly and irresponsible logic protect those? Doesn't anybody think of the children? Where do children come from? Right. We can't take any chances with those child-endangering criminals.

      Ban people.

    15. Re:logical progression by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

      As someone who is only just coming to grips with bi-sexual and homosexual desires at the age of 31, I wish I could disagree with your post but I can't.

      I sure as hell don't want to think this way, I can't tell you how much I don't want to think and feel this way but it's been there the majority of my life, slowly getting stronger and nothing I could do would make it go away, I had no intentions of living past a certain age, I was convinced I would be dead (at my own hand) not really admitting to myself why, but always depressed.

      Nothing I could do would stop it, I've made up for it by being openly into girls to a ridiculous point, always talking about my conquests, always discussing with my pals how I'd love to 'wreck that shit' etc, ultimately though, the swing to the other side slowly grew.
      I feel sorry for paedophiles I really do, they too can't help it, it's just how they are wired, so while I can go and be with the same sex if I want, they can never act out their sexual desires, I'm not implying they should be able to either.

      As for a solution to this, I can't imagine one, I really can't.
      Oh thank goodness for anon posts.

    16. Re:logical progression by TheLink · · Score: 1

      "Its banned to have images with real children, as it should be"

      1) Why?
      2) Define children

      So if teenagers send each other nude/seminude pics of themselves they should be jailed under child protection laws?

      Seems like many teenagers are doing that nowadays.

      What if a kid sends _you_ a nude photo by accident?

      As for mental illness not being able to be fixed. Does that mean we should execute pedophiles or imprison them for life? No chance for turning over a new leaf etc. If that's wrong, then I think we shouldn't put them on "sex offender" lists either. They serve their time, they get out. They do it again, you put them in again.

      Lots of robbers and thieves are repeat offenders too.

      --
    17. Re:logical progression by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      But if there are no children, who would the Catholic Priests molest?

    18. Re:logical progression by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Although a case can be made the girls right now are capable of getting pregnant much younger than they should be in a natural environ. Girls in hunter-gatherer tribes (e.g. the !Kung) generally don't begin having periods until they are 17 or 18. The whole "first period at 11-13" thing is a relatively recent phenomenon (possibly due to sedentary lifestyle, possibly due to hormone mimicking chemicals in the diet), and I'm more than willing to accept that, mentally, any arguments that women are "ready" before 16 are the self-serving arguments of pederasts.

    19. Re:logical progression by Sobrique · · Score: 1

      Only if you can make the same proof regarding finding a 17 year old sexually attractive.

    20. Re:logical progression by AmiMoJo · · Score: 4, Insightful

      something that's wired the wrong way (from a pure biological standpoint)


      Lusting after attractive 12 year olds is not wrong from a purely biological standpoint, in fact it makes perfect sense. In order to propagate your genes as much as possible, the best tactic is to impregnate as many young girls as possible. The sooner you get to them the better, since by having your children it prevents them having anyone else's for at least 9 months, not to mention the attachment they then form with you that makes it harder for others to impregnate them. From a purely animalistic point of view, girls just into puberty should be the most (physically) attractive.

      As for homosexuality, it's a natural phenomenon. Sure, it reduced the chances of procreation, but it is a common enough genetic variation that it is considered normal.
      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    21. Re:logical progression by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Then, by the same progression of thought, you would have to agree that Polygamy does not hurt anyone. It isn't even something mis-wired in a person's brain.
      It is perfectly natural for members of a species to try to spread their genetic material to as many mates as possible to ensure their contribution to the future. Having this artificially limited due to someone's religious views is what is "wrong"

    22. Re:logical progression by Eivind · · Score: 1

      No need to "send" anything. In most countries you're old enough to be punished or jailed before you're old enough to be allowed to be in a nude photo.

      Thus, all the average 17-year old needs to do to deserve jailtime is taking, and thereafter posessing, a sexual photo of him/her-self. No need to send it anywhere. "posession of child-porn" is illegal even if the producer AND child are both YOU.

      In many places child-porn ain't limited to images either, a -text- can be child-porn. A 17-year-old writing in her diary about what she dreams of doing to [insert-male-of-dreams-here] could be convicted of posession of child-porn.

      Welcome to the world of ThoughtCrime.

    23. Re:logical progression by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The problem with pedophilia is the same problem as having sex with your boss. One person has a power over the other, especially when it's someone in the family, which is the most common.

      Sure, it's possible, even likely that it's consensual, but how do you show that? What do you do if it's not and since the other person has power, the victim can't/won't speak up?

      Then there's the legal problem of the victim not being legally responsible about their choices. Which gets doubly messy when they are on a harmful relationship with their parent/guardian, who are making the decisions. You end up with slavery basically.

      I'm of course talking about pedophilia with a 10 year old, or so. By they time they turn 16 or thereabouts, they are old enough to make decisions (and if I'm not mistaken, that's the age of consent in the UK). If you're having sex with a 10 year old, I'll consider you as having committed a crime.

      But yeah, this new law is stupid.

    24. Re:logical progression by halcyon1234 · · Score: 1

      I don't normally respond to AC, but this needs to be pointed out.

      The only difference is that homosexuality can be lived out between consenting adults, while pedophilia cannot.

      However, current society treats pedophiles (and i'm talking about pedophiles, not rapists) like they already committed a crime.

      Because they have. You said it yourself, right there. A child cannot give consent for sex, because a child is not physically or emotionally mature enough to handle the concept. Having sex with someone without their consent is a crime, just as physically forcing or drugging an adult would be.

    25. Re:logical progression by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The logical progression is of course to ban children. If we don't have any children, then they can't possibly be abused and will therefore be safe.

      Is this good logic? Can I have a job as a politician yet? That's not really a problem for me, I think we should all still be able to have children.
      I am against our children having children though, because I don't believe children should be having sex.
    26. Re:logical progression by lukas84 · · Score: 1

      The reason society treats pedophiles as criminals is because pedophilia is a crime, by definition (as any other crime, I don't believe in natural or divine law).


      No, you got it all wrong. Pedophilia *CANT* be a crime. Pedophilia is a sexual orientation.

      Raping children on the other hand *IS* a crime (at least in my moral orientation). The law itself of course has various definitions of when it is rape (statutory rape) or when it is a child (age of consent).

      The two things have an overlap, but as much as there are pedophiles who rape children, there also other people that rape children without themselves being a pedophile.

      You can see this at other moments too - for example the phenomenon of prison rape, which is usually not done by homosexuals, but heterosexuals which are starved for sex and want dominance over someone weaker.
    27. Re:logical progression by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Wow, you're impressively retarded. Half the post is him saying "hey, pedophilia and raping children isn't the same thing", and that very sentence explicitly states that he is talking about pedophiles (i.e., people who are sexually attracted to children), not those who rape them, and then you come along and go "DUR HUR HUR BUT THEY'RE RAPING CHILDREN SO THEY HAVE COMMITTED A CRIME".

    28. Re:logical progression by Otter+Popinski · · Score: 1

      [Homosexuality] is a common enough genetic variation that it is considered normal. This is a common enough belief that it is considered true. In fact:

      Currently there is a renewed interest in searching for biological etiologies for homosexuality. However, to date there are no replicated scientific studies supporting any specific biological etiology for homosexuality. Similarly, no specific psychosocial or family dynamic cause for homosexuality has been identified, including histories of childhood sexual abuse. Sexual abuse does not appear to be more prevalent in children who grow up to identify as gay, lesbian, or bisexual, than in children who identify as heterosexual. That's from the APA, as cited by the AGLP.

      There is still considerable controversy surrounding this issue, despite "common sense" having made up its mind years ago that homosexuality is genetic.
    29. Re:logical progression by dave420 · · Score: 1

      I don't think paedophiles should be put in prison. I do, however, think anyone who rapes a kid should be. More study into paedophilia is needed - we need to see if it is a mental illness (say, resulting from some childhood trauma), or if people are geared for it from birth. Who knows. Until we answer those questions, we can't understand the problem fully.

    30. Re:logical progression by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No. Why? Well while you solution is preposterous, insane side effects and is more or less unworkable if made to work it would actually solve the problem. You need to think of a solution that is preposterous, has unintended side effects, is more or less unworkable and even if it did work wouldn't solve the problem anyway.

    31. Re:logical progression by kalirion · · Score: 1

      Hey I'd support that. Within 30 years I expect to have robot servants (or overlords as it may turn out) so who needs children?

    32. Re:logical progression by King_TJ · · Score: 1

      This may be an "unpopular" stance, but at least hear me out. I'm not even sure the banning of possession of images of real children is "as it should be"?

      The real *crime* involved in the whole "child porn" thing is the potential of adults forcing themselves on under-age kids who aren't capable of fully understanding the consequences of the actions (or who are, but had these acts done to them against their wishes).

      Mere possession of photographs, while surely "supportive evidence" in building a case against someone, doesn't necessarily strike me as criminal, in and of itself? I know, at least here in the USA, it currently IS considered criminal. I just question the logic.

      The only "criminal" part I can see for this activity is the actual photographing of the child taking place. And even here, it should be subject to intent and permission. (EG. If I take a picture of my own kids playing, naked, in the bath-tub - it's a perfectly innocent act, presumably done because I thought it was a "cute" photo they'd like to see and laugh about when they get older.)

      On the other hand, someone photographing every kid he/she can trick into getting naked for their camera, would pretty clearly be in the wrong. (If nothing else, they certainly didn't have the permission of the parents or legal guardians of those kids to take their pictures -- and you'd assume they'd need that.)

    33. Re:logical progression by lordshipmayhem · · Score: 1

      Because they have. You said it yourself, right there.

      But he hasn't said that. "Pedophile" doesn't mean that you HAVE sexually abused children, it means you find children sexually attractive. If you have an urge to do something that is against the law but don't act on your urges, does that make you a criminal?

      What about other urges? The urge to just take that expensive vase, or claim that ineligible item on your expense report? Does having the urge make you a criminal, or does acting on it?
    34. Re:logical progression by TheLink · · Score: 1

      Regarding consent:

      "The United States is opposing efforts at a United Nations treaty-drafting conference to raise the minimum age at which soldiers can be sent into combat under international law"

      "The proposal to raise the minimum age for military combat, to 18 years old from 15, is proving to be one of the most contentious issues in negotiations on an international Convention on the Rights of the Child"

      http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940DEFDC1538F932A35751C1A96E948260

      Minimum age for military combat is 15. Age of consent for sex in the USA is 16?

      The UK isn't that much better:

      "The Child Soldiers Global Report, released on Tuesday, identifies the UK Government as the only country in Europe that still recruits 16-year-olds, and routinely sends soldiers as young as 17 into battle. "

      http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/1383998.stm

      So a "child" can give consent to get fucked up but not consent to be fucked ;).

      Honestly if a sexy lady (unattached) seduced me and had consensual sex with me (aka "raped" ) back when I was a horny 14 year old, I don't think I'd have been scarred for life, I believe I would have been able to come to terms with it somehow - let's just say more woohoo than boohoo ;).

      Now if she got sent to jail for doing that, then I might actually get scarred. I mean think about it - having your girlfriend being prosecuted, sent to jail, and everyone says bad things about her. You might even start believing some of the bad things they say too.

      I believe girls are more like to be "scarred" if a guy did that to them when they were young. I admit I don't really know.

      BUT, I've seen various surveys about sex, relationships and the results seem to indicate that women tend to lie/misremember about such stuff in one way, and guys tend to lie/misremember in another way... To me that lying/misremembering is indicative of how they would feel later on in life about such things.

      --
    35. Re:logical progression by Fastolfe · · Score: 2, Insightful

      You seem to be confusing pedophilia with rape. A person can be a pedophile without ever touching a child/minor. This distinction is important to understanding the problem with laws like this.

    36. Re:logical progression by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      also, we should put all pre-natal doctors and nurses performing ultrasounds in jail!
      this is the most extreme case of child pornography, worst even, its an institutionalized form!

    37. Re:logical progression by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Not the GP AC, but I felt the need to respond.

      You ignore the information you quoted which the GP put in parentheses, when he says "(and i'm talking about pedophiles, not rapists)". Pedophiles are not the same thing as child molesters, any more than normal heterosexual men are rapists. He's saying that people predisposed to attraction to those under 18, even without having acted upon this at all, are treated like they already committed a crime.

      As you say, having sex with someone without their consent is a crime; however, thinking or fantasizing about it is not.

    38. Re:logical progression by Jamie+Lokier · · Score: 1

      You missed the point. Pedophiles do not have sex children.

      Only rapist pedophiles do that, to use the GP's terminology.

      Therefore it is wrong to demonise pedophiles who are not rapists. They haven't done anything.

      As the GP says, current society treats all pedophiles like criminals regardless of actual behaviour, but the majority of pedophiles have never committed any crime, nor harmed anyone, nor will they ever.

      Most of them don't look at porn either. Just like everyone else.

    39. Re:logical progression by Kodack · · Score: 0, Troll

      You are a retard. You are comparing a lifestyle that involves consenting adults to one that exploits children. That is a worse comparison than apples and oranges. That is more like comparing apples to atomic bombs. The people who do this to children are sick in the same way that people who go after animals are sick. It's a mental illness that should be treated. Even this isn't enough to hold anybody with that illness guiltless. You can't say "I'm sick in the head I couldn't help myself". It's not an insanity defense or get out of jail free card. It simply means that it is abnormal, unhealthy, and requires rehabilitation not just punishment. Homosexuality is completely different in that an adult can consent to enter into a relationship with another adult. The difference between rape and sex is whether there is consent. Children, animals, whatever, can't give consent therefor it is always considered a rape. Get a clue you ignoramus.

    40. Re:logical progression by legirons · · Score: 1

      The logical progression is of course to ban children. If we don't have any children, then they can't possibly be abused and will therefore be safe. I think this proposed law shows quite clearly that children aren't even tangentially related to what this government considers child abuse
    41. Re:logical progression by ArsenneLupin · · Score: 1

      The logical progression is of course to ban children. If we don't have any children, then they can't possibly be abused and will therefore be safe. RTFA. The article talks about drawings of fictitious children, not photos of real children. Even if we castrated every last heterosexual male in the audience, it would still be possible to have drawings.
    42. Re:logical progression by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Pederasty was once normalised in society - like homosexuality itself, it has undergone ups and downs in popularity and acceptability. In ancient times it was the done thing to give your son to the care of a trusted male friend who would help raise him and make a man of him, and that could include a sexual relationship. It doesn't fly from modern standards, but the open nature of it prevented the secret abuse that typifies modern behaviour.

    43. Re:logical progression by MutantEnemy · · Score: 1

      Lusting after attractive 12 year olds is not wrong from a purely biological standpoint, in fact it makes perfect sense. In order to propagate your genes as much as possible, the best tactic is to impregnate as many young girls as possible.

      Well. There are two things a man might look for in a mate: current fertility, and potential fertility. If a man is looking for a one-night stand, the sexiest woman is a woman in her mid-twenties or so, since at that age she should be fertile and the chances are high that a child born to her would survive.

      On the other hand, a youngish woman, ideally a virgin, is the best choice if a man's looking for someone to marry, as he then has her entire life to have children with her. I don't see any value in choosing a girl who's prepubescent though, but someone around 16 or so would do. (I live in a country where the age of consent is 16, which means I can say this without fear. Phew.)

      Just as a caveat (not aimed at the above poster), bear in mind that these arguments assume that our psychology evolved in an era when we were living in small tribes in the savanna, or similar circumstances. We should never assume that our psychology is the best possible for today's environment.

      --
      Grr! Arg!
    44. Re:logical progression by MutantEnemy · · Score: 1

      Quite so. I consider myself broadly pro-gay, in that I support gay marriage and oppose any discrimination. But I find it hard to avoid the conclusion that, biologically, something must have gone wrong in a gay person. I wish it was easier to separate the biology from the politics.

      --
      Grr! Arg!
    45. Re:logical progression by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It would help with the overpopulation problem at the same time. Double win.

    46. Re:logical progression by fractoid · · Score: 1

      That something is wired differently with gays. Fixed. Whether you can define "wired differently to me" as "wired wrong" is a question you'll have to answer for yourself.
      --
      Rampant carbon sequestration destroyed the Dinosaurs' tropical paradise. I'm here to help repair the damage.
    47. Re:logical progression by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It is NOT a-ok from the time a girl can get pregnant. Young girls subjected to rape/intercourse/pregnancy have a dramatically higher risk of fistula, a debilitating and embarrassing condition that basically "screws" you for life.

    48. Re:logical progression by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Homosexuality is completely different in that an adult can consent to enter into a relationship with another adult. The difference between rape and sex is whether there is consent. Children, animals, whatever, can't give consent therefor it is always considered a rape. Get a clue you ignoramus. That's exactly what he said. No, seriously, read past the first sentence of his post. Are you sure he's the ignoramus here?
    49. Re:logical progression by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

      I think you missed the point somewhat. Physical attraction and the desire to reproduce are not rational or based on our current society. They were formed over millions of years of evolution, and the few thousands of years of civilisation we have had is nothing in evolutionary terms, at least not for large long lived animals such as ourselves. Thus, those feelings are based on the needs of a far more primitive time, when a woman in her mid 20s would be considered quite old and probably a grandmother (average life expectancy 30).

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    50. Re:logical progression by MutantEnemy · · Score: 1

      Uh, yes, I think I acknowledged all of that in my final paragraph.

      --
      Grr! Arg!
    51. Re:logical progression by MutantEnemy · · Score: 1

      Well, OK, I acknowledged everything except the lower lifespans in the environment of evolutionary adaptation. But does that average lifespan include infant mortality? If it does, then most people who survived childhood would live to be rather older than the average lifespan... Another thing that might be mentioned is that a 25 year old woman in modern society probably looks as good as an 18 year old living in "the wild".

      --
      Grr! Arg!
    52. Re:logical progression by MutantEnemy · · Score: 1

      Right, sorry, I want to go back and restate my original argument in a more coherent way (I sometimes wish /. had an edit function).

      Firstly, we agree that our psychology was largely shaped by the differential survival of people in an environment very different from ours. Perhaps I wasn't clear enough on that point.

      My argument, really, is that, as far as casual sex is concerned, it makes more sense for a man to seek someone a bit older than what you suggest. A woman is more fertile at a somewhat older age. I'm not sure that life-expectancy is a problem here. A woman (in the ancestral environment) who has survived to be 25 probably has a life-expectancy of 40+, even if the life-expectancy at birth is 30.

      But I would say that it makes a lot of sense for a man to seek a very young woman if he intends to marry her - since he then has her entire life to have children with her. But 12 seems too young; he would just be wasting time on a girl who won't conceive or who could well die in childbirth, leaving him to raise the child alone.

      OK, I think I'm done! :-)

      --
      Grr! Arg!
    53. Re:logical progression by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

      No, it means that if you live to 40 you are the village elder. Excluding infant mortality, the average age a normal person could expect to live to was 30. By that time they looked a lot older.

      What you have to keep in mind is that their lives were full of manual labour, malnutrition and disease. Where as we have ready access to clean water and food, plus medicine for when we get ill, before any of that existed illness dramatically shortened most people's lives. Also, once you start getting beyond your physical peek (18) it steadily gets harder to hunt and compete with younger rivals.

      Until relatively recently, life was short and brutal. For many people, it still can be.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    54. Re:logical progression by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Raping children is wrong, yes; But having sex with a consenting child is also wrong. Why? A child does not yet possess the mental or emotional understanding to make meaningful decisions. So a relationship with an adult can cause pregnancy and harmful long-term psychological effects.

      Sexual activity between children and adults is by its very nature non-consensual, interferes with normal development processes and leads to maladjustment later in life.

  12. Re:It's about psychology by Tarcastil · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    While protecting liberties is important, where do you draw the line? Murder's obviously illegal, and it should be for its damage to another person (and others as well). The question is how these images have a real effect on children. (Please no 'think of the children' jokes).

  13. Editing? by Mathinker · · Score: 1

    Bart's universe has an Edit button...

    Not that I particularly like only being able to watch edited versions of creative works, mind you.

  14. Something wrong by tingeber · · Score: 1
    from TFA:

    "This is a welcome announcement which makes a clear statement that drawings or computer-generated images of child abuse are as unacceptable as a photograph. "It adds to the range of measures to help ensure the safeguarding of children and young people."

    I hate paedophiles as much as anyone, but there is something seriously wrong with phrases like these; is the UK government starting to condemn intentions and comparing drawings to real child abuse?
    --
    oh my god... it's full of stars!
    1. Re:Something wrong by MSZ · · Score: 1

      There was recently a law passed in UK about "violent" porn, banning about half of BDSM. This new law is not a real surprise.

      This seems to be a new attempt to legislate morality. It will certainly make some things disappear - from public view, as they will go underground, totally out of control. But what eyes do not see...

      --
      The moon is not fully subjugated. I demand a second assault wave preceded by a massive nuclear bombardment.
  15. Oh well.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ....there goes 90% of encyclopediadramatica.org

  16. Re:Pedophiles by admiralfurburger · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Side question:
    Why is it Ok for people to have statues of little boys peeing in their garden, with fully functional stream, but not little girls?
    Just curious...

  17. Posturig politicians by Rosco+P.+Coltrane · · Score: 5, Informative

    Psychiatrists have known for a long time that paedophiles are "born that way", that their perversion isn't really a product of their upbringing or past life experiences, just like homosexuality. It's not something they can control or repress, or avoid becoming by not looking at certain images.

    So, while outlawing real kiddie porn is understandable to avoid children being used to produce the material, outlawing computer-generated images makes no sense at all: it won't lessen paedophiles' drives and it won't prevent "would be" paedophiles from becoming real ones. What this is is some politicians passing a think-of-the-children law to look good, probably before elections or something.

    --
    "A door is what a dog is perpetually on the wrong side of" - Ogden Nash
    1. Re:Posturig politicians by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Psychiatrists have known for a long time that paedophiles are "born that way", that their perversion isn't really a product of their upbringing or past life experiences, just like homosexuality. It's not something they can control or repress, or avoid becoming by not looking at certain images.

      So, while outlawing real kiddie porn is understandable to avoid children being used to produce the material, outlawing computer-generated images makes no sense at all: it won't lessen paedophiles' drives and it won't prevent "would be" paedophiles from becoming real ones. What this is is some politicians passing a think-of-the-children law to look good, probably before elections or something. Not true. A percentage may be born that way but I've never heard proof of that. The vast majority were abused as a child so it acts as an infectus disease and tends to spread. Not everyone molested will become a molester but a single molester can potentially molest hundreds so even if a few percent become molesters the numbers grow over time. It's hard to say if the artificial ones will help or hurt the situation but it's hard to justify without proof so it's a catch-22.
    2. Re:Posturig politicians by joe+155 · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I'm not sure if your from the uk or not, but I think you've really hit the nail on the head with your comment concerning a desperate need of some politicians to raise their popularity. Brown is incredibly unpopular, his government has lost every vote they have every been subjected to and have shown the worst results labour have seen at least since 1983 where they were arguing for real socialism in the country. This means that he really needs popularist policies and the easiest way to do this is introduce laws like this that appear to only hurt those who everyone already hates. It is a similar rationale which is behind their new push for "British jobs for British workers", as well as other anti-immigrat rhetoric.

      What really worries me about this is that I'm hoping to have children within the next two years by which time this law could easily have come in. Now peadophiles will be looking to abuse real children rather than just looking at simulated images... But I guess the government needs a good headline - so I can't really expect them to care about real children

      --
      *''I can't believe it's not a hyperlink.''
    3. Re:Posturig politicians by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Which is why most abusers where abused themselves as children. Nothing to do with upbringing, right?

    4. Re:Posturig politicians by martin-boundary · · Score: 1

      That's irrelevant. Serial killers, for example, are "born that way" too, yet they are locked up when caught and sometimes executed. Not everybody has the same mental faculties as the majority of the population, and that can lead to behaviour classified as psychopatic and abnormal. It's the luck of the draw.

    5. Re:Posturig politicians by lightspeedius · · Score: 1

      I think you are mistaken. We are far from having a full understanding the development of sexuality, be it homosexuality, heterosexuality or other sexual inclinations. There is certainly no evidence that suggests a sole factor that defines a person's sexuality.

    6. Re:Posturig politicians by mpe · · Score: 4, Insightful

      That's irrelevant. Serial killers, for example, are "born that way" too, yet they are locked up when caught and sometimes executed. Not everybody has the same mental faculties as the majority of the population, and that can lead to behaviour classified as psychopatic and abnormal.

      Thing is that the mental patterns of serial killers may not be unique to serial killers. IIRC they have quite a lot in common with stock traders. The phrase "make a killing" is even used in the context of finance.
      Also many governments specifically try and train people to be "serial killers", just that they tend to be called "soldiers" in that situation.

    7. Re:Posturig politicians by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Natural born pedofiles? Can u cite a source for that, cause i think u are just making that up. When i've seen child molesters interviewed, every time it is the same story: They start of as regular porn consumers, then find that they prefer younger models. Then they get curios of child porn and find that they like it. Finally they start molesting children.

    8. Re:Posturig politicians by rrohbeck · · Score: 1

      So, while outlawing real kiddie porn is understandable to avoid children being used to produce the material, outlawing computer-generated images makes no sense at all: it won't lessen paedophiles' drives and it won't prevent "would be" paedophiles from becoming real ones. It may actually be counterproductive.
      There's plenty of data from the 70s showing that the incidence of rapes went down when porn flicks became legal and available. Makes a lot of sense obviously - if you got your rocks off watching porn, there's no need to go out and seek out women. The same thing should apply for a pedo .

    9. Re:Posturig politicians by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Paedophiles are not "born that way", neither are homosexuals. Whatever any person becomes is a result of their environment, education, family life, how they were raised and many other factors, including possible MBD (Minimal Brain Damage, though that term is no longer used because it was "too harsh").

      MBD can be the reason for paedophilia, but no conclusive research has been done, yet. Those people are just stuck in their personal evolution. You either lock them up, solving the issue. Castrate them, which is always an option in certain countries, or blow oodles of therapy on them, which may or may not work.

      Don't mistake something you don't _want_ to or _can_ fix with something that you were born with. I was born with two arms and two legs, my parents made me _who_ I am, nature made me _what_ I am.

    10. Re:Posturig politicians by Florian+Weimer · · Score: 1

      Psychiatrists have known for a long time that paedophiles are "born that way", that their perversion isn't really a product of their upbringing or past life experiences, just like homosexuality.

      I'm not sure if equating pedophilia with homosexuality is that helpful. I suppose the key difference between the two is that in the latter case, you can have fulfilling sex life without significant risk that someone ends up being traumatized for their rest of their lives (if you stay away from Republican senators, that is).

      Anyway, many genuinely believe in theories that suggest certain pictures encourage people to live out their inherently destructive sexual fantasies, eventually harming others. I suppose it's very difficult to refute those theories (even though there are some studies suggest that sexual predators had less access to pornography when growing up), and controlled experiments are probably out of the question. Maybe they are even true, to some extent, who knows. Obviously, this results in very tough choices because you need to weigh free speech against some more or less theoretical risk.

      Sometimes, it's also said that a significant amount of child abuse occurs when children accidently watch pornography on the Internet, but I suppose that's just a misunderstanding.

      What this is is some politicians passing a think-of-the-children law to look good, probably before elections or something.

      On the other hand, prosecuting those who actually are into child pornography of the ugliest kind is not very popular among voters. It's a strange dichotomy.

    11. Re:Posturig politicians by TheLink · · Score: 1

      What they should be able to control is actually raping a child.

      I find some women very attractive, I don't go and rape them.

      If governments/people really want to protect the children they should not be focusing on the viewers of child porn. They should _follow_ the money and go after the producers of child porn.

      Also one more thing, what I have noticed is if a child falls down for the first time, he often looks at his parents to figure out whether it's something serious or not. If the parents make a huge fuss over it, the child cries. Whereas if the parents look to acknowledge the child has fallen down, maybe say "oops!", and then continue on if it's nothing serious, the child usually picks himself up and goes on to do what he originally wanted to do.

      Anyway, yeah "save and protect the children", so that we can send them to die in Iraq.

      http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940DEFDC1538F932A35751C1A96E948260

      "The United States is opposing efforts at a United Nations treaty-drafting conference to raise the minimum age at which soldiers can be sent into combat under international law"

      The current minimum age is 15. Go figure... Good to see the priorities eh?

      --
    12. Re:Posturig politicians by dave420 · · Score: 1

      Maybe CGI child porno could be their equivalent of the heroin junkie's methadone?

    13. Re:Posturig politicians by computational+super · · Score: 1
      Serial killers, for example, are "born that way" too, yet they are locked up when caught if they follow through on their desires using an actual human and sometimes executed.

      Fixed that for you.

      --
      Proud neuron in the Slashdot hivemind since 2002.
    14. Re:Posturig politicians by Fastolfe · · Score: 1

      The vast majority were abused as a child

      The vast majority of what? Pedophiles? Or those convicted of child rape? How can you possibly draw any conclusions about those that are sexually attracted to children but have never been convicted of a related crime? How do you even know who they are? I might buy your unsourced assertion that the vast majority of convicted child rapists were abused themselves as a child, because at least there, some meaningful data can be collected, but not all pedophiles have ever acted on their attraction. It seems premature to dismiss the parent poster's claim as "not true" when you have no facts to back that up.

    15. Re:Posturig politicians by Fastolfe · · Score: 1

      It is possible for genetics to heavily influence behavior, which should be obvious when you consider that humans behave differently from other species. Rarely do behavioral traits come exclusively from genetics or exclusively from the environment. Usually it's a combination of the two (with the genetic component considered a predisposition).

    16. Re:Posturig politicians by Jonner · · Score: 1

      I wonder how long it'll take before it's "discovered" that wife-beaters are "born that way." It's clearly a very common tendency for men to control women any way they can, often using violence. I'll bet you wouldn't have to look too hard to find biological reasons for their behavior, something which can't be said for pedophilia or homosexuality.

    17. Re:Posturig politicians by martin-boundary · · Score: 1
      Sorry, but that's incorrect. Pedophilia offences do not actually require human contact between the pedophile and the child. In many places, merely possessing child pornography pictures is a crime.

    18. Re:Posturig politicians by fractoid · · Score: 1

      Killing people one after the other (in serial fashion) makes you a serial killer by definition.

      --
      Rampant carbon sequestration destroyed the Dinosaurs' tropical paradise. I'm here to help repair the damage.
    19. Re:Posturig politicians by fractoid · · Score: 1

      (-1, Opinion presented as fact)

      --
      Rampant carbon sequestration destroyed the Dinosaurs' tropical paradise. I'm here to help repair the damage.
  18. Re:Pedophiles by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Snuff movies are still snuff movies when nobody really dies. It's the idea of it, not the act.
    Right. Stop watching action/horror/thriller movies then. Oh, and stop playing any game except perhaps bejeweled or tetris. And I hope you won't ever have a bad day and wish that someone had an accident... Real child porn is bad, children are hurt. CGI child porn is just sick, but if it's keeping real children safe, let the pedophiles enjoy it.
  19. Closing loophole by IAmAI · · Score: 5, Informative

    If there is no actual child involved is the law merely protecting against the possibility of offenders committing future crimes against real children?"

    According the news article, the motivation for the law is close a loophole in the law whereby a paedophile manipulates a illegal photography in order to make it legal:

    "The government has acknowledged that paedophiles may be circumventing the law by using computer technology to manipulate real photographs or videos of abuse into drawings or cartoons."

    1. Re:Closing loophole by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      Except you can't "manipulate real photographs or videos of abuse into drawings or cartoons". That part is so utterly idiotically phrased that it's not really possible to understand what the fuck they were trying to say. And there's also this little part

      "This is a welcome announcement which makes a clear statement that drawings or computer-generated images of child abuse are as unacceptable as a photograph."

      which blatantly states the opposite.
    2. Re:Closing loophole by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Think photoshop filter I guess...

    3. Re:Closing loophole by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Except there's no filter to magically make it into a drawing or cartoon. And most cartoons are stylized, often to a significant extent, and that's the sort of thing a simple filter will never be able to replicate. You have to actually *draw* it if you want a drawing.

    4. Re:Closing loophole by Zironic · · Score: 1

      You'd think the old law would still apply even after someone applies a photoshop filter to their photograph.

    5. Re:Closing loophole by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "The government has acknowledged that paedophiles may be circumventing the law by using computer technology to manipulate real photographs or videos of abuse into drawings or cartoons."

      So, a child porn producer takes a picture worth $loads of money, of an action worth rotting in prison, and makes it look like a picture worth $0.01?

      Did someone fail economics 101? Lowering the value of an object to be much lower than the price (expected prison time * probability of getting caught)... What's next, outlawing rocks, because diamond shops might paing their precious stones gray to be able to sell them for far less than they paid for them?

    6. Re:Closing loophole by 91degrees · · Score: 1

      The loophole seems to be that we require proof that people are causing harm to convict someone. Images that may have been manipulated mean a possibility that the person did harm. Drawings mean that the person could be capable of doing harm.

    7. Re:Closing loophole by Builder · · Score: 1

      The government has acknowledged that paedophiles may be circumventing (Emphasis mine)

      So we're passing a law because of something that _may_ be happening. Not is. Not has proven to be. May.

      Niiiicccceeeee!

    8. Re:Closing loophole by mpe · · Score: 1

      According the news article, the motivation for the law is close a loophole in the law whereby a paedophile manipulates a illegal photography in order to make it legal:

      Is it possible to do this in such a way that it would not be possible to tell that it was a manipulated photograph? Possibly the real issue here is that it would the difficulty of working out if the original photograph was of "legel" or "illegal" porn.

    9. Re:Closing loophole by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      They might claim that and possibly even intend it, but what matters is what the bill actually says. If it's sufficiently vague to make some hentai (often depicts schoolgirls / "lolis"), and those ridiculous shitty Poster-esque 3D renders often seen on 4chan for their comedy value, equivalent to actual child porn it will be utterly stupid and counterproductive.

      Even if it is just for generated images based on real scenes, the line is quite fuzzy and implies that many images which are actually not would be under suspicion. Result: huge amounts of CEOP's time wasted, numerous lives destroyed as people are wrongly accused of possessing CP, since the initial accusation is all that's needed to make people suspect them forever.

    10. Re:Closing loophole by Jens+Egon · · Score: 1

      We have a law like that here in Denmark.

      Police were saying: "When we can't distinguish between a drawings and filtered photos, please, can we treat it as a photo?"

      And our laws were updated.

    11. Re:Closing loophole by Jens+Egon · · Score: 1

      Yes, except that if they can show that someone could have drawn/painted that picture, then there's reasonable doubt and acquittal is guaranteed.

      Police then have to find the actual photo, and show that it was indeed filtered, making their job that much harder.

      Making their job easier has negative consequences too, off course.

    12. Re:Closing loophole by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      According the news article, the motivation for the law is close a loophole in the law whereby a paedophile manipulates a illegal photography in order to make it legal: Ban Photoshop!
    13. Re:Closing loophole by mdwh2 · · Score: 1

      Loophole is already closed anyway.

      But this new law covers all sexual images of under-18s.

      If pedophiles were "circumventing the law" by using computer technology to manipulate real photos into adult images, should all adult porn be illegal? What if they superimposed them onto pictures of Gordon Brown's arse, would those have to be illegal too?

    14. Re:Closing loophole by Brian+Ribbon · · Score: 1

      "According the news article, the motivation for the law is close a loophole in the law whereby a paedophile manipulates a illegal photography in order to make it legal:

      "The government has acknowledged that paedophiles may be circumventing the law by using computer technology to manipulate real photographs or videos of abuse into drawings or cartoons.""


      That's already illegal. I explained the government's real motivations here
      --
      "To the future or to the past, to a time when thought is free" ~ Nineteen Eighty-Four
    15. Re:Closing loophole by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Shouldn't they simply ban works that involve the abuse of children as part of their creation?

      One can imagine an artist drawing scenes of (fictional) abuse to convey the pain and insanity that is brought by child abuse. Under this law, such work would be banned, which is unjust and contrary to the right of freedom of expression.

    16. Re:Closing loophole by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      wouldn't it make more sense to edit legal photos to look like kiddie porn?

    17. Re:Closing loophole by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

      Regarding that "loophole", the government's confusing the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008 with the new proposal. The Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008 already closes the "loophole", but the government's announcement is to do with a new piece of legislation.

      The Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008 makes it a criminal offence to possess images derived from actual child abuse images. So, if you've got a child abuse photo, and you trace a picture from it, then that picture is also illegal to possess. That's the closing of the loophole, and it's already in an existing Act.

      The new proposal is to do with drawings, and other artificially created images, which aren't even taken from real actual abuse. You can draw a picture entirely from your own imagination, and it'll be a crime to possess it.

      When the Government - probably Maria Eagle, more specifically - says this new proposal is closing a "loophole", she's either confused about her own government's legislation (she's incompetent), or she's lying, deliberately confusing the existing legislation with the new proposal.

      But it seems that the mainstream news media are just regurgitating the government's press release with this confusion included, doing the government's misinformation work for them.

      It's also disgusting that the government want to try to police people's thoughts, no matter how revolting those thoughts might be.

    18. Re:Closing loophole by fractoid · · Score: 1

      Sorry, maybe I just stepped into bizarro world here for a moment and that's why your post doesn't make sense, but... you're saying we SHOULDN'T require proof that people are causing harm, before convicting them?

      What you say? O.o

      --
      Rampant carbon sequestration destroyed the Dinosaurs' tropical paradise. I'm here to help repair the damage.
    19. Re:Closing loophole by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So -- make it illegal to use computer techonology to manipulate real illegal photographs or videos. Oh wait a minute, it is illegal to possess the original material in the first place so the new proposals wouldn't close any loophole and merely offer fear uncertainty and doubt.

      The proposal sounds like it is suggested by burden of proof challenged crime officers. Legislators seem to have forgotten how to balance encouraging civic responsibility with creating new laws. Why?

    20. Re:Closing loophole by 91degrees · · Score: 1

      No. I'm saying we should. Sorry. Read it as '...the "loophole" seems to be...". i.e. it's not a loophole so much as a belief from the government that having to prove guilt of actual crimes is too hard, so they make related acts illegal as well.

    21. Re:Closing loophole by fractoid · · Score: 1

      Ah, I see where you were going now. And now that I do, I agree. :)

      --
      Rampant carbon sequestration destroyed the Dinosaurs' tropical paradise. I'm here to help repair the damage.
    22. Re:Closing loophole by KZigurs · · Score: 1

      I happily acknowledge that government may be making stuff up.

  20. Re:It's about psychology by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    What psychology? Any would-be molester knows pretty damn well that whatever he desires to do is not normal in anyway: It both has social no-no as well as law no-no. Generated pictures found on his PC would still generate social stigma and all kinds of nasty stuff from neighbors.

    There is nothing making it "semi-normal" in anyones eyes, with exception of people with distorted reality but those would convince themselves that what they are doing is ok regardless of reality.

    I prefer not frustrate them with lack of jerkoff material otherwise, they would be left with only two options: kidnap, rape and kill or use their own fantasy. And fantasy world leads them to believing that it is ok to do the real thing.

    Also, you underestimate value of semi-legal pictures like these in tracing and identifying em. It is invaluable to get to know what person next door has in his porn folder. Any banned content will make it harder to identify him and potential molester because he won't likely store it on PC.

  21. I know it sounds bad, but there are reasons by Zorque · · Score: 1

    But an article I read on the subject quoted one of the main proponents saying that there's an increasing trend of child pornographers digitally editing or tracing real photos in order to get around the laws already in place. That being the case, I'm all for the legislation (though I don't even live in the UK).

    1. Re:I know it sounds bad, but there are reasons by mdwh2 · · Score: 1

      But an article I read on the subject quoted one of the main proponents

      There's your problem right there. The Government and its supporters on laws like this are keen to make claims that are unsupported by evidence. (Link?)

      And what if they were converting images to something else? Should we criminalise anything by claiming that "pedophiles are converting child images to such things"? It sounds like something from that Brass Eye episode...

    2. Re:I know it sounds bad, but there are reasons by plague3106 · · Score: 1

      How exactly is this being done? If it becomes a "legal" image, wouldn't it be of no use to those that would rather the illegal one?

  22. Greeting citizen by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I look foreward to your up comming shooting spree in Japan. I would appreciate you doing everything you can to spare Gravure Idols. I'm sure their enthusiasim for mass transit will present a number of attractive targets.

    Hurting children is vile. Expression of vile ideas, is both forewarning and proof of freedom. The inability to recognize the difference is ignorance, and the first step towards tragedy.

    1. Re:Greeting citizen by Reziac · · Score: 1

      A wise AC says, "Expression of vile ideas, is both forewarning and proof of freedom. The inability to recognize the difference is ignorance, and the first step towards tragedy."

      And it seems we've become a society that, through overprotection preventing us from growing up, is so pervasively immature that it cannot distinguish between vile ideas, and vile acts.

      --
      ~REZ~ #43301. Who'd fake being me anyway?
  23. Re:It's about psychology by sqrt(2) · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The effect they have on real children has not been demonstrated as far as I've seen, and certainly not to the high standard of evidence that should be required given what is at stake and the frightening precedent that would be set.

    --
    If you build it, nerds will come. Soylentnews.org
  24. Coward by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Right, as I'm posting this as an anon. coward, I know there won't be as heavy leverage behind my opinion. Nevertheless... this is drawing a -very- fine line. Child porn is a horrible, horrible thing. But to ban computer generated images is the first step down a slippery road.

    It's illegal to rape anyone, or to kill anyone. Does that mean images, or say 90% of films in the case of the latter, should one day be outlawed? What of films like lolita? OK, so you can argue that these are movies made not for the purpose of people getting a sick pleasure out of it. Surely there will always be people who get pleasure out of graphic images in the way they were not intended.

    I'm just afraid that once you start banning one form of fantasy produced content, not based on an act that has actually helping, what will stop law makers from using this as an example in the future for banning other forms of media? Kind of reminds me of the point the fellas over at South Park tried to make in the Cartoon Wars... either its all alright, or nothing is.

    1. Re:Coward by Iamthecheese · · Score: 1

      I am not posting as anonymous, and I agree with everything you just said and stand behind it.

      --
      If video games influenced behavior the Pac Man generation would be eating pills and running away from their problems.
    2. Re:Coward by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I only posted as a coward due to laziness more than anything else. Long time reader, have just never registered an account :-)

      (yes, yes.. off topic. Mod away)

    3. Re:Coward by lysse · · Score: 1

      What about films like lolita?
      Well, in fairness, the film isn't the root of the problem. I suspect that this November 5 we'll all be asked to burn copies of the book, and on top of many bonfires will be sitting effigies of Vladimir Nabokov.

      Future governments might even pass a decree that every householder in the UK is required to own a pitchfork.
  25. Here in the US, we should just stick to Obscene... by trims · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I'm not sure about UK law, but here in the US, we have a nice standard for what is Obscene:

    (a) It (whatever it is, photo, "artwork", film, etc.) must appeal primarily to purient interest

    (b) It depicts sexual activity in a patently offensive manner (according to community standards)

    (c) Taken as a whole, the work has no artistic, political, or social value.

    Frankly, the article does hit on one major problem with "synthetic" child porn - it's often not really synthetic. Remember the movie "A Scanner Darkly" ? That's the kind of thing were starting to see, not the full-on synthetic of a Final Fantasy. It's damned hard to figure out which is which, and in the mean time, people get exploited.

    I don't see the need for additional legislation, as this kind of "artwork" has a far easier time being considered Obscene than most other types. When considered as a whole, most of this stuff would automatically pass (a) and (b) without much of an argument, and the bar for (c) would likely be lower than if the material solely used adults.

    And, you certainly don't want to outlaw all cartoon "child porn" (i.e. things depicting sexual activity in children) - we need educational materials which depict certain acts in order to help victims of such crimes, not to mention basic (preventative) education itself. Additionally, I don't want to see documentaries become illegal (synthetic actors or real people), just because some people don't like the subject matter.

    I like the obscenity standard. It's tough, for a reason. The only problem with it here in the US is jurisdictional - people should be prosecuted in the place where they possess it, not in some other place. That is, if Person A makes it available in California, but person B in Kentucky downloads it, then B should be liable for the Kentucky standards, but A should only be liable for California standards.

    -Erik

    --
    There are always four sides to every story: your side, their side, the truth, and what really happened.
  26. Re:Pedophiles by Iamthecheese · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Terrorists make me sick. The sooner a law is instated that allows us to slaughter the lot of them, the better. Computer generated murders are still murders. Pretending to kill people is still killing people. Its the idea of it, not the act.

    We need to kill every actor who has pretended to kill someone immediately! and ban every movie with a murder in it. The bible is right out! none of that simulated murder is fit to print. And that talk of abuse in our laws!

    "Massachusetts General Law chapter 265 1:
    The unlawful k***ing of a human being accomplished in one or more of the following modes:
    (1) with deliberately premed****** malice aforethought; or
    (2) with extreme at****ty or cru***y; or
    (3) in the commission or attempted commission of a felony punishable by d**th or imprisonment for life."

    We need to get rid of those laws immediately! No telling what kind of sick bastard might read them!

    --
    If video games influenced behavior the Pac Man generation would be eating pills and running away from their problems.
  27. Jack Thompson's wet dream? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Shaun Kelly, safeguarding manager for children's charity NCH, said the proposals were a step in the right direction. He said: "This is a welcome announcement which makes a clear statement that drawings or computer-generated images of child abuse are as unacceptable as a photograph. This is no longer about preventing child abuse, the intent behind child pornography laws. This is about outlawing things that could, possibly, influence abuse. What a dangerous idea. Outlawing things because of how they *could* influence people. Imagine:

    "We want to make a clear statement that drawings or computer-generated images of violent death are as unacceptable as a snuff film."
  28. That's... unenforceable by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    (commenting anonymously because this debate is still taboo in western countries)
    Hentai has been working around these limitation since ages. They draw child porn, tell the characters are 18 and voila. They look younger ? well, it is "artistic license".

    While not my cup of tea, I have always considered these kind of drawings as a way for real pedophiles to drop the pressure. I have always thought that preventing the circulation of child porn was counter-productive : it creates a black-market where the prohibition makes the prices go high. With high prices, it becomes more profitable to produce photographs.

    To me, pedophilia seems like the first pretext used to control Internet traffic. Production of child pornography is the real crime, this must be stopped. The porn industry must not employ children. Owning and distributing their works ? What is the problem with that ? That's called 'pirating' it is supposed to bring down their business model. Legalize the transmission and possession of child porn, and the production of child porn will die. It is not like they can file a complaint to the MPAA...

    1. Re:That's... unenforceable by Okind · · Score: 1

      On the contrary: it is to ensure that laws against pedophilic materials remain enforcable (both to stop it's creation and to stomp out the demand for it).

      With advancing technology, we'll find that in the not too distant future (i.e. within a few years) it's possible that humans cannot distinguish between computer generated images and real photographs/video's. At that point, the claim that the photographs/videos are computer generated will be enough for a reasonable doubt -- especially if the defendant can show a website that (even falsely) claims that the material available is computer generated.

      The only problem I see is that a law like this is easily written badly, and also banning computer generated material that is obviously fake. That would be a slippery slope.

    2. Re:That's... unenforceable by Weedlekin · · Score: 1

      "Production of child pornography is the real crime, this must be stopped"

      Sexual abuse of children is the real crime, irrespective of the motivation for it. And the _vast_ majority of child sexual abuse is perpetrated by people who are very well known to the child, not strange men in raincoats who hang around playgrounds and schools.

      Any government that was more serious about reducing child abuse than political posturing would be educating teachers and others who work with children about the behavioural signs, and how to talk to kids about the topic without making them frightened or ashamed of it. But that of course takes money, and doesn't generate the same sort of press coverage as stupid knee-jerk laws like these that target such a minute fraction of sexual abusers that eliminating all of them would have no noticeable effect on number of kids who get abused each year.

      --
      I'm not going to change your sheets again, Mr. Hastings.
    3. Re:That's... unenforceable by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      With advancing technology, we'll find that in the not too distant future (i.e. within a few years) it's possible that humans cannot distinguish between computer generated images and real photographs/video's. At that point, the claim that the photographs/videos are computer generated will be enough for a reasonable doubt -- especially if the defendant can show a website that (even falsely) claims that the material available is computer generated.
      Then enforce more strongly the ban on children in the porn industry. Shouldn't we welcome photo-realistic depiction of child porn, a process where no child is harmed ? The problem I have in the fight against pedophilia is that it is never clear when people's intent is to end childs' sex labor and when people fight against pedophilia because they find this fetish morally wrong. I have no problem with people fantasizing about having sex with minors, I have problems with people doing this while involving children.
    4. Re:That's... unenforceable by infolib · · Score: 1

      Legalize the transmission and possession of child porn I don't think anyone who'd been abused would want the pictures freely available. In this case it's close to certain that the guardian of the child (or the child when it comes of age) would want an injunction on the material. Having it illegal achieves the same effect, but with much less bureaucracy. Besides, there'd always be economic demand for "fresh" material, I guess.
      --
      Any sufficiently advanced libertarian utopia is indistinguishable from government.
    5. Re:That's... unenforceable by tmosley · · Score: 1

      Not only that, but people would be more willing to come forward without fear of being accused of being a baby-raping monster themselves.

      As it is, I've read several stories where men just drove by dangerous situations, like one where a three year old child was wandering alone on the highway, because he didn't want to be seen picking up a child off the side of the road and get accused of being a pedophile. The child was hit by a truck minutes later and died.

      If men don't feel that it's safe to help a child, children are going to die needlessly. If a man has some child pornography, and reports it to the police, HE will end up labeled for the rest of his life (this happened recently--I just don't recall the fellows name--I think he got hard time though). It doesn't matter if he bought it, or pirated it, or found it in the bloody desert, the feds just shoot the messenger, and surprise surprise, their leads dry up.

      Possession should give probable cause, but shouldn't be a crime in itself. They should be focusing on the monsters who rape little children rather than the consumers. If you go after the consumers, you just end up with an underground network of users with no outside accountability (unless they get caught).

    6. Re:That's... unenforceable by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They don't draw kids and say they are 18. They draw and say the age of the kid.

      In the US the translators modifie the age/add a disclaimer sttating the modified age/add spurious dialogs in the characters telegraph the age.

    7. Re:That's... unenforceable by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      But in the end, the supply and demand is still there, you retard. People produce the material because they want to. Period. Stop with this retarded argument. You really posted anonymously because you're the same guy again and again.

      'Unenforceable' doesn't translate to 'Do Nothing' in my book.

  29. AOC by sqrt(2) · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I often wonder how much of the statistics of sexual abuse and child porn are inflated because of our age of consent laws. Not sure what they are in the UK, and this is about a proposed law in the UK, but in the US the age is usually around 18. So a 17 year old taking pictures of herself has the same legal designation as a 10 year old being molested and photographed by her abusers. If we had a law like this then drawings too would be just as bad? They're making a category of crime even larger when it already lacks the subtleties needed to deal with the reality of the world we live in.

    --
    If you build it, nerds will come. Soylentnews.org
    1. Re:AOC by Zironic · · Score: 1

      I'm glad the swedish law is still a bit more resonable. It's legal aslong as the person is over 18 or looks like he/she could be over 18.

      In practise it means child porn laws are only applied to what it should be, prepubescent children.

      Having sex with anyone below 15 still counts as rape though regardless of how they look.

    2. Re:AOC by Zelos · · Score: 1

      The age of consent is 16 in the UK.

    3. Re:AOC by Eivind · · Score: 1

      That does indeed get ridicolous. Atleast if read as per-the-letter of the law rather than as it's actually practiced.

      In Norway, age-of-consent is 16. But childporn is still defined as porn depicting participants that are under 18.

      The practical result is that at 16, I could legally have sex with my girlfriend. Where I to posess a nude photo of her though, I'd be guilty of posession of child-porn and could in principle be punished for it. I don't think that's -actually- happened to anyone, but thats what the letter of the law says.

      Worse: The law makes no distinction for who you are. A 17-year-old that posess pictures they themselves have taken that depicts THEMSELVES in a sexual situation (say masturbating) could be put away for posession of child-porn. Which is just really REALLY ridicolous. It's very hard to see any "victim" in situations such as these.

    4. Re:AOC by Tony+Hoyle · · Score: 2, Informative

      Yes, but a 16 or 17 year old taking pictures of themselves would be guilty of distributing child pornography. The law is disjointed like that.

      A photo of a perfectly legal sex act between two 17 year olds would itself be considered paedophilia in the UK.

    5. Re:AOC by Florian+Weimer · · Score: 1

      I often wonder how much of the statistics of sexual abuse and child porn are inflated because of our age of consent laws. Not sure what they are in the UK, and this is about a proposed law in the UK, but in the US the age is usually around 18.

      It's only 18 if you're soliciting sex over the Internet. State legislation varies. In many states, the age is 16 (or even lower, if both partners are roughly of the same age).

    6. Re:AOC by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Age of consent in the UK is 16.

    7. Re:AOC by mdwh2 · · Score: 1

      I agree, though note age of consent is irrelevant for images. They don't mention the issue of age at all in the consultation response, but I bet that they use the same age for child porn, i.e., 18 (even though the age of consent is 16 - so sex with a 17 year old is fine, but a fantasy drawing of someone who could be 17 would be illegal!)

    8. Re:AOC by Ma8thew · · Score: 1

      I've read the American stories of teens being prosecuted for taking photos of themselves, but have not read about anything of that sort occurring over here. The law here seems to be a lot more flexible regarding age of consent etc.

    9. Re:AOC by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I don't think so, I'm pretty sure the Sun had a count down to Sam Fox's 16th birthday so they could publish topless pictures of her on page 3. Maybe the laws have changed since then?

    10. Re:AOC by Kojiro+Ganryu+Sasaki · · Score: 1

      This is going to change soon as the current proposed law replaces the current definition. It is no longer just age that defines it, but also appearance. That is, any sexual/pornographic photography of a woman that is legally younger than 18 is child porn. Any sexual/pornographic photography of a woman that is OLDER than 18 but LOOKS YOUNGER is also child porn. They want to have their cake but eat it to.

    11. Re:AOC by lysse · · Score: 1

      It's 16 over here, for both heterosexual and homosexual relationships (the latter is one of the vanishingly few good things New Labour did).

      Incidentally, Jacqui Smith is a complete and utter idiot. This is entirely in keeping with her attitude to her responsibilities. It appears that not only has Britain become a nanny state, it is now being run by precisely those people who should have become nannies.

    12. Re:AOC by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I often wonder how much of the statistics of sexual abuse and child porn are inflated because of our age of consent laws. Quite a few, actually.
      IANAL, but my wife is; she's a felony prosecutor in a small county that has a military base in it's borders.

      She's declined to prosecute multiple cases in which the accused is the typical "Young, dumb, and full of cum" serviceman.
      Usually these cases involve a guy age 18-19, and a girl age 13-16.
      Frequently the girls parents are quite aware of their relationship, and only freak out when they find out about the sexual component.

      While my wife and I both agree this is a huge lapse in judgement, (Yeah, I know; good judgement from an 18 year-old perpetual-hard-on?) it should by NO means be prosecuted as a child molest.

      On the other hand, she has prosecuted (successfully) multiple full-blown child-rapists, "old friend of the family" style predators, and disturbing opportunistic "gropers".
      She's found that it's very common to have other victims come forward with unusable testimony.

    13. Re:AOC by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sweden however (and Canada as well I think) already have the drawn equals illegal clause in their laws. Although, as far as I know, it has never been tested in courts here in Sweden.

      I have a decently large collection of hentai on my computer and I know that I have atleast some images that are obviously technically illegal. I personally don't enjoy lolicon, but some of the works of art I have contain some, and I for one am not going to delete them because of a thought crime law.

      Even worse, if we go up to the 16-18 (high school) interval I have a very large amount of images that I have enjoy viewing. If what you say is true, those images are still legal, but if the law changes, what happens then?

      I could fuck a 16 year old legally, but I can't masturbate to an image of an imaginary drawn 16 year old? And in reality I don't even want to fuck a 16 year old. They may make good material to fantasize about, but reality and fantasy are two completly different things. Although, I think people with a lesser amount of imagination have a hard time grasping that concept.

      And the worst thing. You can't even mention the hypocrisy of these laws in public without risking being called a pedophile.

      Finally, I just want to say that I hope that anyone who molests a child (or adult) gets put away for a good amount of time, and treated with proper psychiatric attention (I don't find US prison rape jokes funny at all). However, I will defend the rights of all those who have urges, but don't act on them. Which pretty much always is the large majority.

    14. Re:AOC by EnglishTim · · Score: 1

      The bizarre thing is that the age of consent in the UK is 16, wheras for child porn laws a child is defined as being 'under 18'. Therefore it is quite possible to have a picture (or soon, it seems, a drawing) that is illegal of an act that is totally legal.

      If a 17 year-old photographs him or herself having sex, does that make them a sex offender?

    15. Re:AOC by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This has happened in the UK and the USA, probably more countries as well.

    16. Re:AOC by Eivind · · Score: 1

      Reference ? I don't really doubt it, but it's nice to be able to refer to the case in later similar discussions.

  30. Re:It's about psychology by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Well, the argument might get distilled to this:

    If seeing a simulation of something makes you MORE LIKELY TO COMMIT THE CRIME that is simulated, then ARE WE obligated to prevent all simulated crime, because it might lead to real crime?

    Video games are far more interactive forms of simulated crime, in this case, killing. In my opinion (and despite the emotive rhetoric), murder is the worst crime there is and we regularly encourage people to engage in it. There are whole buildings where we drop children off for hours to pump coins into machines who's only purpose is to simulate murder for entertainment, with realistic looking guns, on realistic looking people.

    In fact, some games simulate rape, drug running, murder, blackmail, embezzlement, kidnapping, theft and reckless driving all in the first level.

    So if you're willing to state unequivocally, that viewing a simulation of a crime will necessarily cause more crime, then you will find some people who agree with you who are busy lobbying for the banning of games like GTA.

    But I don't think we, as a society, should be allowed to say:

    well, those guys over there are more creepy so we will ban THEIR favorite simulations, but let everyone else enjoy these

    Think about it.

  31. She might look 15 to you but in my head she was 18 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Given the horribly loose language used in the "extreme pornography" law recently passed in the UK and that the extreme pornography law covers staged acts as well as real ones I wouldn't be surprised if the language used in this law is also horribly loose. It's probably unlikely to distinguish between whether the drawing depicted a real act or not.

    As usual we get a ministerial statement saying the plans are "not about criminalising art or pornographic cartoons more generally" in the same way that the extreme pornography act was not about targeting the BDSM community - the trouble is regardless of the intention of the plan they usually end up being overly broad in definition and thus leave a wider group open to prosecution.

  32. Re:It's about psychology by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    someone is going to be substantially out of touch with reality if they assume that society nods at them doing it in reality because they are allowed to view CG images of it, but not real images (and are told that they're not allowed to do it).

  33. Re:Pedophiles by SL+Baur · · Score: 5, Insightful
    You make me sick.

    Computer generated child porn is still child porn. Who was harmed?

    Snuff movies are still snuff movies when nobody really dies. It's the idea of it, not the act. Well, better yet, don't watch it. If it's the idea of it, then all of Hollywood should be prosecuted.

    But Hollywood is profit driven, so how about just not watching it? I've spent US$0 on US movies in the US in the last 10 years (and I'm not BitTorrenting stuff), and you?

    I think society would be better served by putting people like you in jail than *anybody* else.
  34. After RFTA by Martian_Kyo · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I dub this law as Anti-Hentai law.

    1. Re:After RFTA by VJ42 · · Score: 1

      What's to stop the Hentai Artists to just say that their characters are over 16? Indeed, what's to stop any of these artists just saying that their CGI models are over 16?

      --
      If I have nothing to hide, you have no reason to search me
    2. Re:After RFTA by Martian_Kyo · · Score: 1

      very true, which again proves how absurd this law is. This is an law against fantasies, no matter how disgusting and immoral I think those fantasies are.

    3. Re:After RFTA by mdwh2 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      What's to stop the Hentai Artists to just say that their characters are over 16? Indeed, what's to stop any of these artists just saying that their CGI models are over 16?

      Nothing. Just as there's nothing to stop the police arresting them anyway, and the jury ignoring the claims that the girl who looks to them to possibly be 16/17 is actually a 400 year old demon in disguise.

      The difficulties in judging the age show the absurdities in such a law, but I suspect that the age will be based on what a jury thinks, not what the defendant claims.

      (It'll probably have to be over 18.)

    4. Re:After RFTA by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      To all those fanboys fapping over hentai pictures of supposedly 16/18-year old girls... yeah right! If those drawings were real, this is what you'd be fapping over.

      You sick fucks!

      (Captcha is "illicit"... I'm not fucking surprised!)

    5. Re:After RFTA by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Little do you know, that is what I fap over!

    6. Re:After RFTA by Kojiro+Ganryu+Sasaki · · Score: 1

      Because they will go after appearance and not after actual age (fictional characters have no age). As such, any character that looks underage will be underage.

  35. It's like guns by utnapistim · · Score: 1

    If there is no actual child involved is the law merely protecting against the possibility of offenders committing future crimes against real children?"

    It's like the proliferation of guns: the fact that you have them easily available all the time, will make violent people simply reach for them in an access of fury (instead of using something less lethal).

    IANAS ( I am not a shrink :) ) but I think that going towards something like pedophilia is a gradual process, and having pictures (even if computer-generated) involving children readily available would make it easier for would-be pedophiles to go to the next step (whatever that might be).
    --
    Tie two birds together: although they have four wings, they cannot fly. (The blind man)
    1. Re:It's like guns by Max+Threshold · · Score: 1
      It's like the proliferation of guns: the fact that you have them easily available all the time, will make violent people simply reach for them in an access of fury . . .

      Except it doesn't work like that. More guns results in less crime, and statistics from around the globe bear that out.

    2. Re:It's like guns by LinuxDon · · Score: 1

      That's just crap.
      Just look at this, the USA is high everywhere:
      http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=3231

      Also, lots of deaths involving guns are accidents or happen in the spur of the moment. And that's exactly the reason why having guns lying around is not a good idea at all.

      Where I live, guns are illegal (much more illegal than drugs) and that makes me feel save. I don't have to worry about someone suddenly pulling a gun on me, since those chances are actually very slim.

    3. Re:It's like guns by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's like the proliferation of guns: the fact that you have them easily available all the time, will make violent people simply reach for them in an access of fury (instead of using something less lethal).


      For your analogy to be correct, this law would have to outlaw CHILDREN.
    4. Re:It's like guns by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No, it's not crap. It's just that 'merkins can't be bothered to look beyond their borders to the effect of gun laws elsewhere.

      That's why they periodically try legislating against the scariest looking guns. But don't try going for the ones that are the worst problem. (hint: Which weapon is used for most unlawful killings?)

      If you are a 'merkin do your country a favour: Bear arms, the bigger the better.

      Only, never, ever arm a criminal or crazed person with a concealable weapon. That means that you should not buy one, you should not own one, and you should not carry one.

    5. Re:It's like guns by archont · · Score: 1

      Allow me to expand on yout thoughts sir. The availability of guns does indeed promote gun violence. People with a natural predispisition towards gun violence are more likely to use a gun should one be available. The same applies to children. Therefore in order to protect out citizens from violent child crimes we need to ban the manufacture and posession of children. Problem solved.

    6. Re:It's like guns by plague3106 · · Score: 1

      You may feel safe, but you aren't. Guns are illegal on school grounds, yet that hasn't stopped school shootings, has it?

      People can have accidents with knives and cars too; shall we outlaw them?

      That leaves "spur of the moment." If you know that everyone ELSE around you also has a gun, even if you get really really angry, do you think that would cause a person some pause before they reach for the gun? Even if they did, don't you think other's around would quickly put a stop to the original person's shooting?

      That's actually what statistics DO show. You act as if someone mearely possesing a gun means they are some kind of hot headed pyschopath. That's simply not the case.

    7. Re:It's like guns by Max+Threshold · · Score: 1

      Still wrong. The idea that anyone around you might be carrying a concealed weapon is what keeps violent crime to a minimum.

    8. Re:It's like guns by Jens+Egon · · Score: 1

      Good theory. Congratulations.

      Now look beyond your borders, what is the evidence?

      Is violent crime above minimum in countries where you may not carry a concealed weapon? (Define 'minimum' while you're at it!)

      Is violent crime lower in areas where "anyone around you might be carrying a concealed weapon"? (Ok, that's a chicken and egg problem.)

      Are there heavily armed civilian populations with low incidence of violent crime? (Hint: You might want to look at Switzerland and France.)

      All questions I know but that's the way of this world we live in. Acquiring more knowledge will advance you to "new and higher levels of bafflement". (I don't remember the source for that one, sorry)

  36. Re:It's about psychology by arstchnca · · Score: 3, Informative

    And you know this because you are an image-thought-ologist, and you participate in research regarding this phenomenon? Truly leading in the field, I'm sure.

    But no. You're just some dumbfuck who wasted his time posting drivel to an otherwise respectable (lol) website.

    At least you made some effort to pass off your crap, if only with 3 words (4 if you count the contraction differently) of "trying" in the subject: It's about psychology.

    You're full of shit. Forgive me on the very-off chance that you're a PhD (tell me where so I can call them and tell them they fucked up), but I'm pursuing a degree in psychology and you /Officially/ need to shut the fuck up.

    But yeah, at least you tried to qualify your baseless assertions in the subject.

    You could have done worse.

    --
    -- arstchnca
    --
  37. Re:Pedophiles by hairyfeet · · Score: 5, Insightful

    That is what I was thinking. And where do you draw the line? Hentai? Crudely drawn comic books? Or will even a stick figure get you thrown in jail since a stick figure doesn't have breasts and therefore must be underage? While I am for getting rid of the producers of REAL child porn,a drawing is simply thoughts made form with pixels or paint. And as we have seen lately any power given to the state WILL be abused,and abused badly. Not to mention the child pron laws have already reached the level of insanity that a 15 year old can go to prison for taking pictures of her own body and giving them to her boyfriend. The "save the childrens!" excuse doesn't really fit in this case unless they are determined to save imaginary kids as well. But that is my 02c,YMMV

    --
    ACs don't waste your time replying, your posts are never seen by me.
  38. Loophole? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    This no more constitutes a loophole in UK child porn laws than the ability to freely purchase a water pistol amounts to a loophole in its gun control laws.

    The reasons they gave on the BBC site was that Pedos are using special software to turn photos into drawings. I would like to see this software, it sounds very cool.

    1. Re:Loophole? by mpe · · Score: 1

      The reasons they gave on the BBC site was that Pedos are using special software to turn photos into drawings. I would like to see this software, it sounds very cool.

      What effect does it have on photographs of government ministers?

    2. Re:Loophole? by will_die · · Score: 1

      The reasons they gave on the BBC site was that Pedos are using special software to turn photos into drawings. I would like to see this software, it sounds very cool
      standard photoshop, even alot of other Adobe software has a limited form of this.
      You load the picture select the area and then select the style you want it converted to a few seconds later you have an drawing done in that style.
      Here is a quick tutorial showing the photo to pencil drawing conversion. With example.

    3. Re:Loophole? by chriseyre2000 · · Score: 1

      The GIMP has filters for turning photos into various artistic styles. For example a photo may be transformed to look like a pencil drawing or an oil painting.

    4. Re:Loophole? by aproposofwhat · · Score: 1
      So you're the gimp?

      Thought so :P

      --
      One swallow does not a fellatrix make
  39. Re:Pedophiles by Knuckles · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Snuff movies are still snuff movies when nobody really dies. No they aren't, since the very definition of a snuff movie is that the depicted acts are real.

    --
    "When I first heard Daydream Nation it quite frankly scared the living shit out of me." -- Matthew Stearns
  40. It's about psychology -- LOL ? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    someone is substantially out of touch with reality if they think that someone could think that society nods at them doing it in reality because of CG... fixd

  41. Re:It's about psychology by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    While protecting liberties is important, where do you draw the line?

    You don't. It's free speech. When the creep tries to abuse a real child, that's when it's a crime, and that's when you bust them.

    The question is how these images have a real effect on children.

    They don't. That's like asking what effect Bugs Bunny has on real rabbits.

  42. It depends by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I'm as big a fan of "freedom of thought" as anyone.

    But what are the purposes of these images, from a social/personal/psychological perspective?

    I can see a reasonable argument that their purpose is to create a feedback loop for someone who already has pleasurable thoughts about child sex abuse gaining additional pleasure from looking at them, which in turn feeds future pleasurable thoughts about child sex abuse. It is also not particularly hard to think that someone who obsesses about such things might be encouraged by that loop to make the jump into real life, for example when the computer generated images are no longer "extreme" enough.

    There is, for instance, a recognised pattern with (adult) porn that certain types of user will inevitably seek out harder and harder stuff because the less extreme stuff no longer excites to the same degree.

    If these images even slightly reinforce that sex with children is acceptable or pleasurable, and if (in addition) they have no other legitimate purpose or value, then I think there must be a reasonable basis for arguing that banning them does not in any way infringe a freedom worthy of protection.

    Yes, yes, once you get on the slippery slope of making that judgment it's all very complicated and risky. I don't know that I totally buy the foregoing reasoning myself. But a society which champions freedom of expression/thought/speech/action must perhaps still draw some limits or find some coherent basis for existence, or else risk becoming utterly dysfunctional. I fear the death of western culture by relativism of values whilst other (much less permissive) cultures, particularly in Asia and the Middle East, thrive by virtue of their strict enforcement of specific values.

    However I'd be interested to hear counter-arguments or suggestions of what other value these types of pictures could possibly have to anyone.

    As a totally alternative argument, consider that kiddy porn is a form of serious mental illness or addiction (I personally regard it as a form of mental illness), with the potential for dangerous symptoms to arise in some sufferers. Controlling access to these images can then be regarded as analagous to controlling access to addictive drugs.

    1. Re:It depends by glas_gow · · Score: 2, Insightful

      So far, many have asked "who does it hurt?" Who does it hurt to suppress such images? Are they essential to a free society. It infringes upon an individual's right to view a depiction of child abuse. Why would anyone want to view children being abused? I don't think this is about naked babies in christening cards, or cherubs. However, I can think of one problem. Artistic depictions of child abuse. Films, novels and dramas in which child abuse is central to the story. Courts will have considerable problems separating gratuitous depictions of child abuse from legitimate dramatic representations. Perhaps it would be better (if there is a pressing need for this) to limit the law to those already convicted of offences relating to children. If viewing depictions of child abuse is part of a larger pattern of behaviour, then it should only be an offence when there is evidence of a wider pattern of behaviour.

    2. Re:It depends by Zelos · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Surely the default position for any free society should be to allow things and only legislate when there is demonstrable proof of harm? Otherwise you start to get chilling effects.

    3. Re:It depends by MSZ · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I can see a reasonable argument that their purpose is to create a feedback loop for someone who already has pleasurable thoughts about child sex abuse gaining additional pleasure from looking at them, which in turn feeds future pleasurable thoughts about child sex abuse. It is also not particularly hard to think that someone who obsesses about such things might be encouraged by that loop to make the jump into real life, for example when the computer generated images are no longer "extreme" enough.

      This was predominant theory half century ago, which supported bans on pornography, censorship etc. Then some countries lifted the ban under the less supported theory, that such material provides surrogate fulfilment. Statistically they were correct as the number of sex-related crimes fell sharply. Surely some of the sickos will go into feedback loop, but most of them will happily "go manual" while drooling on the pages/screens.

      But a society which champions freedom of expression/thought/speech/action must perhaps still draw some limits or find some coherent basis for existence, or else risk becoming utterly dysfunctional.

      The most logical limit is very simple: Was any child actually abused to make that particular material? If yes, drag the producer to the jail, lock him up and throw away the key. Punish for real crime, not thoughtcrime.

      Anyway, even for people that are not into this kind of "entertainment", it's quite important to defend freedom. If it's legal to publish sick offensive shit (with a limitation as above) it guarantees the right to publish anything less sick and less offensive, like the views of average people. Larry Flynt comes to mind...

      And UK is "special" (like in "special olympics") when it comes to related issues. There's very few actual cases of this kind of abuse, but the local media paint a picture of a country with violent pedophile at every corner, in every bush and three of them in every dark alley. With this level of hysteria they may very well ban photos of children whatsoever or require permits and observation by govt inspector.
      --
      The moon is not fully subjugated. I demand a second assault wave preceded by a massive nuclear bombardment.
    4. Re:It depends by totally+bogus+dude · · Score: 5, Interesting

      It's certainly an interesting issue. It's not that long ago in human history that promising children in marriage before they were 10 was common practice, and sexual relations would be started much earlier than is generally considered "acceptable" now. So characterizing sexual attraction to children as being a serious mental illness seems a bit of a reach -- it was perfectly normal not that long ago. Unless of course the vast majority of people in the middle ages were mentally ill, which is a possibility.

      Times change of course, and people live much longer now and popping out new kids at the soonest possible moment isn't a necessity. Further, kids have become increasingly sacred and protected from pretty much everything that has any potential to have an even vaguely negative affect on them, which certainly will affect their ability to deal with things like sex at an early age. Societies evolve, so the above paragraph isn't intended as an "it was okay to have sex with children then so it should be now" argument, merely offering a counterpoint to your suggestion that it's a mental illness.

      The main thrust of your initial argument is that exposure to simulated child porn may cause certain individuals (presumably ones who are somehow predisposed) to take their fantasy acts into the real world, and cite that certain types of "users" of adult porn will seek out harder and harder stuff.

      I see two philosophical problems with this as a basis for banning anything that might be construed as CP. Firstly, "may cause certain types of people" has a hollow ring to it, and seems to be used by people wanting to enforce their own wishes without a good reason. More to the point, it acknowledges that it doesn't cause the majority of people to behave in an unacceptable manner, no more than watching violent movies or playing violent video games causes a significant number of people to behave in an acceptable manner. As such, we're effectively punishing (as in, restricting the freedoms of) perfectly law-abiding citizens, in order to potentially protect us from a few.

      Taken further, consider these ideas which, to the best of my knowledge, are all backed up by studies:

      • listening to music while driving a vehicle should be banned, as it can cause some people to drive more "dynamically" increasing the risk of accidents (particularly music with a fast tempo)
      • listening to anything at all while driving a vehicle can distract certain people enough to significantly increase the risk of accident; therefore radios and passengers should be banned
      • certain people may become violent after drinking alcohol, so alcohol should be banned
      • similarly, certain people may feel less inhibited by things such as "the law" or "decency" after drinking alcohol, so it should be banned twice
      • some people commit violent crimes to obtain money, therefore being poor should be banned (not exactly sure how to implement this; perhaps not being poor could be banned instead?)

      More seriously, a person who enjoys child porn almost certainly enjoys looking at children in real life, as well. So should we ban children from all public spaces just in case there happens to be a paedophile around who will have bad thoughts because they happen to see a child they find attractive? I mean, having separate "child habitats" where children are made safe from the problems of the real world is the next logical step in the continued cotton-balling of our kids.

      The general point being, if people are somehow predisposed to paedophilia, or murder, or rape, or theft, or any of a number of things we want to strongly discourage in our society, then these actions could be partially triggered by any number of inputs. Some might be easy to identify, others more difficult. Moreover, many of these inputs may be perfectly acceptable things that normal folk feel add value to their lives. Lots of people have posted about violent movies as a point of comparison. If we start banning "normal" folk fro

    5. Re:It depends by mdwh2 · · Score: 1

      But what are the purposes of these images, from a social/personal/psychological perspective?

      There are two main issues with such a law:

      * Images that are intended to clearly be for pedophiles (e.g., they're of babies getting raped, and we know that they were drawn for that purpose).

      * All sorts of images that would be caught under such a broad law, such as drawings of characters who might look 17, manga/hentai where the ages are unclear. An age limit of 18 simply doesn't make sense when with drawings, there exists no person whose age you can determine (how old is a cartoon character?) and whilst children look different from adults, a drawn 17 year old doesn't look any different to a young 20-something.

      For the former, well perhaps there is no purpose for such images, but still, that is not necessarily sufficient justification for locking people up. Also one could equally argue that such images act as an outlet, rather than encouraging them - there is no conclusive evidence either way. So a ban could do harm.

      For the latter, there are plenty of purposes of such images, and a law that criminalises possession of all these things is far too broad.

      There is, for instance, a recognised pattern with (adult) porn that certain types of user will inevitably seek out harder and harder stuff because the less extreme stuff no longer excites to the same degree.

      Is it? I've seen that claim by supporters of criminalising porn, but not seen the conclusive evidence. I've also heard the claim that people will move on from "extreme" adult porn to child porn, which makes no sense. It's the sort of stuff that Jack Chick would claim...

      consider that kiddy porn

      We're talking about drawings and cartoons, not kiddy porn, please don't divert the debate. Either way, I wouldn't consider them to be physically addictive drugs.

    6. Re:It depends by TheLink · · Score: 2, Insightful

      "More seriously, a person who enjoys child porn almost certainly enjoys looking at children in real life, as well. So should we ban children from all public spaces just in case there happens to be a paedophile around who will have bad thoughts because they happen to see a child they find attractive? "

      Nah the next step is to make them wear a hijab/burqa/chador, just like in those Islamic countries.

      I'm sure many adults have bad thoughts, even illegal ones when they happen to see an adult they find attractive.

      Some also have bad illegal thoughts when they happen to see an adult they find offensive.

      So put everyone in a hijab? ;)

      --
    7. Re:It depends by digitig · · Score: 1

      But what are the purposes of these images, from a social/personal/psychological perspective? Art? Entertainment? As others have pointed out, society accepts the depiction of all sorts of bad things in the name of art and/or entertainment, usually but not always with the person doing the bad things ending up suffering in consequence. Outlawing the depiction of some bad things is effectively a form of denial, pretending that they don't exist because nobody can mention them.

      --
      Quidnam Latine loqui modo coepi?
    8. Re:It depends by Mjec · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Perhaps it would be better (if there is a pressing need for this) to limit the law to those already convicted of offences relating to children.

      Crimes that only apply to criminals? That's a slippery slope, my friend...

      --
      "But everyone should know everything." -markab
    9. Re:It depends by Sobrique · · Score: 1
      I think it actually is important to a free society - laws exist for the protection of the populace. There are laws against child pornography, not because we consider it 'nasty' but because of the harm to the children involved, and the fact they are unable to give informed consent.

      Going witchhunting against the current thing that's disapproved of is extremely harmful to a free society. Suppressing something simply because it's considered 'dirty', especially in something that's emotionally charged and can carry stigma by association is entirely contrary to a free society.

      That's even before we get into the discussion of whether suppressing a fantasy makes it more or less likely to get acted out, by someone who might be considered mentally ill.

    10. Re:It depends by Sobrique · · Score: 1

      Thinking someone is sexy without their consent is clearly thought-rape, and thus should be illegal.

    11. Re:It depends by fbjon · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Careful now, you wouldnt want to upset Slashdot's significant pedophile community. Ah yes, critisizing anti-pedophilia makes one a pedophile. Intellectual honesty is the most tragic casualty of the pedo-panic, IMHO.
      --
      True confidence comes not from realising you are as good as your peers, but that your peers are as bad as you are.
    12. Re:It depends by Mr.+Slippery · · Score: 1

      There is, for instance, a recognised pattern with (adult) porn that certain types of user will inevitably seek out harder and harder stuff because the less extreme stuff no longer excites to the same degree.

      Citation needed.

      But a society which champions freedom of expression/thought/speech/action must perhaps still draw some limits or find some coherent basis for existence

      No. Completely, totally, and utterly wrong.

      If you want to use force to prevent or punish an action, the burden lies entirely on you to show that said action presents a threat to the rights of others. It's not up to me to justify my expressions, thoughts, and speech; it's up to you to justify pointing a gun at me because you don't like them.

      Controlling access to these images can then be regarded as analagous to controlling access to addictive drugs.

      And that's certainly worked so very, very well.

      --
      Tom Swiss | the infamous tms | my blog
      You cannot wash away blood with blood
    13. Re:It depends by Mr.+Slippery · · Score: 1

      Crimes that only apply to criminals? That's a slippery slope, my friend...

      How so? We often place restrictions on persons on parole or probation. Fore example, people who have been convicted of violent crimes can't own firearms.

      --
      Tom Swiss | the infamous tms | my blog
      You cannot wash away blood with blood
    14. Re:It depends by clam666 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      This will continue, of course, until the fetishization of children decreases, and by that I mean the fetishzation of children by their parents and government.

      Ignoring relatively recent human history where children in their early teens were married off, soldiers in wars, or running businesses/plantations/families, we have now created an overindulgent culture of keeping adults as children as long as humanly possible for the enjoyment of parents and politicians who exploit them.

      An aquaintance of mine refers to her dog as "puppy" and treats him as such, regardless of the fact that the dog is 13 years old and on it's last legs. The dog is completely untrained, as to be expected, but now is not even getting some required medical care for a dog of it's age because that might be some sign that the animal isn't a puppy nor immortal.

      Sadly, most of the "parents" I know now are doing similar things with their children. I've overheard conversations between parents chiding each other for cutting junior's hair ("His curls are so cute! We can't cut them!", "Yes, but he's 8 and looks like a roadie from Foghat"), not letting a 6 year old stay up until 3a.m ("She's playing! We have to let children be children!", "Yes dear, but I have to set up for Foghat in the morning."), and my favorite told to my idiot 14 year old nephew ("It doesn't matter what grade that teacher gave you, as long as you tried your best that's all that matters."). Having tried that technique of project completion with employers has met with limited success.

      Luckily, if the child might be showing any signs of rebellion, intelligence, or desire to flourish on their own terms, there are a slew of "disease du jour" and designer drugs to keep them in that glassy-eyed / dopey-smiled state of puppiness. Autism/aspergers/marjoram/whatever is always available in case junior shows a but too much resistance. Pigeon hole them now, keep them in size XXL diapers when they're 16, and keep them from ever leaving mommey and daddy's side. Because as long as they stay, mommy and daddy aren't really, you know, grown-ups or old themselves.

      Now I'm sure there are plenty of kids with "real" mental issues out there. I suspect if the bell curve is to be believed that at least 50% of the population has difficulty telling one end of a chalupa from another, and if special-ed classes and living with their parents until they're 40 gets my drive-thru order right at least most of the time, then it can't be all that bad.

      Before I get modded for being too off topic, let me seamlessly tie that right back in to the article somehow.

      Although real child abuse does occur, most likely it isn't the creepy guy in the street with the bad haircut and thick glasses on slashdot, it's the parent, family relative, or friend that does most of the molesting/abuse. The german sex-ring isn't photographing little Briegh or Taylour as they play in the back yard, it's the baby sitter or cousin or uncle Joe who is doing far worse when no one's watching, and since families rarely turn in one of their own, it's just quietly kept under wraps like the Catholic Church did with "misbehaving" priests who had a taste for alter boys.

      Politicians, knowing this but powerless to prevent it, love to pick up the banner of saving the children from some unknown danger from one of those southeast asian countries with a sex-ring and is much more marketable than passing laws that would prosecute a mother as an accessory who stands by allowing their children to be molested by their new boyfriend but pretending it isn't happening because she doesn't want to "rock the boat".

      It doesn't matter that laws that would prosecute a completely digitally created image where no abuse occurred to anyone would also include 450 year old paintings that show fat naked cherubs (with little penii!) flying around Aphrodite getting it on, consenting adults role playing together (any second they'll have the urge to molest real kids, like them homosexuals!), or the XTian bible raping virgi

      --
      I'm a satanic clam.
    15. Re:It depends by Etherwalk · · Score: 1

      > More seriously, a person who enjoys child porn almost certainly enjoys looking at children in real life, as well. So should we ban children from all public spaces just in case there happens to be a paedophile around who will have bad thoughts because they happen to see a child they find attractive? I mean, having separate "child habitats" where children are made safe from the problems of the real world is the next logical step in the continued cotton-balling of our kids.

      Actually, we take the opposite approach, creating a special children's space and banning adults, while not banning children from public-space-at-large: The playgrounds in New York, for example, often ban unaccompanied adults.

    16. Re:It depends by kabocox · · Score: 1

      And UK is "special" (like in "special olympics") when it comes to related issues. There's very few actual cases of this kind of abuse, but the local media paint a picture of a country with violent pedophile at every corner, in every bush and three of them in every dark alley. With this level of hysteria they may very well ban photos of children whatsoever or require permits and observation by govt inspector.

      Um, I thought it was true though. With all those CC cameras all it takes is some 13-15 year old girls in skimpy out fits to turn your average male video reviewer into a pedophile. In that case should the government arrest itself, the contractor running the camera, the person reviewing the camera that got aroused, or the subjects being videoed that happened to turn some one over the age of 18 on?

    17. Re:It depends by computational+super · · Score: 1
      what are the purposes of these images, from a social/personal/psychological perspective?

      Ok - what are the purposes of any images, then? Certainly, we can continue to live our daily lives without porn in general, right? They serve no purpose, so why should they exist? And what about images of immoral behavior in general? They serve no purpose, so why should they exist?

      My suspicion is that this is actually the long-term goal of the legislature here - to finally outlaw all "immoral" art piece by piece and finally return to the glorious Christfest of the middle ages.

      --
      Proud neuron in the Slashdot hivemind since 2002.
    18. Re:It depends by PakProtector · · Score: 1

      You make me cry, OP. I've known militant feminists who have said the same thing.

      --

      Edward@Tomato - /home/Edward/ man woman
      man: no entry for woman in the manual.
      "Qua!?"

    19. Re:It depends by russotto · · Score: 1

      I'm as big a fan of "freedom of thought" as anyone. But what are the purposes of these images, from a social/personal/psychological perspective?
      If you were as big a fan of "freedom of thought" as anyone, you wouldn't ask the question. You certainly wouldn't ask it in that manner, one which implies the images are an exception to "freedom of thought". And you'd know the answer, in context, is "who gives a fuck?". One of the nice things about having freedom is it means you don't have to justify your actions, not to Authority and not to Anonymous Cowards.
    20. Re:It depends by fractoid · · Score: 1

      ...a drawn 17 year old doesn't look any different to a young 20-something. I'm fairly sure when they're talking about hentai, there's a pretty clear divide between "very young yet very physically mature" and "child". I don't think people are complaining about "photos of girls that may or may not be jailbait", they're talking about "when little sally got fingered".
      --
      Rampant carbon sequestration destroyed the Dinosaurs' tropical paradise. I'm here to help repair the damage.
    21. Re:It depends by TheLink · · Score: 1

      I suspect many women actually agree with that remark.

      If a guy they find attractive flirts or tries to chat with them it's OK, whereas if a guy they don't find attractive does the exact same thing it's sexual harassment.

      I'm lucky that I'm not in the "ugly" group, so when I smile at ladies, they often smile back, instead of making a run for it or clutching their handbags (or reaching in for the pepper spray/taser).

      I do understand the "why" though. It's partly due to whether she thinks she's safe and can trust the person. Just like if Daddy throws his little girl up in the air, she screams in _delight_, not terror. Because she knows Daddy will not let her get hurt.

      Similarly if a guy slaps his guy friend on the back, or soft-punches him in the stomach, it's considered friendly and OK - you trust your friend to not hurt you. Whereas if a stranger did that, it's not so OK...

      HOWEVER, to jail someone just because they are thinking stuff you don't like, that's a slippery slope.

      These sort of laws, pose a greater long term threat to the public than people "thought raping" others in secret.

      --
    22. Re:It depends by ady1 · · Score: 1

      Laws that only apply to criminals.

      There, fixed.

    23. Re:It depends by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Intellectual honesty is the most tragic casualty of the pedo-panic, IMHO. No, it's a perfectly honest assumption. A certain proportion of any population is pedophiles, and naturally the libertarian free speech bandwagon that is so prevalent on Slashdot will attract more than it's share of perverts.
    24. Re:It depends by captinkid · · Score: 1

      Why stop at banning photos of children? Let's just ban children and solve the problem forever. Of course returning them to the place of purchase may be a bit tricky...

    25. Re:It depends by bluefoxlucid · · Score: 1

      Going witchhunting against the current thing that's disapproved of is extremely harmful to a free society. BADING!

      That's even before we get into the discussion of whether suppressing a fantasy makes it more or less likely to get acted out, by someone who might be considered mentally ill. Well, you also have to consider making it something someone can't talk about if they think it's a problem. If I think I have a problem drinking, once I've admitted it to myself I ask my boss or coworkers or friends and someone finds me a therapist.

      Do you honestly think someone is going to turn to their friends and family and go, "Hey, damn, I want to fuck my neighbor's 11 year old, what do I do?" Or do you think they'll suppress it until they get into a situation where the desire starts clouding their judgment?

      Don't think that stuff won't mess with your judgment. I'm pretty sure I have a sex addiction (in general, not to 11 year olds), and my decision process gets so damn BAD when a girl is flirting with me that I immediately ask someone else to help bolster my decisions. This started when a girl said she was on the pill and hated condoms and I blurted the situation to someone else so they could tell me NOT TO LEAVE MY HOUSE AND GO GET LAID THAT NIGHT. I mean, I KNEW, I just needed to hear someone else say it.

      On the same topic, 16 year olds have taken to flirting with me lately (this happens when you enter your 20s apparently) but I've taken the hard stance that you have to be at least 18 (not even a day over, 18 is 18); 16 is LEGAL in my state, but I don't want it to be 16 year olds first, then "I'll be 16 next month" year olds, then whatever. I'd rather not find out "how low I'll really go," for obvious reasons. Ironically, my peers aren't helpful here, and encourage me to go after anyone the law says I can touch... ~_~

      It's a lot easier to handle things when you're comfortable with self-admission and can say they're a part of you without hating yourself. In my experience, single alcoholics fix themselves really quick because they don't have a family that they're destroying and don't feel like a monster for their problems; while people who are attached now have a problem they need to "hide" and "manage" and can't go to therapy (or AA) for, and just slowly spiral down into a pattern of self-destruction because of what it'd mean if anyone ever found out.
    26. Re:It depends by bluefoxlucid · · Score: 1

      listening to music while driving a vehicle should be banned, as it can cause some people to drive more "dynamically" increasing the risk of accidents (particularly music with a fast tempo) Interestingly, without a distraction my mind goes into daydream mode and I start missing red lights or just fall asleep, or even start talking with myself. I'm wanting to get a manual transmission because I hate the feel of automatic; but also, to keep my focus on driving instead of on other shit.
    27. Re:It depends by bluefoxlucid · · Score: 1

      Luckily, if the child might be showing any signs of rebellion, intelligence, or desire to flourish on their own terms, there are a slew of "disease du jour" and designer drugs to keep them in that glassy-eyed / dopey-smiled state of puppiness. Autism/aspergers/marjoram/whatever is always available in case junior shows a but too much resistance. HARMFUL! The drugs messed me up MORE and you have no idea how hard I am working to FIX it, not to mention blind and glaring opposition to my parents.

      Sometimes you just have to grow up and learn that a little rebellion is actually the right thing to do. Being a 22 year old virgin, never cursing in the presence of your parents, and letting them influence your major buying decisions (I'm now $13000 in debt on a car I don't want... I wanted a $2000 used car in good condition, I'm damned good at finances so just trust me on this one), and having no friends because you're afraid of answering to your parents for your social life is a clear indication that you definitely did something wrong.

      The drugs the doctors gave me helped keep my mind narrow and level, and keep me from having to deal with anything distracting. I never had to investigate any social happenings around me, I just looked from a distance and shrugged and got back to the tasks at hand (finishing my homework while in school/at lunch, tetris, etc). Even in high school this is damaging.

      Excess control is damage.

    28. Re:It depends by mdwh2 · · Score: 1

      there's a pretty clear divide between "very young yet very physically mature" and "child".

      There is, but this new proposed law does not seem to distinguish between them. The consultation response doesn't bother to mention age at all, and I fear that they will use the same 18 age limit as for normal child porn law.

      I don't think people are complaining about "photos of girls that may or may not be jailbait", they're talking about "when little sally got fingered".

      I've seen nothing to suggest this is the case. I hope you're right.

    29. Re:It depends by shutdown+-p+now · · Score: 1

      As a totally alternative argument, consider that kiddy porn is a form of serious mental illness or addiction (I personally regard it as a form of mental illness)
      If you define child porn the same way the law does (i.e., erotic/pornographic video of anyone below 18), then being attacted to a lot of that stuff is entirely normal for a healthy human male - as far as nature is concerned, anyone sexually mature is fair game, and sexual maturity in females happens a long time before 18. We put the bar higher for purely sociological reasons, but the basic attraction urge remains regardless, it just has to be suppressed. It's certainly not a mental illness by itself, though.
    30. Re:It depends by Kojiro+Ganryu+Sasaki · · Score: 1

      "Otherwise you start to get chilling effects." Otherwise you get Afghanistan.

  43. Already illegal in Denmark by infolib · · Score: 1
    Criminal code 235 (my danish-english legalese translation is shaky):

    "...Who possesses or for money acquires adulterous photos or film, other adulterous visual reproductions or similar of persons under 18 is punished by fine or prison up to 1 year." As far as I've understood the law is only thought to apply if the material is graphic enough to be confused with reality. I think there's a proposed EU directive on this. I'm ashamed of my country.

    New tag: thinkofthepixels
    --
    Any sufficiently advanced libertarian utopia is indistinguishable from government.
  44. Re:It's about psychology by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Good, then they'll bring it up in the middle of Starbucks. And knowing is half the battle. GI Joe....

  45. Against the law? by mikeg22 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I have a question for any legal scholars. First, I have a gut feeling that possession of child pornography is wrong, but what is the rationale for why it is illegal to possess? Is it that the possession implies that the possessor bought it and therefore is driving demand for it? If so, the creation for demand of it has to be considered wrong, which once again I understand at a gut level, but why is it illegal? Maybe the answer to this is that the demand for the material causes actual abuse of children to occur in order to produce the material. Ok, so the root of this is that the demand causes abuse, which is clearly a violation of the rights of a child, and therefore the demand causes the abuse which itself is indicated by possession of the offending material. If my logical train of thought here is correct, why isn't it also illegal to possess a picture (or movie or book etc) of any criminal act? For example, say I had a picture of someone being beaten up. Also say that this picture had no artistic or political value. Possession of this (using the above reasoning) implies that I have created demand for the picture. The demand for the picture (thanks to Adam Smith) causes the creation of the picture, which leads to the actual beating up of someone. Why isn't any media (that has no political or artistic value) depicting a crime considered illegal?

    1. Re:Against the law? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      The mere existence of an article of child porn is an affront to the dignity of the victim. Many recovering child abuse victims are tormented daily by the knowledge that people out there are looking at the pictures all the time. This is certainly reason enough to make possession of child porn illegal, even without considering if the demand for child porn creates abuse.

      This argument obviously doesn't apply to generated child porn, so I don't really know if it should be illegal or not.

    2. Re:Against the law? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I can sum it up in one sentence, imagine this being screamed hysterically;

      OH MY GOD WHY WONT SOME BODY PLEASE THING OF THE CHILDREN!

      No seriously, Im not being funny, thats it.

      Its an emotionally charged issue, and people tend to throw logic out the window when its brought up.

      Some body else further up pointed out that as a matter of pure statistics a child is more likely to be struck by lightening than to be molested, and of that most likely to be molested by family. I think thats a great way to illustrate the kind of hysteria this topic generates compared to the actual danger, especially when you consider than according to law the 'child' in child porn includes 17 year old teenagers, I wonder what the stats would look like if we only defined 'child' as 14 and under? or even more logically, pre-pubescent is 'child' post is not.

      But sadly as a society people are willing to give up things we fought wars to preserve. The rights and freedoms of the western world were paid for in blood and were pissing it away, all it took was a good catch phrase.

    3. Re:Against the law? by erikina · · Score: 1

      If people started beating people up, just to photograph (and sell it) - then I'm sure the law-makers would jump at the opportunity to legislate another aspect of our lives.

      But the reality is, a lot a child abuse occurs for sole propose of child porn production.

    4. Re:Against the law? by harryman100 · · Score: 1

      The demand for the picture (thanks to Adam Smith) causes the creation of the picture, which leads to the actual beating up of someone. What if I pretend to beat someone up? I'm creating the same picture, but without a crime taking place.

      Why isn't any media (that has no political or artistic value) depicting a crime considered illegal? I think the distinction has to be between a picture which depicts a crime - and a picture which encourages crime, however, I think that's a very difficult decision to make.

      In reality this appears to just be a knee-jerk think of the children law for the purposes of making people think
      the government is doing something about pedophiles. As is pointed out in other news articles around this - they
      are trying to close the loophole allowing images to be converted from a picture of a crime into a picture of
      a simulated crime (to hide the crime itself).

      --
      .sigs are for losers
    5. Re:Against the law? by gaspyy · · Score: 1

      Your train of thought is good, but the analogy is wrong.

      In real life, the demand for depictions of brutality (torture, murder, a.k.a. "snuff") is negligible - or at least I sincerely hope it is.

      There are people willing to spend good money for the company on a child or at least some pics; (as an aside, last week in my country a drunk 18 years old raped and killed a 5 (yes, five) years old girl). The number of sick bastards who get it off by torturing and who would pay good money to see it, is an order of magnitude smaller.

      Well, at least I hope I'm right and the world is not that sick and perverted.

    6. Re:Against the law? by jopsen · · Score: 1
      (I'm no legal scholar, but here's my take)

      For example, say I had a picture of someone being beaten up. Also say that this picture had no artistic or political value. Possession of this (using the above reasoning) implies that I have created demand for the picture. Probably depends on why the guy was beaten up... If he was beaten to entertain you, then YES possession of it should be illegal, probably also is...

      Why isn't any media (that has no political or artistic value) depicting a crime considered illegal? Again the criminal didn't do the crime just to get on TV, if so, and given that you could prove he was paid or rewarded by other means to do a crime it should probably also be illegal... And again probably is... In the sense that media encouraged a criminal act...
    7. Re:Against the law? by Sobrique · · Score: 1

      Not withstanding that 17 is 'legal' by UK law, but wouldn't be by US law. In a world where the internet makes moving digital imagery trivial, that's also a bit of a minefield.

    8. Re:Against the law? by pjt33 · · Score: 1

      If people started beating people up, just to photograph (and sell it) then they'd be undercut by happy-slappers who put their videos on YouTube for free.
    9. Re:Against the law? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I have a question for any legal scholars. First, I have a gut feeling that possession of child pornography is wrong, but what is the rationale for why it is illegal to possess? You don't need a rationale. The law isn't something that is derived from first principles, it is made up as we go along. If the legislators want to make something illegal, they can. That is all the rationale needed.

    10. Re:Against the law? by mikeg22 · · Score: 1

      Ok, so what makes child pornography different than "beating up"-ography is that the chain of fault I talked about doesn't really exist for other crimes like beating someone up. So, the presence of the chain-of-fault-all-the-way-to-the-crime is what leads to child pornography being illegal. That seems like a stretch to me, because there are many things that I can do that are stupid but are likely to lead to a crime. For example, I can take a $20 out of my pocket and place it on my car seat with the car door unlocked. This is likely to lead to a crime of theft, so shouldn't what I did be illegal? In fact, people do stupid things like this all the time, leaving their keys in their car, walking down a dark alley in a known mugging area, etc...but being stupid in these ways is not illegal, but acting in these ways is likely to lead to a crime.

    11. Re:Against the law? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's a difficult question. I think people are far more likely to develop a fetish (and therefore a demand) for children from watching their victimization, than they are likely to become a psychopathic killer from watching a horrific murder, be it real, movie or video game. The reason being that men are highly stimulated and sensitized by sexually explicit images.

      And in addition, I think there is little reason to possess such material to begin with, so I think an exception should be made here for the criminalization of the possession of such child materials.

      It's kind of scarry though, that a picture of a crime makes you guilty of something in much the same way a witch hunt does, and weird since even the investigators have to look at them. Obviously intent would be far more important to go after, but what else should we do about it. It's a tricky problem that seems to be leaning towards better safe than sorry.

    12. Re:Against the law? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Actually that's a good point. I believe kids beat up several bums on YouTube and that lead to more kids doing it, and some bums were exploited with money and beer to participate and that lead to other incidents of bums getting killed, so perhaps when such materials are virally fueling these pathological activities they should be prohibited.

    13. Re:Against the law? by Abcd1234 · · Score: 1

      The number of sick bastards who get it off by torturing and who would pay good money to see it, is an order of magnitude smaller.

      Huh, I guess BDSM is just a figment of my imagination, then...

  46. UK should declare War on Japan then! by Schattenherz · · Score: 1

    Really and at the same time UK has the reputation of being a SM stronghold.

    1. Re:UK should declare War on Japan then! by lisaparratt · · Score: 1

      Stronghold, maybe, but it's all on really dodgy legal grounds.

    2. Re:UK should declare War on Japan then! by mrrudge · · Score: 1

      This reputation is generally geared towards the upper, law making classes. So, that's just fine.

      *Spank*

    3. Re:UK should declare War on Japan then! by Kojiro+Ganryu+Sasaki · · Score: 1

      There's a study on the subject of the impact of porn on rape statistics and i think it mentioned that the japanese rape rates have been going down at about the same time porn availability went UP in japan. In fact, it also mentioned that the age distribution changed so that the victims were generally older now than they were before. That is, the study seemed to suggest that the more porn was available, the less frequent rape becomes and the older the average age of the victim becomes.

  47. Re:Here in the US, we should just stick to Obscene by JaredOfEuropa · · Score: 2, Informative

    Frankly, the article does hit on one major problem with "synthetic" child porn - it's often not really synthetic. Remember the movie "A Scanner Darkly" ? That's the kind of thing were starting to see, not the full-on synthetic of a Final Fantasy. It's damned hard to figure out which is which, and in the mean time, people get exploited. [...] I like the obscenity standard. It's tough, for a reason.
    No. In a proper lawful society we do not prosecute victimless thoughtcrime, and we do not prosecute without proof. Synthetic child porn harms no one, unless you want to believe that it works like a drug pushing the user to the real stuff... well, so far there's not much proof of that happening. If the material is not really synthetic, then prove it if you can, and then prosecute to the fullest extend of the law. Is that hard to prove? It may well be, but I think we should hesitate to reject good legal principles just because it is convenient in an issue that happens to touch our hearts. This is "Think of the children!" taken to its extreme.

    Bad as child pornography is, what scares me a whole lot more is the way people get worked up about it. Looking at the insane hysteria the surrounds this subject, one would think that there's a child molester around every corner, and that our children are never safe. Anyone seen that South Park episode on the subject? Not far from the truth... And worse: it seems that once an accusation has been leveled, the full burden of proof falls upon the accused, both in the legal and the public domain. In this day and age, how hard is it really to plant "evidence" on someone's computer (or even unwitingly download it)?

    By the way, synthetic child porn has been outlawed here in the Netherlands for some time, and recently our courts saw a first conviction and stiff sentence under this new law. Mind, this was for mere posession, not creating or traficking.
    --
    If construction was anything like programming, an incorrectly fitted lock would bring down the entire building...
  48. Look! Peados! by damburger · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Now just keep focusing on them whilst we take away all your rights.

    Peadophilia is, statistically speaking, less of a threat to your children than lightning. Seeing as how most child abuse comes from a family member, the best way for parents to protect their child from molestation is to not molest them.

    Yet this insignificant threat is used to scare people into allowing the government to take control of the Internet piece by piece. Our government has an overt disrespect for its subjects (remember, we are not citizens) and seems to think we should only have such rights as allow the economy to function and no more. They need shooting, all of them.

    --
    If we can put a man on the moon, why can't we shoot people for Apollo-related non-sequiturs?
    1. Re:Look! Peados! by delt0r · · Score: 1

      If I had mod points. You would get them all.

      How many people are convicted of a real pedophile crime every year. I'm guessing its a real small number.

      Its just like thinking that terrorists are a threat.

      --
      If information wants to be free, why does my internet connection cost so much?
    2. Re:Look! Peados! by Zelos · · Score: 1

      Wikipedia suggests 20%-25% of women and 5-15% of men in the US experienced some form of sexual abuse as children: Link. It's not clear how they define abuse, though, and only 10% is perpetrated by strangers.

    3. Re:Look! Peados! by PipingSnail · · Score: 1

      Peadophilia is, statistically speaking, less of a threat to your children than lightning.

      Odds of being struck by lightning in the US. Do various searches on the internet. Values between 244,000:1 and 576,000:1.

      Assuming a US population of 250 million, with the lower number, that means there should be about 1000 victims of paedophilia in the US per year.

      With the higher number, about 500 per year.

      Doesn't matter which you pick, you are wrong. Its still true if you have a US population of 350 million.

    4. Re:Look! Peados! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Or keep them away from the Priests.....

    5. Re:Look! Peados! by delt0r · · Score: 1

      Citation? Just kidding.

      Also what ages where they? A 15 year old is not a "kid" anymore. They are, as far as physical characteristics are concerned, normal "woman" with breast and everything us guys like. I would not call this pedophilia.

      And:
      Q: How many would have been prevented if there was no such thing as kiddie porn?
      A: Approximately none. So whats the point?

      --
      If information wants to be free, why does my internet connection cost so much?
    6. Re:Look! Peados! by Zelos · · Score: 1

      The research linked from the Wiki page says there's been no significant increase since pre-WW2. Presumably recent years have seen a massive increase in the availability of child porn via the internet, so that would suggest you're right.

    7. Re:Look! Peados! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      First, child abuse is common. Comparing it to "lightning" only shows you are an idiot. Second, what right did "they" took from you? Your right to have child porn? Since when is it a right?

      The real problem with this is not the spirit of the law, it is the over zealous civil servant who won't get it.

    8. Re:Look! Peados! by blueg3 · · Score: 1

      No, lightning is less of a threat than pedophilia. You just threw that reference in, with a "statistically speaking", without bothering to look up the statistics.

    9. Re:Look! Peados! by Jamie+Lokier · · Score: 1

      A 15 year old is not a "kid" anymore. They are, as far as physical characteristics are concerned, normal "woman" with breast and everything us guys like. I would not call this pedophilia.


      No, but it is abuse if it's her father touching her up and she doesn't want it.

      This sub-thread has confused sexual abuse of teenagers with abuse of children.

      Unfortunately the formal law does the same. This shows a blatant inability to make rational law in this area.
    10. Re:Look! Peados! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Wikipedia suggests 20%-25% of women and 5-15% of men in the US experienced some form of sexual abuse as children Now since this is the USA were talking about what happens to those statics if we don't include 16 and 17 year olds in that? What happens if we also remove 15 year olds from that?

      The definition of 'child' abuse is pretty broad in US law, two 15 year olds having sex are raping each other under US law.

      I want a really useful statics. Of the cases of 'child abuse' how many were committed by someone over the age of 20? how many were claimed to be consensual between two teenagers? and how many actually involved someone who actually physically a child, that is pre-pubescent.

      I think those stats would be far more enlightening, because the 20-25% stat you gave seems damn high to me as many as one in four? I bet at least, AT LEAST, half of those were not actually abuse but just girls who were sexually active in high school.
    11. Re:Look! Peados! by delt0r · · Score: 1
      Fact: Adults can and are sexually abused as well.

      This sub-thread has confused sexual abuse of teenagers with abuse of children. I don't believe so. My point is that Peados are far far more rare then probably even terrorists. This is with the context of kiddie porn, not underage porn. One is about the ability of the individual to be mentally capable of making a decision to consent to sex, while the other is about the fact that there bodies are not physically ready for sex.

      Also the laws in different countries are very different. In some counties kiddie porn and under age porn are not differentiated while in others they are. The definitions are also just as varied. While some countries "illegal" acts in porn movies are ok as long as they are all actors and are old enough. In others if someone looks like they are underage its illegal. Age of consent laws vary just as much (in Austria its 14 years old, unless you are a gay guy in which case its 18).

      The point remains however. This law will not change a dam thing. The amount children are abused will not change anymore than the number of young teenagers that are abused. And there will be no increase in the number of pedophiles convicted. Its just another example of the governments using boogie men to justify new laws.

      And just for the record. I personally can see some justification for a law like this. But thats not what is being peddled by the peddlers.
      --
      If information wants to be free, why does my internet connection cost so much?
    12. Re:Look! Peados! by Jamie+Lokier · · Score: 1

      I agree with most of your comment.

      The point you quoted, however, is response specifically to "A 15 year old is not a "kid" anymore. They are, as far as physical characteristics are concerned, normal "woman" with breast and everything us guys like. I would not call this pedophilia."

      In my opinion, sex with a 15 year old girl is not wrong if she's fine with it. You can say a 15 year old girl is not "mentally capable" of making such a decision. If you did, I would disagree except to acknowledge that more people are able to make such a decision wisely the older they get, and the age of the other person involved is also a factor.

      Therefore it is wrong to automatically declare sex with a 15 year old girl rape. First, one should enquire whether she consented and was in a fit state to consent.

      On the other hand, a father / step-father / uncle having sex with their 15 year old close relative is virtually always not with consent. It is hardly appropriate to ask the girl politely whether it was: there is near certainty that if she says yes, that too is the result of coercive factors. And furthermore, even in the rare cases where it is genuine consent, there is so much abuse of this kind in present society, and it is so harmful in most cases, that it must be strongly discouraged by being a crime.

      Thus the point is that "a 15-year old is not a kid anymore" is valid (in my opinion) when considering the age of consent. But it is not valid in response to "Wikipedia suggests 20%-25% of women and 5-15% of men in the US experienced some form of sexual abuse as children" - the latter is about sexual abuse specifically, not about sex below the age of consent as such.

      That's why I mean about this specific sub-thread conflating two issues. Some people think talk of sex with underage teenagers is the same thing as talk of sexual abuse; it is not, and the difference is very important.

      And, you are right to point out sexual abuse happens to adults too. I would like to remind anyone still reading that it happens to boys and men too, and is perpetrated by women and girls too. Things people forget sometimes.

  49. The TRUTH about pedophiles by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    This post is primarily a pile of steaming horse shit.

    There is a slightly higher rate of sexual abuse amongst incarcerated pedophiles.

    The MODERN psychosocial assumption is that the abuse causes them to have reduced inhibitions, rather than "caused them to be a pedophile". There are VERY FEW accurate studies of population samples that include pedophiles who HAVE NOT been arrested for crimes.

    There is substantial proof that pedophile tendencies are formed in early childhood, but the mechanism and cause is unknown. This is very similar to homosexuality, though how similar is unknown because research on non incarcerated pedophiles is pretty much career suicide for even the most tenured and respected professors (reference Dr Bruce Rind or Dr Harris Mirkin).

    The few population studies that are out there suggest that somewhere between 0.5% and 1% of the male population in the US has strong pedophile tendencies, maybe half of these being exclusive pedophiles.

    This means that there is likely somewhere around 1 million exclusive pedophiles in the US.

    FBI statistics point out that only about 20-30% of child sexual abuse is perpetrated by exclusive pedophiles like we so like to call them. The other 70-80% is perpetrated by "situational" abusers, who are not necessarily pedophiles but choose children for reasons of power, domination, low self esteem, etc.

    But even given these numbers, the concept of the average pedophile molesting 300 kids is absurd. This is a rare boundary case and is almost never played out by the statistics.

    Real studies show the median number of kids a pedophile molests is 2-3. There are rare instances of hundreds, but they are extremely rare.

    Real studies about child porn simply don't exist. It was 100% legal until the mid -70s in most of the Western world. Child abuse didn't drop after it was made illegal.

    Since this is the only metric of its consumption that anyone has available, this seems like a logical point on which to conclude that it has little to no effect on "stimulating" child abusers to commit a crime.

    But I may be entirely wrong. It would be awfully nice if this sort of ESSENTIAL research wasn't so politically charged as to be nearly suicidal to publish. The last few people who published research skirting this topic were getting weekly death threats.

    sick fucks. (and i'm not talking about the pedophiles here)

    And that, my friend, is the REAL truth.

    1. Re:The TRUTH about pedophiles by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You make many good points. I suggest we start serious study by vivisecting convicted child rapists.

    2. Re:The TRUTH about pedophiles by Nathan+Boley · · Score: 1

      There is a slightly higher rate of sexual abuse amongst incarcerated pedophiles. [ citation needed ]

      The MODERN psychosocial assumption is that the abuse causes them to have reduced inhibitions, rather than "caused them to be a pedophile". There are VERY FEW accurate studies of population samples that include pedophiles who HAVE NOT been arrested for crimes. [ citation needed ]

      There is substantial proof that pedophile tendencies are formed in early childhood, but the mechanism and cause is unknown. This is very similar to homosexuality, though how similar is unknown because research on non incarcerated pedophiles is pretty much career suicide for even the most tenured and respected professors (reference Dr Bruce Rind or Dr Harris Mirkin). [ citation needed ]

      The few population studies that are out there suggest that somewhere between 0.5% and 1% of the male population in the US has strong pedophile tendencies, maybe half of these being exclusive pedophiles. [ citation needed ]

      FBI statistics point out that only about 20-30% of child sexual abuse is perpetrated by exclusive pedophiles like we so like to call them. The other 70-80% is perpetrated by "situational" abusers, who are not necessarily pedophiles but choose children for reasons of power, domination, low self esteem, etc. [ citation needed ]

      But even given these numbers, the concept of the average pedophile molesting 300 kids is absurd. This is a rare boundary case and is almost never played out by the statistics. [ citation needed ]

      Real studies show the median number of kids a pedophile molests is 2-3. There are rare instances of hundreds, but they are extremely rare. [ citation needed ]

      Real studies about child porn simply don't exist. It was 100% legal until the mid -70s in most of the Western world. Child abuse didn't drop after it was made illegal. [ citation needed ]

      Since this is the only metric of its consumption that anyone has available, this seems like a logical point on which to conclude that it has little to no effect on "stimulating" child abusers to commit a crime.

      But I may be entirely wrong. It would be awfully nice if this sort of ESSENTIAL research wasn't so politically charged as to be nearly suicidal to publish. The last few people who published research skirting this topic were getting weekly death threats. maybe. Or maybe not. I wish I could form my own opinion by checking your facts.
    3. Re:The TRUTH about pedophiles by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      [ citation needed ] What the fuck is this wikipedia?

      wish I could form my own opinion by checking your facts. You can, its called google, we use it to check facts and make sure our basis for arguments are sound.

      Its not somebody elses job to prove something for you, if you disagree with the GP then its YOUR job to come up with other facts to dis prove him since it doesn't appear hes talking out his ass like you are.
    4. Re:The TRUTH about pedophiles by Abcd1234 · · Score: 1

      Its not somebody elses job to prove something for you

      Huh? The entire *point* of the post was to "prove" something, otherwise why would they make it?

      Sorry, but if you're planning to make a written argument, and you choose to make a number of statements and claim them as fact, then I see nothing unreasonable about expecting you to provide citations for those statements. It's just good manners, and makes for a more compelling argument.

  50. Re:It's about psychology by Tarcastil · · Score: 1

    Wow, harsh. I should clarify that I didn't mean people will view kiddy porn as normal.

    But consider that the military uses simulations of killing to train soldiers to kill. I believe the statistics are 13% of American soldiers would shoot at the enemy in WWI, and by the end of WWII it was over 90% -- in large part due to training simulations.

    Simulations, even if they are not they are real, affect people's decisions. Watching TV violence desensitizes people toward violence, I'm sure even you will agree. These photos could easily have similar effects on desensitizing people.

    That's what I was getting at.

    p.s. You should consider anger management.

  51. Re:Pedophiles by Jarik_Tentsu · · Score: 5, Insightful

    NOOO! There goes all my Lolicon hentai...=(

    No seriously though, this is really, discrimination against thought crime. Just because someone gets turned on by that kinda stuff doesn't mean they're going to go out there and do it. That's like saying "We should ban all TV's that contain themes such as murder". There's a HUGE difference between seeing Saddam Hussein's execution and watching the latest action flick at the movies. Likewise, if you have animated porn featuring controversial themes - underaged girls, rape, etc - how is that the same as videos which actually have real girls?

    I'm sure there are heaps of guys out there who watch hentai or other animated pornography which feature underaged girls, rape and whatnot. And I'm sure these same people are sickened when they hear about pedophiles going out there and doing shit to little kids - I'm sure all of them are just as likely to want to beat the crap out of rapists and Michael Jackson, and so on.

    The whole point is its a fantasy - a fantasy one could enjoy without their conscience coming and biting them. It's not like watching an animated 15 year old being raped in a high school is gonna make them more likely to go to a high school and do it...unless they're already messed up in the head.

    Honestly, what's next? Banning of violent video games...? Oh wait...

    ~Jarik

  52. Re:Pedophiles by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Side question:
    Why is it Ok for people to have statues of little boys peeing in their garden, with fully functional stream, but not little girls?
    Just curious... not ladylike?
  53. Re:Pedophiles by Martian_Kyo · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Agree with both posters. This is very blurry area. Borders thought control. We should never feel guilty about thoughts we have, and feeling we have. Cause we cannot control either. What we CAN control is our actions.

    There is a world of difference between someone who thinks about committing an illegal or immoral act and someone who actually commits the act.

    We should recognize that difference.

    Preventive action, where you would imprison people who have dangerous thoughts or intentions is a very tricky and dangerous thing.

    Very reminiscent of certain religions where impure thoughts are punished.

    I am all for arresting and prosecuting producers and to some extent consumers of child pornography.

    However this law will get abused, for political games I assure you.

    By this line of reason. Anyone who watches an action flick is a killer.

  54. Re:Pedophiles by Aranykai · · Score: 1

    Someone didn't catch the sarcasm...

    --
    If sharing a song makes you a pirate, what do I have to share to be a ninja?
  55. I guess Ghastly's Ghastly Comic is ok, then by Moraelin · · Score: 5, Informative

    Well, I guess Ghastly's Ghastly Comic is ok then, 'cause he says Chibi Sue is 36 and only looks like a little girl.

    But seriously, how would one provide records to prove the the age of a drawn character?

    And I'd worry more about judgments based on what it _looks_ like, in the context of a law where 17 years old is still considered paedophilia. Now I'm not saying one should look for naked 17 year old girls, just saying how it applies to a drawing. How do you prove that you had in mind a 18 year old girl, and not a 17 year old one, when you drew t.

    I actually personally knew someone who looked like she was maybe 13 or 14 by the time she finished college and got married. No bloody kidding. Not only her face was that of a child, but she was really short too, so basically she was as close to a "chibi" drawing as it gets. She looked like she's probably not even in high school yet.

    So what I'm saying is, basically this:

    1. noone objected to her marrying and presumably having sex, unless a bright star appeared in the East again when she got pregnant ;) Because she was well over 20, looks be damned.

    2. she could probably even star in a porn movie, if she wanted to, because proof can be provided that she's well over 18

    3. but if you drew some character based on her, you're essentially fucked because it looks like you drew a child. And you can't provide any proof that the character you had in mind isn't really a kid in disguise.

    And actually, depending on the country (e.g., I _think_ in UK that's the case already) probably even #2 might be illegal, because it _looks_ like fucking someone underage.

    Again, I'm not arguing for allowing actual paedophilia or child porn. But when the law gets into the murky domain of what it _looks_ like, it gets very funny indeed. Especially with an age like 18 as a cutoff point. Girls get their puberty and get breasts quite a few years earlier than that, and from there it's just a very slow and gradual transition to young adult, and there's considerable variation in how fast it happens. There are people well underage which look like they're 20 already (e.g., Traci Lords didn't raise any alarm bells when she claimed to be 18 and was actually 15), and there are people who look a lot younger than they are.

    When looking at a photo or movie of Traci Lords, or even interacting with her in person, pretty much noone could tell that she's 15 not 18. How do you tell if a drawing looks like 15 or 18 then? How about whether she's 17 or 18?

    There are no major morphological changes that happen abruptly at 18. It's not like they sprout a tail or horns at 18, so you can look at the drawing and see if the character has them or not.

    --
    A polar bear is a cartesian bear after a coordinate transform.
    1. Re:I guess Ghastly's Ghastly Comic is ok, then by mdwh2 · · Score: 1

      I agree, even if I conceded that some law on cartoons was required, an age limit of 18 makes no sense, and catches far too much. I raised this issue when I responded to the Government "consultation", but needless to say the issue was not addressed in the consultation response.

      Talking of Ghastly's Ghastly Comic, there's this (NSFW) image where Rice Krispie Elf Crackle is bum-raped with a dildo. Crackle is in fact a child (according to Kellog's website). I did ask the Government if there'd be a separate age of consent for Elves and other mythical creatures...

      [I do take consolation that the phrase "anally penetrated with a dildo" now exists in official Government records...]

      As you say, there is the problem when a characters age does not match up with their apparent age. Another example is Bleach, which features a character who appears as a teenage schoolgirl, but in fact is over 100 years old.

      Now, the Government would claim it was an obvious loophole if you could draw babies being raped, but claim they were really babies that were 5,000 years old in your story. But consider it the other way - e.g., I've seen Harry Potter fanfictioners drawing sexually explicit images involving Harry Potter, where he's intentionally been aged (though still ambiguous, and possibly could be 17), yet people will claim it's still underage, because Harry Potter was underage in the books. So which is it - is it apparent age, or intended age of the character? They can't have it both ways - but they probably will.

    2. Re:I guess Ghastly's Ghastly Comic is ok, then by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There are no major morphological changes that happen abruptly at 18. It's not like they sprout a tail or horns at 18, so you can look at the drawing and see if the character has them or not. In all seriousness, good idea. IF we are going to have these ambiguous laws and societal norms, we should probably have something concrete.

      We are probably pretty close to being able to do this to the human body. The head is a good place for such an identifying feature.

      Let's do it. Let us resolve to add an age verifier to the human species.

      Then people outside of slashdot who actually have to deal with this problem can finally relax!
    3. Re:I guess Ghastly's Ghastly Comic is ok, then by Porchroof · · Score: 1

      One occurance is a typo, but two shows your ignorance.

      There is no such word as "noone". You probably meant to type "no one".

      Unfortunately you aren't the only ill-educated person to think that noone is a legitimate word.

      --
      Fata viam invenient.
    4. Re:I guess Ghastly's Ghastly Comic is ok, then by EvilIdler · · Score: 1

      There are no major morphological changes that happen abruptly at 18. It's not like they sprout a tail or horns at 18, so you can look at the drawing and see if the character has them or not. But..I..are you sure?!
      *makes note to stop using hentai for education*
    5. Re:I guess Ghastly's Ghastly Comic is ok, then by computational+super · · Score: 1

      "noone" may or may not be a word, but "occurance" definitely isn't. You probably meant to type "occurrence".

      --
      Proud neuron in the Slashdot hivemind since 2002.
    6. Re:I guess Ghastly's Ghastly Comic is ok, then by IndustrialComplex · · Score: 1

      My wife is 4'10", 25 years old, and sometimes I get asked if she would like a children's menu at restaurants. I've actually had someone assault me in a parking lot because I gave her a kiss as we came out of the grocery store and they thought that she was a child.

      --
      Out of modpoints but really liked a post? 1BDkF6TtmmeZ3yqXbz9yhdYVqRYnwFoXDj
    7. Re:I guess Ghastly's Ghastly Comic is ok, then by fractoid · · Score: 1

      Well, she looked a little older (maybe 20-21) but I've been with my fiancee (slashdot fix your Unicode support, or FireFox, whichever of you is broken) since she was 17 and a half. That's perfectly legal here in Australia, of course, but in America I'd have been labelled a paedophile.

      This personal example always brings it home to me just how subjective the whole shemozzle is. How about we just say that if a person is adjudged to be a competent mental adult by whatever process it is (I honestly don't know but I'd presume it's widely acceptable) that's used to determine whether an obviously-over-18 person is compus mentis? What's good for the goose is good for the gosling, and all that... >.>

      --
      Rampant carbon sequestration destroyed the Dinosaurs' tropical paradise. I'm here to help repair the damage.
    8. Re:I guess Ghastly's Ghastly Comic is ok, then by znerk · · Score: 1

      I'm sorry, did you have a point, or were you just being an ass? Oh, I see; You just wanted to bitch about something. Congratulations, you managed to find someone who found one of English's completely screwed-up rules, and went the wrong way with it.

      Why is "noone" not a word, but "nobody" is? Especially when we have an "everyone" and an "everybody"?

      Yeah, yeah. Like you never misspelled *anything*, *ever*. Get a life, or at least pay attention to the topic at hand, rather than someone's minor spelling/grammatical mistakes.

      Sheesh. It's almost like you're attacking the spelling issues because you're afraid we'll think you're a paedophiliac if you don't speak up about *something*.

      --
      Grammar Nazis have nothing better to do, and nothing to add to the discussion.

      --
      This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.
    9. Re:I guess Ghastly's Ghastly Comic is ok, then by Mister+Whirly · · Score: 1

      It was probably NoobixCube assaulting you. Now he has to kill himself because he tried to harm a "good person". Shame really.

      --
      "But this one goes to 11!"
  56. Anonymous Coward by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I was under the impression that computer generated images/drawings were already illegal, owing to the fact that it may be hard to determine if something is a real picture or not.

    I mean, CG is getting good : http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?f=121&t=532817
    It's not a massive stretch of the imagination to see where this could go.

  57. Please think of the children! by naich · · Score: 5, Funny

    On second thoughts - don't. It's illegal now.

    1. Re:Please think of the children! by the_one(2) · · Score: 1

      damn it! i wish i could mod you higher than +5 funny=(

  58. Re:It's about psychology by kestasjk · · Score: 1

    But think of the children! The imaginary children in the pedophile's mind or on his drawing pad! They're children too

    --
    // MD_Update(&m,buf,j);
  59. Re:Pedophiles by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Doesn't matter if you don't like it, thats the point of a free society.

    It is your god given right to be a sick bastard as long as you don't hurt anybody else in the process.

    If it affects no one else you can be as much of a dick, religious nut, liberal, conservative, annoying git, asshat. weirdo, freak, or any other adjective you care to name, as you want.

    Deciding to restrict actions from a society, even when they affect no one else is unacceptable because it opens the door to a very slippery slope. Because then you've got the problem of who gets to decide what's right, and I don't trust anybody with that decision, its far too arbitrary.

    A Muslim will tell you not to eat pork, a Hindu will tell you not to eat beef, which one is right?

    How about since it only matters to the individual, let each one decide form them selves?

    I think the advent of realistic CG pron is a boon for society, people with specific leanings can now have their urges satisfied without having to involve other people. And its just possible that a market for a legal product would weaken the market for illegal pornography, you know the stuff that actually exploits children. Remember the laws banning child pornography were based on the fact that you have to have a child having sex to create it, the laws were not passed to protect the sensibilities of other people. with GC art no actual children are involved

    Its simple economics, you remove the market for something and the suppliers will go away all by them selves when they see theres no money to be made. While it probably wont solve the problem completely I would think that stopping some is better than nothing. :holy creepy batman, my captcha is eighteen!

  60. Re:Here in the US, we should just stick to Obscene by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Frankly, the article does hit on one major problem with "synthetic" child porn - it's often not really synthetic. How do you know?
  61. Good by MagdJTK · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Has anyone who has replied actually read TFA? I've in fact done a lot more as it's been covered on Radio 4 a fair amount.

    The reason they want to ban it is because it's made by converting REAL CHILD PORN into computer generated images. In other words people know they can't distribute real child porn without being very careful, so they convert real child porn to this and get away with it. So demand for this sort of thing drives up demand for child porn and therefore child abuse.

    But I'm sure none of you lot were bothered about that --- too busy getting a hardon about being the first to quote 1984?

    1. Re:Good by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I call bullshit.

      I bet there's not a single documented case of this.

      It's just a way to circumvent legitimate opposition to thought-crime laws.

    2. Re:Good by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      'Pseudo-photographs' are already illegal. This would ban a very vaguely defined set of drawing and CGIs generally. (Yes, I RTFA, not just the one paragraph you're thinking of.) At best, it's a very dangerous sledgehammer for the nut.

    3. Re:Good by 91degrees · · Score: 1

      Is this possible?

      Can you show me an example of a photograph being converted into a computer generated image that is not obviously based on a photograph? I assume the same technique works for clothed adults so there ought to be a SIGGRAPH paper on it or a photoshop tutorial depending on how complex it is.

    4. Re:Good by naich · · Score: 1

      Is this really happening? I mean in real life, as opposed to the imagination of the people who lobby for knee-jerk laws? I never heard of it before I read TFA.

    5. Re:Good by zaydana · · Score: 1

      Go watch the movies "Waking Life" or "A Scanner Darkly". The first one is less obvious that it was based on photographs.

    6. Re:Good by MSZ · · Score: 1

      No, not really.

      But don't let the fact stop you from supporting the worthy attempt at putting some sick people in jail. Think of the virtual children!

      --
      The moon is not fully subjugated. I demand a second assault wave preceded by a massive nuclear bombardment.
    7. Re:Good by Builder · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Regardless of whether that is really happening or not (I've not seen any credible proof), this bill is still WRONG.

      This bill goes way past that, provides no real recourse to artists and is unsuitably vague to become the law of the land.

      Much like the violent porn bill passed here, this is simply another government exercise in imposing their morals on the nation at large, and much like the violent porn bill, it's just flat out wrong. But no-one will vote against it, because in their next election campaign, their opponent can point to this and say "Look, he supports kiddie porn"

      Hopefully Lords can try and stop this foolishness :(

    8. Re:Good by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The concern here isn't what the law INTENDS to do. The worst laws are written with GOOD intentions. The issue at hand is what the law ACTUALLY does, which make illegal the production and distribution of something that has no direct correlation to harm. Do digitally manipulated images of real children directly relate to harm? Yes, absolutely. Much like real photos, there is a reasonable argument for their banning as it can be shown that in order to produce the image, a child was harmed. However a drawing or other digital creation does not involve the harming of a child.

      You don't have to like or support Pedophiles, nor should you, in order to see how this law crosses a very real line. Ban the digital manipulations of ACTUAL photos of abuse, but putting something so broad as to encompass ANYTHING is a horrible slope to go down, not the least of which for the multitude of reasons already outlined in these comments.

      Sadly Anonymous because actions that in anyway defend something as contentious as pedophilia is always viewed as supporting pedophilia or being a pedophile. I look forward to the day when freedom of speech actually means that.

    9. Re:Good by blueg3 · · Score: 1

      No logic will stand in the way of your desire to be offended? :-)

      There are documented cases of exactly what the article refers to.

    10. Re:Good by QCompson · · Score: 1

      There are documented cases of exactly what the article refers to Fine then. Provide a link to some "documented cases." I second the bullshit call.
    11. Re:Good by lysse · · Score: 1

      The reason they want to ban it is because it's made by converting REAL CHILD PORN into computer generated images.
      Great, so all we need is a cast iron way to distinguish that which is converted from that which is a product only of imagination, and then we can ban the right stuff and let artistic expression continue unhindered. Just like they did for images of simulated BDSM and acts between consenting adults... oh, wait.
    12. Re:Good by QCompson · · Score: 1

      The reason they want to ban it is because it's made by converting REAL CHILD PORN into computer generated images. In other words people know they can't distribute real child porn without being very careful, so they convert real child porn to this and get away with it. So demand for this sort of thing drives up demand for child porn and therefore child abuse. That is such a ridiculous justification to pass this law that I'm surprised there are people gullible enough to believe it. Why wouldn't these hypothetical child porn distributors just distribute computer generated CP then? Are you arguing it would just be easier for them to ask for more real children to be abused then to just create some fake images?

      Additionally, since you ostensibly are concerned about the abuse of real children, would you require that the prosecution have to prove that the fake images were derived from real photographs? Or would you just support a scorched earth policy, and throw many other people in prison who were only guilty of possessing fake images involving no real children?
    13. Re:Good by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I Third the bullshit call. Why on earth would a pedophile go to the trouble of getting their hands on child, document abuse of said child, then edit it so it looks fake, when they can just get a mouse, a free graphics program (like GIMP) and draw from scratch. I'd think that's a lot easier, and that way their not doing anything illegal (yet).

      Now maybe its the end consumer editing the photos. Well possessing those photos is already illegal, that's destruction of evidence and or Obstruction of justice. I've watched clips from both a scanner darkly and a waking life, its pretty obvious they were not hand drawn. And if i can tell I'm pretty sure an expert witness in a criminal trial could too.

      No judge or jury would ever allow editing a photo to be a get out of jail free card. And if the prosecution can't prove someone was detrimentally affected by the act (as in prove that a child was abused) then that's just too bad. I'd rather miss a few people who actually committed a (real) crime than arrest many who hadn't. That not the way i feel about this (potential) law. Its the way i feel about all laws. And i refuse to allow the high political and social charge of this issue to affect that view.

    14. Re:Good by digitrev · · Score: 1

      Caedite eos. Novit enim Dominus qui sunt eius.

      --
      Cynical Idealist
    15. Re:Good by Fastolfe · · Score: 1

      Techniques for "converting" a photograph or a video into a form that mimics drawings or cartoons have been around for years. Pick up any graphics program and check out some of the filters that are bundled with it.

    16. Re:Good by 91degrees · · Score: 1

      Yes. I've tried. They look like a computer modified version of a photo. At the very best, they look like someone was actually posing for the portrait, which - in the case of child porn - would be just as bad as photography.

  62. Hentai by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    A lot of hentai videos depict sex among under age minors. How will the law affect them?

  63. Re:Pedophiles by VJ42 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I'm sure there are heaps of guys out there who watch hentai or other animated pornography which feature underaged girls, rape and whatnot. And I'm sure these same people are sickened when they hear about pedophiles going out there and doing shit to little kids - I'm sure all of them are just as likely to want to beat the crap out of rapists and Michael Jackson, and so on. You see, that's where this law "fails". Hentai artists can just say that their characters are over 16 (age of concent here in the UK), and it magically becomes legal. Lolicon, however you might have a problem (but then I always thought the people who watch lolicon have many problemas anyway...).

    I guess what I'm trying to say is that that particular aspect of this law is unenforcable, as there is no way you can establish the age of animated characters other than by asking the artists unless they are very obviously babies\small children as with lolicon type 'art'.
    --
    If I have nothing to hide, you have no reason to search me
  64. Re:Pedophiles by ozmanjusri · · Score: 4, Funny
    but not little girls?

    The monthly "algal bloom" ruins the lawn.

    --
    "I've got more toys than Teruhisa Kitahara."
  65. here we go again by bobmarleypeople · · Score: 1

    This is getting reddicularse now. They're making more and more laws that no one's gonna enforce and no one's gonna give a crap about. Like that one that came into force a few weeks ago banning "violent" porn. I'm not personally into that stuff, but I know people who are and they don't give a damn about this law. The same will go for this new one should it come into effect. I know an insane ammount of people who are into their lolis, and none of them are gonna care about this new law since they can't enforce it! The Government should concentrate on making laws about stuff that actually matters to the whole of the country, not concentrating on what people get off on.
    </rant>

  66. Re:It's about psychology by arstchnca · · Score: 1

    [...]

    That's what I was getting at.
    Hmm.

    You seem to have made an argument for the potential danger represented by the potential simulating of having sex with children,

    and tried to pass it off as


    an argument for why simulated child pornography will ostensibly lead to the behavioral changes you described.


    I guess I don't understand what you were getting at.

    I think that there exists a slight chance that, in the flurry of rhetoric that's been bandied about, you confused yourself into thinking that maybe you were right.

    I hope that I accounted for that chance.

    p.s. right now, you're my anger management.

    --
    -- arstchnca
    --
  67. Re:It's about psychology by Tarcastil · · Score: 1

    Reading over some of your comments, I see I was too hasty in my wording when trying to get one of the first comments. By "people" I mean would-be-sex-offenders. The images desensitize people (again, would-be-sex-offenders) to the act and could easily cause them to do more harm to kids.

    There you go. No need to get so intensely riled up.

  68. Re:Pedophiles by Legrow · · Score: 5, Interesting

    To borrow a line from Dimitri Martin, why is it okay to say "I love kids" but not "I love 12-year-olds"?

  69. Re:It's about psychology by Tarcastil · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    Thanks for glancing at my argument. Please read it next time.

  70. Re:Pedophiles by TheVelvetFlamebait · · Score: 1

    Gee, I had no idea South Park was considered snuff.
    No, South Park is considered comedy. It's also considered offensive by certain people, including but not limited to people offended by (graphic) violence.

    In short, I don't think the GP deserved the flamebait mod.
    --
    You know, there is a difference between trolling and pointing out the flaws in your reasoning. Just saying.
  71. Re:It's about psychology by caitsith01 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Even if you're right, that's the price of free speech. You either protect everything, even the vile, disgusting, hateful speech you disagree with or you don't have free speech at all. You assert that as fact. But it's a philosophical or possibly semantic question, not one with an obvious and easily stated answer, i.e., can you have "some" free speech? What does "free" mean in this context?

    If there is a rule that you can talk about everything except X, then you have freedom of speech with respect to (All possible topics of speech - X). So in a significant sense it would not be correct that you "don't have free speech at all". I understand, of course, that you would argue that "free speech" means "absolutely unconstrained speech".

    Other questions:

    1. Is speech "free" if it can be established statistically that a certain percentage of its audience will be induced to impact on another's freedom simply by hearing/reading/viewing it? Why does the chain of causation stop with the making and receiving of the speech, but not the consequences of it?

    2. Is speech "not free" simply because there are criminal penalties? Or is it simply a legitimate trade off to say that if you choose to engage in the making or willing consumption of speech which the vast majority of rational people find utterly abhorrent, you also choose to take the risk that "society" will seek retribution against you, possibly in the form of violence and/or loss of liberty?

    3. Does "free" speech extend to an unwilling audience, or an audience which cannot defend itself, or both? For example, is it ok to make racially derogatory sexual remarks to an audience of small children from minority backgrounds?

    4. Should a person be held responsible for any consequences of their "free" speech? For example, should someone producing these types of images be regarded as an accessory to any eventual child abuse which takes place and towards which their images contibuted?

    I'm playing devil's advocate to a certain extent here, because I tend to err on the side of libertarianism on such issues. But free speech advocates need to learn to work on a more complex set of assumptions than that there is no consequence whatsoever to speech, however hateful or provocative, and explain how society is to deal with those consequences with respect to the maker of the original speech.

    If speech could never provoke real-world consequences, why would we speak at all?
    --
    Read Pynchon.
  72. Re:Pedophiles by Paaskonijn · · Score: 5, Informative
    It's not? Cause I've seen several of these.

    The most famous examples would be Jeanneke Pis in Brussels and Mieke Stroel in Zelzate. Of the top of my head: there's also one in Ellezelle and Dubrovnik.

  73. Re:Pedophiles by teslar · · Score: 5, Informative

    Hentai artists can just say that their characters are over 16 (age of concent here in the UK), and it magically becomes legal.
    Nope. According to the Register article on the same topic:

    Section 45 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 extended the definition of "child", for porn purposes, to anyone aged 16 or 17. For the first time, it became illegal to possess images of perfectly legal sexual activity.
  74. Use explicit sarcasm tags by Mathinker · · Score: 2, Insightful

    From my experience reading Slashdot: it's always better to use explicit <sarcasm> tags; with so many readers, someone isn't going to get it if it's subtle.

    Oh, and you might need to type &lt; (or gt) to get the tag delimiters to display OK.

  75. Doesn't add up dude by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    The neat trick here is the a pedophile is someone who THINKS about naked children. He has fantasies about naked children.

    A serial killer is someone who has killed multiple people.

    Do you see the logic gap?

    If you would like to compare a serial killer and a serial child rapist, be my guest. But statistically, there are probably around 1 million "exclusive" pedophiles in North America and only about 80,000 of those are in prison. That's less than 8%, which is roughly the same incarceration rate as the general population.

    Who is being executed here?

    In the context of your example.... a child rapist is physically raping a child. Whereas the people we are talking about are enjoying a simulation of such a thing.

    A serial killer is physically killing people. What's the corollary? Oh yeah... people engaging in simulated killing.

    Which... is.... clearly.... pathological.

    O wait....

    Doh!!!!!

    in reality, pedophiles are creepy and nobody likes them so it's easy to cast them as drooling sub-humans.

    But is it reality?

    1. Re:Doesn't add up dude by martin-boundary · · Score: 1
      I don't see a logic gap. The word pedophile is commonly used to describe people who *have* committed an offence under the relevant law. The offence might be as mild as possessing certain pictures, or might actually be child rape, depending on the laws that apply.

      The point of the serial killer example was that being psychologically predisposed to certain behaviour is not a defence against being locked up.

    2. Re:Doesn't add up dude by courseofhumanevents · · Score: 1

      The word "definitely" is commonly spelled "definately." It's still an incorrect usage.

    3. Re:Doesn't add up dude by Schadrach · · Score: 1

      One of you is using the psychological definition of a pedophile, the other is using the "anyone convicted of any sex-related offense regarding a minor in any way" definition of a pedophile. If you meet a girl at a party who claims to be 18 but is really 15 (see Traci Lords) and go off for some "private" fun with her, then you are one but not the other.

  76. Re:It's about psychology by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Allowing these images may make people think of child sex abuse as semi-normal if they can view them at any time without any repercussions. Oh please, thats the same argument the people against video games use, it doesn't fly for that subject why would it work on this one?

    I play Team Fortress 2 every day, im not about to grab a scatter gun, start screaming about needing a dispenser here, and shot gunning red cross workers in the back.

    Ive played every version of grand theft auto, and I've never even had the slightest desire to steal a car, not even a twinge.

    I play Guild Wars almost daily with my buddies, and I've yet to put on a suit of armour and try to tank the traffic aggro on main street.

    I even play good old fashioned table top, pen and paper, D&D. I'm pretty sure I'm not a tool of Satan.

    You know why this is? Because I can readily tell the differnce between fantasy and reality, I hope you can!

    Ever watched some 'regular' porn, its not too based on reality either.

    Are you under the impression that if you just lived in the right area you neighbours would invite you over for naked pool party/orgy?

    I delivered pizzas for 3 weeks to cover a buddy of mines job while he was in the hospital, I gotta say I'm disappointed. Not once did a hot chick answer the door in skimpy underwear and drag me in the house to jump my bones. On a related note my buddy says despite his extended hospital stay he didn't get any play what so ever from any of the nurses.

    And I'm not sure about now, but back when I was in highschool there was a distinct lack of locker room lesbian orgies.

    I hope you see what I'm getting at here, almost all of our recreational activities have little basis in reality. In fact in most cases that's the point, we want a break from reality because dammit most of the time reality is fucking boring and depressing.

    People who confuse their fantasies for reality in any serious manner have deeper problems and we have bigger worries about them than what kind of porn they watch.
  77. Re:It's about psychology by sqrt(2) · · Score: 2, Insightful

    The answers to those points you raise is another type of freedom: freedom of choice--also called free will. We assume that people are in control of their own actions, and that ideas, words, and speech by itself is inherently incapable of causing harm. When someone takes that speech and acts on it, they are responsible for the action and are handled in a way that is considered appropriate by society.

    I want to live in that kind of society, not the kind that tries to protect me by limiting what I can and can't talk about because it may possibly put me in danger.

    --
    If you build it, nerds will come. Soylentnews.org
  78. Re:Pedophiles by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    tetris? you mean that game where innocent little blocks are being blasted and disintegrated for the sole act of filling a complete horizontal line?!

    You are truly heartless for not condoning something like that.

  79. Re:Pedophiles by ozmanjusri · · Score: 4, Interesting
    And where do you draw the line?

    Boundaries are interesting.

    Over in Australia, we've just seen a scandal about photographs by Bill Henson being withdrawn from display by the gallery that was showing them. The showing was cancelled after complaints from many people, including the Prime Minister.

    The models in Hensen's portraits are often underaged and sexualised. Most who have participated, including many who are now adult, are proud of their portraits and strongly supportive of Hensen's work.

    I accept that that children must be protected because they do not have the experience or the understanding to make an informed consent. There needs to be limits to their involvement in sexuality. I also believe that censorship of art is fundamentally wrong, and that artists should always be pushing limits and challenging authority. The tension between two conflicting, but necessary requirements is what makes this so interesting.

    This is one area where it takes a brave artist to explore those boundaries, and I'm grateful that we have courageous people like Hensen doing that.

    --
    "I've got more toys than Teruhisa Kitahara."
  80. Re:Pedophiles by admiralfurburger · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Sorry, in the United Fundamentalist Christian States of America, it's not OK.

    Hey those are pretty cool, I'd probably get arrested & have to register as sex offender if I put one on the lawn, though...

  81. Re:Pedophiles by b4upoo · · Score: 1

    I'm not sure that there is any law or anything else keeping you from having a female statue peeing in your garden.
                    Sadly with the number of perverts extant you just might draw an unwanted guest to that garden. There seem to be a lot of really sick people these days.

  82. In the US by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    does anyone know what purient means?

  83. virgin and her child~ by bronney · · Score: 1

    you can paint them like leo did:

    Fondle me!

  84. Re:Pedophiles by mapkinase · · Score: 1

    I would put it this way: why is it Ok for people to have statues?

    --
    I do not believe in karma. "Funny"=-6. Do good and forbid evil. Yours, Oft-Offtopic Flamebaiting Troll.
  85. prosecute me by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0


    o.
    |8===:> O-:
    ^

    The character on the left is a Muslim. The smiley on the RHS surely depicts a boy only 15 years of age. What better excuse?

  86. Re:Pedophiles by houghi · · Score: 1

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeanneke_Pis
    There are other statues like that. And this is not even in the privacy of your garden, but in public places.

    --
    Don't fight for your country, if your country does not fight for you.
  87. anonymous coward by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Why have all these arseholes missed the main point of this new law? It is piss easy to make movies of children doing anything and then convert them to cartoon images to avoid prosecution. It's hardly rocket science. Scum lawyers would have a field day getting these bastards off the hook when they should be getting dowsed in petrol and burned.

  88. Can you tell the difference? by clickety6 · · Score: 1

    maybe now... but with the advances in generating life-like graphics (still and video) what happens in the (near) future when you can no longer tell the difference between a computer-generated scene and a scene filmed for real and involving actual abuse?

    --
    ----------------------------------- My Other Sig Is Hilarious -----------------------------------
  89. Photoshop 5 year old head onto 80 year old body? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Besides bad taste, would this be forbidden? What if someone just photoshops the ears, or hair from a 12 year old onto a 39 year old?

    The law in it's heart is good, in practice is bad. It's basically a thoughtcrime.

    Wouldn't it be better if the sickos could look at computer generated stuff, and give them a relatively safe outlet, instead of making it illegal and having them look at the real stuff since it all will be illegal?

    I guess the old Coppertone adds will be outlawed, since the cartoon doggie pulling down the 6 year olds bathing bottom will be construed as beastiality, S&M, and child porn.

  90. Does that mean ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ... that Tom-and-Jerry cartoons are next ?

    If *any* cartoon could be considered abusive than that one should be at the top of the list.

  91. Re:It's about psychology by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    But you have people over in Iraq and other places committing legal murder all the time. And people are put to death as punishment for crimes, and that's legal murder as well. So even murder has a "line", apparently, and not obviously illegal always.

    We live in a confused society that's not even sure what its morals are. How can we take seriously the "morality" of such a confused society?

  92. No more video taping births either by spineboy · · Score: 1

    A nude baby is coming out. Can I keep my medical textbooks that happen to have pictures of any children in it?

    This whole thing seems bizarre, and I imagine, is approved by the same types of people who want Michelangelo's David statue covered up since he is a naked man.

    --
    ..........FULL STOP.
    1. Re:No more video taping births either by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Not just a man. Most Renaissance models were under 18 (frequently under 15).

    2. Re:No more video taping births either by VJ42 · · Score: 1

      A nude baby is coming out. Can I keep my medical textbooks that happen to have pictures of any children in it? Nudity & pornography are not the same thing. Medical textbooks, and baby photos won't be banned by this law. That's not to say I think it's a good law, on the contrary it's a bad, unworkable one for reasons I've stated elsewhere. But there's no reason to think the police will bust you for having pictures of your baby kids during child birth or even in the bath etc., as they are in no way sexual images.
      --
      If I have nothing to hide, you have no reason to search me
    3. Re:No more video taping births either by Oktober+Sunset · · Score: 3, Funny

      You imprisoned an innocent child inside your stomach for 18 months then forced it backwards through your genitals for your own sick amusement?

    4. Re:No more video taping births either by KGIII · · Score: 1

      Only at /. would human gestation period be 18 months...

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
    5. Re:No more video taping births either by loraksus · · Score: 1

      and baby photos won't be banned by this law

      There have been a number of malicious and frivolous prosecutions in the US that have given the police to arbitrarily arrest people for kiddie porn based on "baby photos".
      Granted, most of the charges were eventually thrown out, but only after costly legal battles and long term separation from their children because of CPS.

      The problem is that if the law can be abused, inevitably, it will be. Police and prosecutors cannot be trusted to use discretion or even common sense. The police are often ignorant of the law or incompetent, and too many prosecutors are sociopaths who want another notch on their belt in their pursuit of higher office.

      http://archive.salon.com/mwt/feature/2000/01/31/kincaid/index.html has some examples, there are many others.

      What people don't seem to understand is that they are granting the state the ability to use potentially deadly force to break up families and imprison people for extended periods of time. The burden of proof has to be higher.

      --
      1q2w3e4r5t6y7u8i9o0pqawsedrftgthyjukilo;p'azsxdcfv gbhnjmk,l.;/
  93. Re:Pedophiles by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    You see, that's where this law "fails". Hentai artists can just say that their characters are over 16 (age of concent here in the UK), and it magically becomes legal. Lolicon, however you might have a problem (but then I always thought the people who watch lolicon have many problemas anyway...)

    I guess what I'm trying to say is that that particular aspect of this law is unenforcable, as there is no way you can establish the age of animated characters other than by asking the artists unless they are very obviously babies\small children as with lolicon type 'art'. No because it can easily be an imaginary world, look at the Disgaea: Hour of Darkness ps2 game (great tatics game by the way)

    Its main characters look like children, id say around 8-10 years old by physical appearance. However its a fantasy world, these characters are all well over 100 years old thanks to being things like demons, angels, and such.

    This is the problem with trying to create a though crime/prosecute a victimless crime, theres WAY too many loop holes, and all your evidence is in the hands of the defendant.
  94. Re:Pedophiles by mrbluze · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Killing people because of what they think is most likely not a good idea. We killed them because they hated us because we're free. .. or something?
    --
    Do it yourself, because no one else will do it yourself. [beta blockade 10-17 Feb]
  95. child abused by demons by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    . & . . .
    [ & @ [ .
    . [ & . .

  96. Re:Pedophiles by mrbluze · · Score: 2, Insightful

    [Frowning Old Woman] Did you know that under their clothes, children are all naked? And you dare look at them! Why, everywhere we go there are naked children, thinly veiled in clothing. Any time you glance at a child, it is therefore clear that you are committing a grievous offence against nature.[/Frowning Old Woman]

    Some people watch too much commercial television, methinks. That's why the politicians get away with so much.

    --
    Do it yourself, because no one else will do it yourself. [beta blockade 10-17 Feb]
  97. Protecting against what? by Jesus_666 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    If there is no actual child involved is the law merely protecting against the possibility of offenders committing future crimes against real children?
    Could we please get rid of the notion that people require media to develop unpopular views/needs/stances? It's not like Victor Vanilla browses the internet until someone trolls him with a child porn shock image and he immediately turns into Roger Rapist who desperately needs to rape little children.

    We can't (yet?) predict whether someone will develop a paraphilia and we can't do anything about it. People just end up having different tastes for different (and often non-obvious) reasons. Whether or not poonography catering to a particular taste is available does not decide whether or not someone develops that taste; it can only be one of many influences.

    Banning CP so hard that even mentioning it carries a mandatory prison sentence will still do nothing to "solve" paedophilia. It will only further cloud up the water and force the affected further into obscurity and violence.

    What we need is an objective discussion of the issue. We need to view it as a controllable problem like alcoholism or an addiction. It's manageable, but only if we behave like mature, civilized human beings and treat issues like this with a bit of distance.

    "Clean" child porn might allow paedophiles to blow off steam instead of waiting until the pent up sexual frustration makes them abduct, rape and kill some little girl. We don't really know, which is why we need scientific evaluation. And that is not possible while idiots with shotguns/the media are running around shouting: "I NEED TO KILLS Y'ALL OR IT MIGHT BE MY DAUGHTER!!1"


    I think prohibition, the War on Drugs(TM) and similar endeavours have shown just how well complete demonization of an issue work towards safely controlling said issue.
    --
    USE HOT GRITS WITH STATUE OF NATALIE PORTMAN (NAKED AND PETRIFIED)
    1. Re:Protecting against what? by HetMes · · Score: 1

      I've pondered the point of blowing off steam for paedophiles and other, what society considers, sexual deviants using fictional material. This is a two-edged sword, however. On the one hand, it'll probably satisfy a lot of people, who consequently will not resort to violent behavior. On the other hand, its availability will turn young people on to these perversions.
      I think many of us are turned on by all kinds of things that we are unlikely to do in real life, since we are well satisfied by the fictional material we find on the internet. In fact, I bet it was the internet that acquainted us with this material in the first place! So, as long as the internet keeps up its steady supply of drugs, many of us won't be looking for it in real life. If your kink is considered legal, you're covered either way. If it's not, you're screwed, and you'll have to go cold turkey. But even rats that were given cocaine once, remember its effect well after a year, and show addiction behavior towards getting it again.
      Not surprisingly, I do not think violent games cause violence in the real world. However, if violent games were suddenly completely removed from society, we'd see a surge in real life crime by people that had felt the thrill of violence before. Not everyone that has played Quake (I don't game anymore) will resort to real world violence of course, but I'm sure it was enough to satisfy some.

    2. Re:Protecting against what? by MSZ · · Score: 1

      It's manageable, but only if we behave like mature, civilized human beings and treat issues like this with a bit of distance.

      You're asking for a miracle.
      --
      The moon is not fully subjugated. I demand a second assault wave preceded by a massive nuclear bombardment.
    3. Re:Protecting against what? by Quiet_Desperation · · Score: 1

      It's not like Victor Vanilla browses the internet until someone trolls him with a child porn shock image and he immediately turns into Roger Rapist who desperately needs to rape little children. But it would make an awesome cartoon, especially if Jessica Rapist is in it. It could top the one where Goofy becomes a road raging monster when he drives his car.
    4. Re:Protecting against what? by vidarh · · Score: 1
      I'd challenge you to find ANY proof that exposure to images depicting something considered deviant "turns young people on to these perversions".

      There simply isn't any.

    5. Re:Protecting against what? by Jesus_666 · · Score: 1

      Unfortunately that's true. We like to pat ourselves on the back about how great and rational we are, but as soon as an emotionally charged topic is mentioned we show that we really are just bald monkeys with a knack for engineering.

      --
      USE HOT GRITS WITH STATUE OF NATALIE PORTMAN (NAKED AND PETRIFIED)
    6. Re:Protecting against what? by HetMes · · Score: 1

      Do not make the mistake of thinking absence of proof is proof of absence, nor should you underestimate the malleability of the young mind, up to a certain extent of course.

    7. Re:Protecting against what? by QCompson · · Score: 1

      Do not make the mistake of thinking absence of proof is proof of absence, nor should you underestimate the malleability of the young mind, up to a certain extent of course. But surely you agree you should have to show some evidence of this correlation before you starting depriving people of their liberty because they possess distasteful images. Right?
    8. Re:Protecting against what? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I agree, I've seen some wacky ass shit online, even when I was 15, but my sexual history is as boring and white bread as most other men.

    9. Re:Protecting against what? by HetMes · · Score: 1

      Definitely! I'm against banning any fiction, don't get me wrong here. It is merely a result of the self satisfying demand for increasingly extreme porn and an open internet. The only way to contain the problem, is to allow it the world of fiction.

  98. Mod Parent Up by mrbluze · · Score: 2, Informative
    For making the most insightful statement I've read all day. These laws will make problems worse, not better.

    We should never feel guilty about thoughts we have, and feeling we have. Absolutely hits the nail on the head.
    --
    Do it yourself, because no one else will do it yourself. [beta blockade 10-17 Feb]
    1. Re:Mod parent up by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There are.

    2. Re:Mod parent up by fbjon · · Score: 2, Informative

      I recall a study on arousal rates for adults viewing pictures of children. IIRC it turned out to be about 4% (or 8%?), but I can't find it now. In any case, it was way higher than I expected, though the study did measure arousal as opposed to attraction, which would be somewhat harder to assess.

      --
      True confidence comes not from realising you are as good as your peers, but that your peers are as bad as you are.
  99. Re:Pedophiles by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    How about since it only matters to the individual, let each one decide form them selves? No, because that makes too much sense.
  100. Re:Pedophiles by Weedlekin · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "The death penalty is too quick, a jail sentence has them safe from the rest of the world. It is the only case in which I would approve the use of torture - indeed, in it's most sadistic form, since the goal isn't information or confession, just suffering."

    Perhaps you should add those who delight in thinking about others being slowly tortured to death to the list of people who should be slowly tortured to death for thinking about things.

    "Obviously everyone who has modded me down thinks kid-fucking is okay."

    A more likely explanation is that they reckon that you're a hypocritical sicko who thinks that torture and death fantasies are OK because he's having them, but other sick fantasies he doesn't have must be prohibited at all costs.

    --
    I'm not going to change your sheets again, Mr. Hastings.
  101. Pencils... by Joce640k · · Score: 2, Insightful

    In theory I can now end up in prison for drawing something with a pencil and paper.

    --
    No sig today...
  102. Re:Pedophiles by sodul · · Score: 1

    You're talking about Manneken Pis and Jeanneke Pis I suppose.

  103. The "Loophole" is already closed! by mdwh2 · · Score: 5, Informative

    FTA:

    "The government has acknowledged that paedophiles may be circumventing the law by using computer technology to manipulate real photographs or videos of abuse into drawings or cartoons."

    But under the new Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008, Section 69:

    "References to a photograph also include- a tracing or other image, whether made by electronic or other means (of whatever nature)- which is not itself a photograph or pseudo-photograph, but which is derived from the whole or part of a photograph or pseudo-photograph (or a combination of either or both)"

    So not only is it absurd to suggest that all drawings need to be criminalised because pedophiles are allegedly converting child abuse images into them, this simply isn't a loophole anymore anyway!

    What if pedophiles start converting images of children into page 3 girls, will they need to be criminalised too?

    The claim that this material is already illegal to sell or distribute is also bogus (they made this same false claim with the extreme porn law - on that note, expect to see "extreme" adult cartoon images made illegal in a few years). The Obscene Publications Act requires a jury to believe that the material would "deprave or corrupt" those likely to see it, but these new laws do not have such a test, instead using a dictionary definition of the word "obscene" (i.e., disgusting etc). I suspect that a jury made up of Daily Mail readers would consider plenty of Manga and Hentai to be illegal.

    Also see the official announcement, and consulation and consultation response documents.

    I fear that to the police, hentai is not merely something that may be unintentionally caught, but it is a direct intended target. In the response to the "extreme porn" law (a different law, but the comment is relevant), Greater Manchester police stated "Would like to see account of several child cartoon images e.g. Hentai material."

    And note that whilst the age of consent is 16 in the UK, the age for child porn was raised to 18 in the Sexual Offences Act 2003. So sex with a 17 year old is legal, but a fantasy drawing of someone who might look 17 would be illegal!

    The Register has a better write up.

    Will South Park's Red Rocket be illegal?

    1. Re:The "Loophole" is already closed! by Reziac · · Score: 1

      What the heck IS a "psuedo-photograph"???

      --
      ~REZ~ #43301. Who'd fake being me anyway?
    2. Re:The "Loophole" is already closed! by mdwh2 · · Score: 1

      What the heck IS a "psuedo-photograph"???

      I'm not entirely sure, but basically it's a faked photo of some kind (e.g., photoshopped job). See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pseudo-photograph .

    3. Re:The "Loophole" is already closed! by Reziac · · Score: 1

      Hmm. So a CGI still or film would be a "pseudo-photograph".

      This is a problem if the defining point where it's "kiddie porn" is "when we can't readily tell if it's real or not". Which is why the only valid definition HAS to be "REAL kids were involved, with REAL abuse". (Meaning that photoshopping innocent kid pics to look like porn should not be a crime either.)

      --
      ~REZ~ #43301. Who'd fake being me anyway?
    4. Re:The "Loophole" is already closed! by mdwh2 · · Score: 1

      Hmm. So a CGI still or film would be a "pseudo-photograph".

      I think so - it has to be "realistic" (although how realistic I'm not sure, I'm sure I saw articles saying someone was convicted for what was claimed to be obvious photoshop jobs - but of course, we can't know, because we're not allowed to see the image!)

      This new law would extend it to all non-photographic images too, realistic or not, including drawings and cartoons (I'm not sure if ASCII art is covered...).

      Which is why the only valid definition HAS to be "REAL kids were involved, with REAL abuse". (Meaning that photoshopping innocent kid pics to look like porn should not be a crime either.)

      I agree. It's worrying how they subtely change their argument - first it's "Well we have to criminalise photos because children were abused, that's reasonable", "Oh, we have to criminalise realistic faked images, because how would we possibly be expected to prove a child was actually abused" ... "Well it's accepted it's justified to criminalise fictional images, so this is just closing a loophole for drawings and cartoons".

    5. Re:The "Loophole" is already closed! by Reziac · · Score: 1

      Remember a few weeks ago when the topic here was some new law (I forget where) that made WRITTEN kiddie porn illegal! (No pictures were harmed, let alone real children!)

      So... CP cartoons and CP as the written word are already illegal in some venues; what's next, even *discussing* it??

      (Is ASCII art legally an "image" or "writing"??)

      What about pictures of sex with a pregnant woman -- is the fetus a participant, therefore making that kiddie porn??

      I think there's something more fundamentally awry here, that happens whenever a law moves from "You may not DO this" to "You may not POSSESS this", and thence to (as best they can enforce it) "You may not THINK this", which in the minds of law enforcement, progressively makes DEED and POSSESSION and THOUGHT equivalently evil.

      --
      ~REZ~ #43301. Who'd fake being me anyway?
  104. Re:Pedophiles by courseofhumanevents · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I always hate it when I can't tell whether someone is either psychotic or a really good troll.

  105. If this passes I'm screwed... by lattyware · · Score: 1

    How many people have I killed in GTA?
    It's like being in Jack Thompson's mind!
    Agggggghhhhhhhhh!

    --
    -- Lattyware (www.lattyware.co.uk)
  106. focus by Tom · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The crime isn't important - the fear it generates it. Politics are driven by fear, more specifically by the formula "look how dangerous the world is - elect us so you're at least a little bit safe". The different parties only play on different areas of fear - right-wing usually on fears of crime, foreigners, etc. and left-wing on fear of unemployment, illness, poverty, etc.

    So everyone who's posted a comment detailing how computer-generated images hurt nobody is missing the point entirely. Nobody cares who is being hurt or not. It doesn't matter. "Abused child" is merely a meme that is being exploited by power-greedy politicians. Since our emotions do not differentiate between "real" and "computer-generated", they are triggered by both, and since fear is an emotion, politicians don't see why they should make a difference, either.

    Logic doesn't apply here. Psychology does.

    --
    Assorted stuff I do sometimes: Lemuria.org
    1. Re:focus by Wildclaw · · Score: 1

      Which is what I have been saying for a long time.

      Who were the most efficent terrorists. The 9/11 hijackers who did an act of terror, but failed to actually use it to reach any meaningful political goals. Or the western politicians who didn't do the act itself, but instead took advantage of it afterwards to drive their agendas.

      The real hidden terrorism of turning fear into political goals is a big menace on society. (Not the only mind you. There are several other nasty ways to reach you goals politically). And it isn't a new invention, far from it. Hitler used the fear of communism, as did the US by the way after WW2. Even further back, a large part of most religions is basically based on people's fear of death.

      But, until people in general realize that the 9/11 hijackers were second rate amateurs, things aren't going to change. They will keep getting scared and allow politicians to run wild with crazy and dangerous laws.

      Finally, one more thing. Politicians like everyone else are of course also afraid of things. Trying to create a law against something you are actually afraid of isn't terrorism. It may be stupid, but not evil in the same way.

  107. Mod parent up by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    (Have i offended someone? Good!) Yes, parent is confrontational.

    But this boils down to the key point that sexual orientation isn't a choice. Lots of people don't really think things through.

    I'm happy I was born as a socially acceptable heterosexual... It must be living hell for all the people born pedophiles, knowing they will become an outcast the moment they tell anyone about their sexual orientation. Even though they have never hurt a child, and never will. I think we can safely assume there are vast numbers of pedophiles living "in the closet".
  108. Re:Here in the US, we should just stick to Obscene by Tom · · Score: 4, Insightful

    It's damned hard to figure out which is which, and in the mean time, people get exploited. A few years back, when we were still living in a free society, it was considered perfectly normal that the prosecution had to prove their case, even if it was hard. Even if it was "damned hard".
    --
    Assorted stuff I do sometimes: Lemuria.org
  109. What's next for the dancing baby? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The dancing baby screen saver never aroused me, but if it saved a real baby from being forced to dance for hours on end I am in favour of it.
    Passing a law to stop generated images would surely mean more real kids are at risk?

  110. Re:Pedophiles by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You are truly heartless for not condoning something like that.
    But he did condone it. ;)
  111. Finally a step in the right direction. by archont · · Score: 1

    Now that we're taken care of child molesters we'll focus our attention on those who molest pixels. To graps the scale of the number of abused, mistreated and permanently scarred pixels all you need is a visit to myspace.. Those people should be doing hard time I say!

  112. The problem with 'fake' and 'real' by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    First, I suggest reading the FBI's testimony to congress:

    For those who don't want to take the 5 minutes it essentially boils down to this: everyone pretty much agrees 'real' child porn should be illegal. Not everyone agrees that the 'fake' child porn should be. So, if you are caught, you claim it is all the 'fake' stuff and make law enforcement prove it is the 'real' stuff. That part is really hard next to impossible unless you can find the actual people in the photographs, but you don't have to take my word for it....

    http://www.fbi.gov/congress/congress02/heimbach050102.htm

    1. Re:The problem with 'fake' and 'real' by mrsteveman1 · · Score: 1

      That's the burden of prosecution, you don't ban things just because it makes it easier for law enforcement to prosecute real crime, or to make it easier to just say 'its all illegal'.

      That's not how a free society works.

    2. Re:The problem with 'fake' and 'real' by mightybaldking · · Score: 1

      You could make a reverse onus on that particular defence.

      That is, if you claim it's fake, and that fact is not readily discernible by a reasonably competent individual (It's a shop! I can tell by the pixels.) the it's up to the defendant to provide proof of the fakery.

      This isn't a true full reverse onus, as the (allegedly) offending images would have to be prima facie genuine.

      I believe this could pass a constitutional test.

      The difference is:
      Prove to me that the $100 you gave to that guy wasn't for drugs. (Bad Reverse Onus -- You could be paying him back for last night's drinks)
      Prove to me that the pictures of you diddling a 4 year old I found on your computer are fakes. (Good Reverse Onus -- Won't someone think of the children!)

      This argument is entirely predicated on the GP's claim that real pictures are being successfully claimed as fakes.

    3. Re:The problem with 'fake' and 'real' by Geoffrey.landis · · Score: 1
      People have, in the United States, been prosecuted for drawing cartoons.

      Now you're telling me that the FBI proposes that they should have the right to not only prosecute people, but put them in jail for damn near life for drawing cartoons. And you don't notice that this is a teeny tiny little bit of an infringement on freedom?

      --
      http://www.geoffreylandis.com
    4. Re:The problem with 'fake' and 'real' by mrsteveman1 · · Score: 1

      Yea but prosecution in the US at least has to prove you are guilty, not the other way around. Granted we have some federal laws that require documentation of age for porn actors, but I was under the impression that applied to producers and not simply people who have porn in their possession, so I'm not sure how all this would turn out. In general if the state wants to prosecute someone for something they need to prove you actually did something illegal.

      The existence of fake child porn complicates things, but I'm sure there are other similar non-porn-related situations that make it hard for prosecutors to prove their case, doesn't mean we should be making things illegal to make their job easier.

    5. Re:The problem with 'fake' and 'real' by fractoid · · Score: 1

      "Reverse Onus" is basically your fancy way of saying "guilty until proven innocent". No part of the onus of proof should be on the defendant - "circumstantial evidence" is not proof.

      --
      Rampant carbon sequestration destroyed the Dinosaurs' tropical paradise. I'm here to help repair the damage.
    6. Re:The problem with 'fake' and 'real' by mightybaldking · · Score: 1

      Not quite -- It's not a reverse onus on the charge itself per se, its a reverse onus on the evidence.
      If it's not readily apparent that the images are fake, then they will be assumed to be real, and the onus goes on the defendant to demonstrate they are fake.

      There needs to be some standard applied to the preliminary determination of the image status.
      But the point is that the current situation as mentioned by the GGP means that the defendant just has to say "They're fakes. Prove they're not." in order to walk.

      The evidence is certainly not circumstantial. Circumstantial evidence is "The defendant was seen leaving the victims building shortly after the murder." -- It certainly helps in placing the defendant at the scene, but it does not prove anything.

      "Pictures of --insert grossness here-- were found on the defendant's computer, to which only he had access, and they appear based on all standard rules of determination to be genuine." is not circumstantial. It is direct evidence as the defendant was found in possession of the images.

      There are two direct ways to fight the evidence in this case:
      1) Submit a plausible theory that someone else put the images there. (The Pwnd Box defense)
      2) Submit a plausible theory that the images are fakes.

      However, at this stage the onus is on the defendant to demonstrate the plausibility of the theory. For the second theory, one could demonstrate the plausibility by creating a new, similar image in front of the judge. However, just saying that they are fake isn't enough. You've got to support the theory.

  113. The next step by Epeeist · · Score: 1

    So what happens when someone invents an algorithmic method of producing such pictures? Do we start banning programs like "Blender"?

    1. Re:The next step by Simon+Brooke · · Score: 0

      So what happens when someone invents an algorithmic method of producing such pictures? Do we start banning programs like "Blender"?

      Meet MakeHuman

      --
      I'm old enough to remember when discussions on Slashdot were well informed.
  114. Re:It's about psychology by courseofhumanevents · · Score: 1

    Violent games could desensitize would-be murderers to the act, rape fantasy porn could desensitize would-be rapists to the act, etc. etc.

    Yes, it certainly could. That is, however, not a reason to ban it.

  115. Re:Pedophiles by Tom · · Score: 4, Insightful

    That's a frightening quote.

    So it's legal to fuck her, but if you take a picture of it with your mobile phone, you go behind bars for 20 years.

    Only politicians and lawyers can come up with that kind of thinking.

    --
    Assorted stuff I do sometimes: Lemuria.org
  116. I'm as big a fan of "freedom of thought" as anyone by DrSkwid · · Score: 1



    OMG it's children. CHILDREN!!!!

    --
    There are places where the networks are not touching,and there are places where they are-Boeing's Lori Gunter
  117. Re:Pedophiles by Mutant321 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Not to mention that there's no clear link between those who indulge in child porn, and those who commit pedophilia.

    It's just more scaremongering to drum up votes by a government that knows it's on the ropes. The unfortunate thing is, it might be working.

  118. Re:Pedophiles by fuzzix · · Score: 1

    Pedophiles make me sick. The sooner a law is instated that allows us to slaughter the lot of them, the better. Computer generated child porn is still child porn. Snuff movies are still snuff movies when nobody really dies. It's the idea of it, not the act.

    So this is an actual home movie of people being hassled and abducted by aliens because that's the idea it conveys?

    I'm afraid not... no matter how graphically convincing it is (and the above example is not) a fiction is still a fiction. This is the thinking that gets people all hot under the collar about GTA - I think most balanced individuals (and a fair percentage of unbalanced ones) can spy the difference between video game violence and plugging someone in the guts with a real gun in real life.
  119. Re:peterprior must be a paedo by fuzzix · · Score: 4, Insightful

    And leave it to /. to stick up for paedos that want to jackoff to kiddie porn cgi and like all good paedos do, move on to the real thing

    Why, this CGI is gateway porno! Just like if I even try marijuana I'll be on crack, meth and heroin the very same week!
  120. Re:Pedophiles by njfuzzy · · Score: 2, Informative

    Snuff movies are still snuff movies when nobody really dies. It's the idea of it, not the act. Actually, no. A "stuff film" is one in which an actor (or person in general) actually dies on film. There isn't a special name for movies where a character happens to die. That covers probably the majority of movies, since death is a major theme of any kind of narrative.
    --
    My Photography - http://ian-x.com
    The Deathlings (comic) - http://thedeathlings.com
  121. Re:Pedophiles by the_one(2) · · Score: 1

    [...] pedophiles take pleasure in harming - physically and emotionally - people in no position to defend themselves. Are you serious? I presume there are sadistic pedophiles but i don't think that percentage is higher than the rest of the population. Do you have any statistics to back this up?
  122. Re:She might look 15 to you but in my head she was by mdwh2 · · Score: 1

    Given the horribly loose language used in the "extreme pornography" law recently passed in the UK and that the extreme pornography law covers staged acts as well as real ones I wouldn't be surprised if the language used in this law is also horribly loose. It's probably unlikely to distinguish between whether the drawing depicted a real act or not.

    They've made it clear that this will cover drawings that are nothing to do with real acts.

    I agree entirely with your comment - I suspect that despite assurances, this will be just as vague a law, if not more so. According to the consultation response document, they are borrowing the term "of an obscene character" that exists in the "extreme porn" law. Which is not the same test that's in the Obscene Publications Act (that an image must deprave and corrupt). I'm sure that mainstream works won't be caught, but all it means that material on your computer, imported from abroad, or downloaded from the Internet, gets seen as "obscene" or "not a work of art", and will be illegal. Some police chiefs can't wait to be able to arrest someone simply because of Hentai on their computer.

  123. WARNING: PAEDOPHILE LINK!!! by mangu · · Score: 1

    I think we should dismantle every building with naked babies perched on top of massive, rock-hard shafts

    I agree. And not only on the outside, look at this room, for instance: notice the statues of nude children. And while we are at it, how come Google allows searches like this??? Shocking, absolutely shocking!
  124. Re:Pedophiles by speculatrix · · Score: 4, Informative

    There seem to be a lot of really sick people these days.
    No, there's a lot of publicity about a tiny minority of really sick people these days

  125. "Very Realistic" Non-Realistic Images! by mdwh2 · · Score: 1

    The Government claims that these images are "often very realistic".

    That's right, this is a ban on "very realistic non-realistic images" of children...

  126. Re:Pedophiles by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The TJX web filter considers it tasteless.

  127. Emotionally loaded? by Sobrique · · Score: 1
    This whole subject is emotionally loaded. Anyone who points out the common sense argument that 'child porn' is illegal because of the harm to the children, yet a 'synthetic' image that someone happens to find erotic does not, runs the risk of being branded a 'dirty pervert'.

    I feel this is entirely wrong. I fully support making 'harmful' activity illegal, especially in the sense of sexually related and/or involving minors. I don't feel that fantasy, or 'synthetic' imagery is in any way relevant. Yeah, I find some of the stuff I've run into vaguely distasteful. I don't think much of slash, or furry stuff. But ... as long is it's in places where I, and more importantly underage people won't run into it, I don't much care. Indeed I feel that people _should_ indulge whatever fantasys they care to, provided it's between consenting adults.

    Until the day where they prove that thinking 'I'd like to do her' is the same as sexually assaulting someone, that's exactly the way it should be.

  128. Re:Pedophiles by joss · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Being anti-pedophile doesnt give you a free pass for being a fucking moron. There's a difference between thinking about something and doing it. Actual child pornography has a direct link to child abuse [no producer without consumer] so is rightly banned. Simulated child pornography does not. Making simulated child pornography equivalent to actual child pornography means that people who currently find a harmless outlet for their sick impulses can no longer do so. They would no longer have an incentive to opt for simulated images over real images which would directly lead to more actual child abuse. So, "would someone please think of the children" goes both ways.

    --
    http://rareformnewmedia.com/
  129. Re:Pedophiles by TheRaven64 · · Score: 1

    What if they are people who think thoughtcrime laws are a good idea?

    --
    I am TheRaven on Soylent News
  130. Re:Pedophiles by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    Everyone, just stop paying attention to this guy. He's an admitted loon.

  131. Re:Pedophiles by fractoid · · Score: 1

    So a video of someone being killed by a clown is perfectly OK?

    --
    Rampant carbon sequestration destroyed the Dinosaurs' tropical paradise. I'm here to help repair the damage.
  132. Re:Pedophiles by teh+kurisu · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I'm under no illusion I am a good person, but pedophiles take pleasure in harming - physically and emotionally - people in no position to defend themselves. Helpless children.

    Except such a thing is already illegal. The purpose of this proposed law is not to prevent such a thing. The purpose is to make it illegal to even conceive of such a thing in an art form.

    Some people take it upon themselves to grandstand about the environment, some people try to force others to quit smoking. Some people claim video games and rap are tearing down society. At least I have a firm stance on something that matters.

    People die due to climate change in the film The Day After Tomorrow. This film is not illegal, because nobody was harmed in the making of it. Artistic representations of helpless children are not actually helpless children. No children were harmed in the making of this porn.

  133. Re:Pedophiles by fractoid · · Score: 1

    Well, I can tell you, I found 13-year-old girls pretty damn attractive when I was 13. That doesn't make me a pedo. O.o

    Another question; does a video of two donkeys getting it on count as animal porn? If not, how about a donkey getting it on with a goat? Isn't the definition of pron "media which intends to arouse prurient interest" regardless of content?

    --
    Rampant carbon sequestration destroyed the Dinosaurs' tropical paradise. I'm here to help repair the damage.
  134. Re:Pedophiles by fractoid · · Score: 1

    That doesn't look like pee. Eeeeew.

    --
    Rampant carbon sequestration destroyed the Dinosaurs' tropical paradise. I'm here to help repair the damage.
  135. Re:Pedophiles by fractoid · · Score: 1

    It's not. At least, unless you're from one of those branches of Abrahamic religion that kind of relaxed on all the 'thou shalt not's to help convert nonbelievers.

    Shuuuuuuuuun!

    --
    Rampant carbon sequestration destroyed the Dinosaurs' tropical paradise. I'm here to help repair the damage.
  136. Cultural Castration by glas_gow · · Score: 1

    I don't have the benefit of being entirely clear in my thinking on this issue.

    The law could be interpreted as an effort to starve paedophiles of any stimulus, a form of cultural castration. It's the cultural side I'm particularly nervous about.

  137. Re:Here in the US, we should just stick to Obscene by trims · · Score: 1

    You (and JaredOfEuropa, above) cherry-picked a quote.

    The point I was making was in response to everyone who tries to say that "synthetic child porn hurts no one", which, since we now know that much of what appears to be synthetic really isn't, it's just a color-by-numbers photoshop job of a real picture involving real people.

    In any case, as the rest of my post pointed out, we're just fine with Obscenity laws, and don't need any of this random extra crap being passed off as "crucial for combating the scourge of XXX". It's all just overkill, doesn't really add any protection we don't already have, and interferes with useful actions, in any case.

    -Erik

    --
    There are always four sides to every story: your side, their side, the truth, and what really happened.
  138. Re:Here in the US, we should just stick to Obscene by DrLang21 · · Score: 1

    we have a nice standard for what is Obscene: (a) It (whatever it is, photo, "artwork", film, etc.) must appeal primarily to purient interest (b) It depicts sexual activity in a patently offensive manner (according to community standards) (c) Taken as a whole, the work has no artistic, political, or social value. This definition is a huge pile of horseshit. By this definition, my having weird sex with my wife is illegal. BDSM between consenting adults would be strictly illegal in almost every part of the country. And just about any career artist's head will explode when you start legislating what it means to have artistic value. Most of Picaso's work would be considered obsene in many places by this definition.
    --
    I see the glass as full with a FoS of 2.
  139. Remember kids... by Bones3D_mac · · Score: 1

    "...If you make child porn, be sure to watermark it so the people know the content is authentic."

    In the meanwhile, I feel sorry for anime fans who are inevitably going to end up lumped into the same group as the weirdos who actually hang out alone in parks to watch kids play while thinking, "God I want to hit that!" because of such vague laws.

    Just think, one day we might start creating life destroying "potential sex offender" lists for anyone who has "too much" anime containing young characters.

    --


    8==8 Bones 8==8
  140. Re:Pedophiles by Weedlekin · · Score: 4, Insightful

    "pedophiles take pleasure in harming - physically and emotionally - people in no position to defend themselves. Helpless children."

    The vast majority of child sexual abuse happens at home or a friend's house, and takes place regularly over a long period by people who've never seen child porn, and don't seek it out, so they won't be caught irrespective of how many laws are passed banning pictures, literature, etc. Child predators who prey on strangers are such a statistically insignificant factor in the child abuse problem as a whole that killing them all wouldn't reduce it in any noticeable way.

    "At least I have a firm stance on something that matters."

    If you actually wanted to have a real impact on child abuse instead of indulging in tabloid-inspired rants, you'd be calling for teachers and others who work with children to receive comprehensive training about how to spot the signs of abuse, and raise topic with a child without frightening or embarrassing them, or putting them in a position where they falsely accuse somebody because they want to please the adult, or are afraid of getting in trouble (those who thinks kids always tell the truth don't know very many of them!).

    "I have a firm stance, that everyone will disagree with aloud, but more than a few will silently agree with."

    It's irrelevant how many people agree with you, because it doesn't change the fact that there are hundreds of kids who get abused by nice uncle Aubrey, their slightly older cousin Henry, or their best friend's dad for every one that suffers at the hands of a wandering sexual predator. Nobody's doing anything about them, because it's a much harder problem to solve, and doesn't offer tabloids and TV companies human interest stories with sobbing parents and calls for somebody to do something that politicians can legislate about.

    --
    I'm not going to change your sheets again, Mr. Hastings.
  141. More tightly focused than indicated by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I read another article that examined the bill a bit more closely, and apparently the motivation was (according to the authors) to go after people who photoshopped real images to make them look fake enough that they could pass as legal. I've never heard of such a thing, has anybody else?

    1. Re:More tightly focused than indicated by Skapare · · Score: 1

      Go find it, again. You know you want to make a link to it.

      --
      now we need to go OSS in diesel cars
  142. It's okay if chicks do it man !! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    It's okay if chicks, like a hot teacher, does it !! My first year teacher, she was a hot blonde, who let us boys fight over who got to take off her boots !! She liked to take pictures of us, too !!

    1. Re:It's okay if chicks do it man !! by The+Anarchist+Avenge · · Score: 3, Funny

      I wouldn't mind that she abused you, except that all that time she could have been teaching you grammar.

      --
      Today's lucky number is: 09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0
  143. Can I still... by oodaloop · · Score: 1

    ...listen to Benny Benassi's Who's Your Daddy?

    --
    Tic-Tac-Toe, Global Thermonuclear War, and relationships all have the same winning move.
  144. Re:Pedophiles by TheVelvetFlamebait · · Score: 1

    No, that would be a snuff film. I wonder what gave you that idea...

    --
    You know, there is a difference between trolling and pointing out the flaws in your reasoning. Just saying.
  145. Does this include ... by Skapare · · Score: 1

    ... stick figures having sex if the sticks are short?

    --
    now we need to go OSS in diesel cars
  146. Re:Pedophiles by SkunkPussy · · Score: 1

    They're not exactly tasteful though!

    --
    SURELY NOT!!!!!
  147. circumventing the law by Skapare · · Score: 1

    From TFA:

    The government has acknowledged that paedophiles may be circumventing the law by using computer technology to manipulate real photographs or videos of abuse into drawings or cartoons.

    What law are they circumventing? The law that was intended to protect the children by outlawing erotic/abuse pictures of them? Or are they just circumventing some person's idea of what the law should be? Sure, if you think that generated erotic/abuse images should be illegal, go ahead and propose the law change (and explain why we need it, such as to avoid encourging actual abuse from happening). But until there is a law against some particular action, don't say that action is circumventing any law when no law makes it illegal (or if there is one already, then enforce it).

    --
    now we need to go OSS in diesel cars
  148. No more Cupid? by richieb · · Score: 1

    Does this mean that paintings of Cupid are now illegal? Or just JPEG scans of paintings of Cupid?

    --
    ...richie - It is a good day to code.
  149. Re:Pedophiles by shadowknot · · Score: 5, Informative

    Being someone working in digital forensics I and my colleagues are responsible for gathering the evidence that puts these guys away and there are certain cases where the filed act is legal but the act of filming it is illegal. On the general issue; it has been a somewhat grey area for many years and you do tend to find a bunch of not always hentai but definitely paedophilic "art" and on the Copine Scale (which is used for grading the severity of indecent images) they fall into no category. Personally I would make the law that if they are found in conjunction with photographic indecent images then they should be bundled in with Level 1 images (the least severe) and if you find nothing but graphic images they should be ignored but maybe the cops should keep a regular eye on the person who has them.

  150. Re:Pedophiles by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Side question:
    Why is it Ok for people to have statues of little boys peeing in their garden, with fully functional stream, but not little girls?
    Just curious... because that would be MESSY!
  151. They should just ban children by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    That will stop all possible child abuse for sure!

    1. Re:They should just ban children by fractoid · · Score: 1

      Well, they ban drugs to prevent drug abuse, so your logic is sound.

      --
      Rampant carbon sequestration destroyed the Dinosaurs' tropical paradise. I'm here to help repair the damage.
  152. This isn't quite as ridiculous as it first appears by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The key point here is that they're trying to avoid people processing their existing illegal photographs using software into drawings and/or graphics. Therefore there is a child directly involved.

    'The government has acknowledged that paedophiles may be circumventing the law by using computer technology to manipulate real photographs or videos of abuse into drawings or cartoons.'

  153. Re:Pedophiles by ionymous · · Score: 0
    Who says it's not ok?

    Maybe peeing girls just aren't marketable.

  154. Dancing baby pictures by davidwr · · Score: 1

    Any further dancing baby pictures will result in the poster being modded +5 defiant and reported to the UK computer police just to see what they do about it.

    --
    Knowledge is how to play a game, intelligence is how to win, wisdom is knowing what game to play.
    1. Re:Dancing baby pictures by ozmanjusri · · Score: 2, Interesting
      Any further dancing baby pictures will result in the poster being modded +5 defiant

      Here's a CGI video which shows baby genitals.

      Do you think it would be a good idea to arrest anyone who's watched it?

      --
      "I've got more toys than Teruhisa Kitahara."
  155. Well then... by SCHecklerX · · Score: 1

    Books and pictures describing rape, murder, and anything else illegal and morally questionable must also then be banned. Let's start with the bible.

    1. Re:Well then... by Kojiro+Ganryu+Sasaki · · Score: 1

      I find the bible morally repulsive. So yes i agree. We should ban it.

  156. About this proposal by Brian+Ribbon · · Score: 1

    The criminalisation of "non-photographic visual depictions of child sexual abuse" was first proposed by "children's charities" - who are forever desperate to encourage donations by exploiting people's emotions - in 2006. In 2007, the campaign was backed by low-importance MPs who wished to elevate their profile, but who were most likely uninterested in the issue in question.

    The campaign became irrelevant when, earlier this month, any image derived from an indecent photograph or pseudo-photograph of a child became illegal under Section 69 of the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act. It is also illegal to distribute any obscene publication under the Obscene Publications Act, and despite the contrary claims of the Ministry of Justice, it is illegal to take, make, distribute, show or possess a pseudo-photograph, which means that all efforts to a implement this new law will have only one effect: the possession of material which is not derived from photographs of 'abuse' and which is clearly not photographic will be criminalised.

    Unfortunately, the UK economy is heading for recession and the criminal justice system is under attack due to a lack of space in prisons (the latter is ironically due to silly, politically-motivated legislation). The Labour government recently suffered a horrendous defeat in the recent by-elections, due to their drastic inability to deal with these issues. They have no choice but to use distraction techniques to divert attention from their incompetency.

    Paedophiles are being used as pawns for political and economic reasons, simply because they are currently the weakest minority who nobody will speak out for.

    The pathetic irony of this situation is that someone who is convicted of possessing a cartoon derived from a photograph of a child masturbating will get the same sentence as someone who is convicted of making a photograph of an adult molesting a child, because the person in the former case would be charged under the recently amended Protection of Children Act and the new law (Protection of Proper Thoughts Act?).

    --
    "To the future or to the past, to a time when thought is free" ~ Nineteen Eighty-Four
  157. Re:Pedophiles by Simon+Brooke · · Score: 0

    It's not? Cause I've seen several of these.

    The most famous examples would be Jeanneke Pis in Brussels and Mieke Stroel in Zelzate. Of the top of my head: there's also one in Ellezelle and Dubrovnik.

    Here's the famous one in Brussels

    --
    I'm old enough to remember when discussions on Slashdot were well informed.
  158. Think of the Toons! by flyingfsck · · Score: 1

    I guess the Brits have watched too much cartoons when they were young. Someone aught to tell them that Wiley Coyote and Beep Beep the Roadrunner are not real.

    --
    Excuse me, but please get off my Pennisetum Clandestinum, eh!
  159. Heh... by Moraelin · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Heh. You know, you spelling nazis amuse me. You know why?

    Well, I'm not a native English speaker. I'll take it I'm fluent enough in English, if that's the only word you could pick on. And I don't mean just in vocabulary, but also in grammar. Let's put it like this: if I used my native grammar in English, I'd sound like Yoda.

    In fact, I'm fluent in three languages, only one of which is my mother tongue, and can understand another two decently.

    While your claim to glory is... what? That you can spell a four letter word in your mother tongue? (It's a funny thing how spelling trolls only pick on 3'rd grade level words, but invariably miss longer typos.) I.e., that your grasp of language is enough for IQ 50 or so? _That_ is your great achievement and position from which you try to look down on people? That you could do well in a primary school spelling bee? Heh.

    No, dearie, let me tell you who's the ill-educated loser: you and your ilk. If you actually had an actual achievement in your pathetic waste of a life, you'd brag about that, not about being up to 3'rd grade in spelling skills. Heh. You amuse me. Please continue.

    --
    A polar bear is a cartesian bear after a coordinate transform.
    1. Re:Heh... by Alsee · · Score: 1

      if I used my native grammar in English, I'd sound like Yoda.

      This is Slashdot, you'de probably get modded up for it.

      -

      --
      - - You can't take something off the Internet! That's like trying to take pee out of a swimming pool.
  160. Throw Paul McCartney in Jail! by Cousin+Scuzzy · · Score: 1

    After all, "she was just seventeen!"

    You know what I mean?

  161. Re:Pedophiles by A+Pancake · · Score: 1

    My stick figures have breasts.

  162. Holy smokes, lighten up by p3d0 · · Score: 1

    I'm as much of a pedant as the next guy, but there's no need to get mean about it. Anyway, if "nobody" is a word, as is "cooperate", then why can't "noone" evolve into a valid word? I don't think it would confuse anyone.

    --
    Patrick Doyle
    I mod down every jackass who puts his moderation policy in his sig. Oh, wait a sec....
  163. Demand for violence+murder is COLLOSAL by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    In real life, the demand for depictions of brutality (torture, murder, a.k.a. "snuff") is negligible - or at least I sincerely hope it is.

    You've forgotten about the telly and movies. Almost 100% of police and thriller TV series and films depict violence and/or murder.

    If possessing a picture depicting child abuse means you are a criminal, then all of Hollywood and 75% of TV-watching humanity should be behind bars.

    Apparently politicians and the lawyers who advise them haven't heard of the concept of consistency.

  164. Re:Pedophiles by DaveV1.0 · · Score: 3, Informative

    What the OP means is that here in the U.S., one can go to a store and by a statue of a naked little boy peeing that spouts water. one can then take that statue, hook it up in one's front lawn and the worst that will happen is people will say it is tacky and against the development's rules.

    But, one can not go into the same store and buy a statue of a naked little girl peeing. On the off chance one was able to do so, hooking it up in one's front yard would make one a pariah, and would likely get one arrested.

    I wonder if there is similar double standard elsewhere.

    --
    There is no "-1 offended" or "-1 you don't agree with me" mod options for a reason.
  165. Re:peterprior must be a paedo by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Why, this CGI is gateway porno!
    Yeah, it commonly leads to Perl, PHP and in the worst cases Ruby on Rails.
  166. Re:Pedophiles by MBGMorden · · Score: 2, Insightful

    The point he's making is that South Park being comedy is an opinion. People die in South Park all the time. Violently. People died quite frequently in the latest Beowulf CGI film. Whether they're of "artistic value" or not is irrelevant. It's a SIMULATED situation where no one is being hurt. Same way it's ok to show people shooting horses for fun in a movie and at the end it rolls the oh so common "No animals were harmed in the making of this film". If it's make-believe, it hurts no one.

    You largely defeated your own argument: South Park IS offensive to many people. But, being sane, intelligent beings, we traditionally haven't banned media based on it being offensive, because that's subjective. Things have been baned based on whether or not they are harmful. Computer generated films of ANYTHING are not harmful, and should not be the subject of any legislation.

    --
    "People who think they know everything are very annoying to those of us who do."-Mark Twain
  167. Re:Pedophiles by Martin+Soto · · Score: 1

    What are you talking about? Sexual abuse of children can always be expected to be harmful; in many cases, deeply harmful. In this sense, I agree with what the GP says: pedophiles obviously take pleasure in what they do, and, in so doing, they cause great harm to indefense people. What additional statistics do you need to support this statement?

  168. Me too! by PopeRatzo · · Score: 1

    UK Proposes Banning Computer Generated Abuse
    I propose banning disease, poverty, discomfort and business meetings before 10am.

    Who's with me?
    --
    You are welcome on my lawn.
  169. Re:Pedophiles by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    http://flickr.com/photos/79562423@N00/52909545/

    Jeanneken pis

  170. Silly me... When I read the headline... by Beorytis · · Score: 1

    ...I thought computer-generated abuse in the UK was something along the lines of the Shakespearian Insulter.

  171. What a waste by moxley · · Score: 1

    God..I so don't care about this "horrible crime." What, do we have old creepy men hiding in their basement with sketch pads? Does this keep people awake at night. The only law we need is a law that prevents victimless crimes from being legislated and propagandized to death over a small, small fraction of people. Just as I am sure there are pedophiles who look at this shit, there are far more legitimate artists who would be harmed by such a measure. Pedophiles are going to be more interested in real life shit - and if they aren;t then I would much rather have them doing their sick shit with imaginery drawings. People should be able to draw or paint or use computer software to create any sort of images they wish. That is art, period. Let's see. What could an incendiary artist draw orpaint that would cause outrage...AH..I got one: How about a picture of an infant Hitler being sodomized by an infant George W Bush while he is being sodomized by Pappy Bush while the ghosts of Avrell Harriman and Prescott Bush look on from the bank vault in hell where they keep their blood money. That sounds like art to me, disturbing art that hits you at the gut and says soemthing - yes, it is crude, and only a segment of the population would truly understand it other segments would find it offensive and say it was shock value only (and to a degree they may be right) - the neocons would cry porn/subversion/"you hate America" etc - which is one reason why such an image would be art. These sorts of laws just reek of thought and art police - seriously - who spends their time on this shit? - aren't there more important things for legislators to deal with?

  172. Not just for humans by imrehg · · Score: 1

    And this is not just for us, humans.... Other species are also affected by pedophilia...

  173. Sluggishly-progressing schizophrenia? by Suzuran · · Score: 1

    The obvious next step is to realize the people generating this sort of vile garbage are not actually criminals, but merely mentally ill. Make them a safe place to stay and put them on some drugs to straighten them out, and they can be returned to productive society. Lots of people could me severely mentally ill without even knowing it, we might have to widen the criteria a bit...

  174. Re:Pedophiles by the_one(2) · · Score: 1

    child abusers may take pleasure in the act of abusing children and it certainly is harmful to the children but what makes you say it is because they like to harm them?

    besides pedophile != child abuser

  175. Speaking of age by TheLink · · Score: 2, Interesting

    http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940DEFDC1538F932A35751C1A96E948260

    "The United States is opposing efforts at a United Nations treaty-drafting conference to raise the minimum age at which soldiers can be sent into combat under international law"

    "The proposal to raise the minimum age for military combat, to 18 years old from 15, is proving to be one of the most contentious issues in negotiations on an international Convention on the Rights of the Child"

    Age of consent is 16. Min age for military combat is 15.

    So, it's illegal to have _consensual_ sex with somebody who is 15, but it's fine for 15 year olds to consent to military combat where they have a higher chance of being killed and killing others.

    Not ok to fuck with, but still OK to fuck up ;).

    "Save and protect the poor children, so that we can send them to Iraq/Afghanistan/wherever to kill and die".

    --
    1. Re:Speaking of age by ravenshrike · · Score: 0

      Wow, not 12 paragraphs in it says why. ''In the U.S. it is possible to enlist at 17, with parental consent,'' said David Balton, of the State Department's Office of the Legal Advisers. ''We are not involved in an armed conflict, but we may be one day, and it would be very hard for the armed forces to guarantee that the 17-year-olds would be separated out from combat.'' Be pretty fecking stupid to go along with a treaty which we would instantly be in violation of. Not to mention the fact that this treaty would do exactly NOTHING to stop the child soldier crap anyway, since many of the children are under 15 in the first place. It, like most of the UN bullshit is a feel-good measure that accomplishes exactly nothing.

    2. Re:Speaking of age by TheLink · · Score: 1

      Yep I screwed up. The US only allows enlistment (with parental consent) at 17.

      Sorry.

      --
  176. Mission accomplished by mrsteveman1 · · Score: 1

    Am I to assume we have rid society of real child porn and therefor law enforcement has time to spend going after animators?

    Mission accomplished folks!

  177. Re:peterprior must be a paedo by ehrichweiss · · Score: 1

    I love Ruby on Rails but someone has got to mod that +5 Funny.

    --
    0x09F911029D74E35BD84156C5635688C0
  178. Re:Pedophiles by the_one(2) · · Score: 1

    should probably clarify a bit.
    what i meant is pedophiles obviously do it because they get something out if it but is what they get off on really hurting (generally) the children? I admit i don't know much of pedophiles but the pedophiles on 4chan seem to be pretty nice people. Of course there are all kinds of people (and pedophiles presumably) so they may be anomalies

  179. Re:Pedophiles by ghstomahawks · · Score: 1

    So ... you have a statue = you must be worshiping it?

    It doesn't. At least, not unless you're from one of those sects that damns the rest of the world to hell if they don't do things your way.

    Biiiiiiiigot!

  180. Re:Pedophiles by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The problem most people have is the very draconian nature of the laws, laws which have been used to do such asinine things as register a 17 and 16 year old as sex offenders, locking the 17 year old male away for both of them having naked pictures of the other (they were in a relationship). In this case they were children for the pictures, but not for judgment.

    Looking back at history as well as physiologically, humans mature around age 14. It wasn't uncommon for marriages to occur at age 14, and puberty (and sexual desire) is nearly universal at age 14. Is there something wrong with a 20 year old wanting a 14 year old? Maybe. But society has decided there's no problem with a 70 year old wanting an 18 year old.

    Also added into the mix is that I know some people who are 14 and more mature than some adults will ever be. I know some people who are over 20 and have the general mentality of a 12 year old. Physically it's a crapshoot. There are individuals who are 14 years old and have substantial breasts and hips. Evolution/society programmed us to find those things attractive.

    Very few people are promoting anything sexual with undeveloped children, or calling it anything other than sick and disturbing. They have a problem with the law calling 18 fine, but 17 years and 360 days sick. They have a problem with equating thinking about an action with doing said action. They have a problem with the narrowness with which the laws are interpreted, and the impossibility of opposing the laws for fear of being branded as someone that thinks it's ok for little Timmy and Susan to be raped.

    I am fairly certain that I remember a study regarding the explosion of internet porn and a decrease in rape/sexual violence. As I said, I don't recall exactly, so take it as you will.

    As anecdotal evidence, I will also say in high school that there were a few teachers that I (and pretty much every other male in the school) wished had 'abused' them. Naturally though, the politicians know better than my present or 14 year old self.

  181. Re:Pedophiles by computational+super · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Interestingly, every single person who's read this has vehemently disagreed with you. That should tell you something about yourself... but I doubt you're going to pick up on it.

    --
    Proud neuron in the Slashdot hivemind since 2002.
  182. Re:Pedophiles by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    We should never feel guilty about thoughts we have, and feeling we have. Cause we cannot control either. What we CAN control is our actions. Actually, you *can* control both. It just so happens that they aren't as simple to control because it happens over a (usually) long period of time. Controlling your thoughts and emotions is not a simple single choice like deciding to go for a three mile run. Rather they are the product of a (possibly large) sum of choices. [Please don't be confused and think I'm disagreeing with your comment on guilt.]
  183. Re:Pedophiles by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It is your god given right to be a sick bastard as long as you don't hurt anybody else in the process. Not a god given right, but on the right line of

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberty_principle [Wiki]
  184. Does that include... by killmofasta · · Score: 1

    " UK Proposes Banning Computer Generated Abuse"
    Does that include Vista startup screens, and Microsoft Help? Or for that matter almost *ANY* online help?

    Oh p0rn...My mistake... I read the headline... fuget it.

  185. Criminalizing the icky. by EWAdams · · Score: 1


    This law criminalizes ot the violent, not the fraudulent, not theft of something or abuse of someone, but merely the icky. It's against the law because we don't like the thought of it. Great.

    --
    I piss off bigots.
  186. Re:Pedophiles by wodon · · Score: 3, Informative

    I am also in the digital forensics industry and it is a scary thought when you try to work out how this will be enforced.
    How accurate do the drawings have to be? (eg, would a stick man with a label "14 year old naked girl" be banned?)

    Do existing images still count as legal? (classical art?)

    It does seem like a slippery slope despite their best intentions.

    It was a similar situation when the age at which someone could appear in pornographic images changed. An example is that Sam Fox appeared topless in the Sun newspaper aged 17 (which at the time was legal) but the change in the law made posession of that newspaper paedophilia.

    --
    It's My Tea and I'll Drink it if I Want To!
  187. Re:It's about psychology by computational+super · · Score: 1
    But free speech advocates need to learn to work on a more complex set of assumptions than that there is no consequence whatsoever to speech

    Actually, I think you're the one who's jumping to conclusions here. I've yet to see any evidence at all that anybody's speech (or, especially, images) create any actual consequences.

    if you choose to engage in the making or willing consumption of speech which the vast majority of rational people find utterly abhorrent

    It's worth noting that the vast majority of slashdot (it would appear) find the ideas expressed in your post utterly abhorrent. Should we lock you up, then?

    --
    Proud neuron in the Slashdot hivemind since 2002.
  188. Re:Pedophiles by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I'm not even sure how such a simple brain keeps itself alive.

  189. Re:Pedophiles by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Guess what? 13-year-old girls are still pretty damn attractive. It's not anyone's fault you didn't leave your basement since you were 13.

  190. Re:Pedophiles by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Actual child pornography has a direct link to child abuse [no producer without consumer] so is rightly banned.
    OTOH the widest possible distribution might be beneficial, because it would increase the odds that someone might recognize the setting or the actors, so that the perpetrator can be identified and punished. That works with other crimes.
  191. Re:Pedophiles by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Disgaea: Hour of Darkness ps2 game (great tatics game by the way) Ladies and gentlemen, this is why we shouldn't let consoletards out on the Internet.
  192. Re:Here in the US, we should just stick to Obscene by nasor · · Score: 1

    (c) Taken as a whole, the work has no artistic, political, or social value. I always thought that was rather odd. Does graphic pornography suddenly stop being obscene if the actors all shout "Vote Nader and remember to recycle!" at the end?
  193. Oblig. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You attack thin air.

    1. Re:Oblig. by fractoid · · Score: 1

      It's a gazebo, Eric. A GAZEBO.

      --
      Rampant carbon sequestration destroyed the Dinosaurs' tropical paradise. I'm here to help repair the damage.
  194. Re:Pedophiles by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You're gay, just admit it.

  195. Re:Pedophiles by One+Childish+N00b · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Computer generated child porn is still child porn.

    Yes, computer generated abuse is still abuse, computer generated murder is still murder, and computer generated criminal damage is still criminal damage.

    Pretty soon the police will come and arrest everyone who has ever played Doom/Quake/GTA/everything else, throw Carmack's ass in prison for several million counts of aiding and abetting, lock the Cloverfield guys up for what they did to the Statue of Liberty and call PETA on anyone who ever let their tamagotchi die.

    Please put the kneejerk response aside and think logically before you speak. Laws (and the endorsement of them) are not to be taken lightly.

    --
    Dealing with lawyers would be a lot less tedious if they all looked like Casey Novak.
  196. Re:Pedophiles by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Hey, look, it's the thought police.

    Fuck you. You're a miserable piece of shit. You're why our democracies are turning into 1984 before our very eyes.

  197. Logic... by denzacar · · Score: 1

    There is about as much logic in what Eagle proposes as in banning trenchart on account that the material it is made of has been used to (maybe) kill or hurt someone, it "arouses" the possessor of said trenchart to also kill or hurt someone and that the said trenchart is a dangerous weapon in itself because it DERIVES from a real weapon that can be and might have been used to kill or hurt someone.

    --
    Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens
  198. Re:Pedophiles by One+Childish+N00b · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    Sadly with the number of perverts extant you just might draw an unwanted guest to that garden.

    You think some pervert is going to come into your garden and try to fuck your statue? Do you really think that's a likely occurrence? Do you not let your wife or children go into the garden for fear of the big bad perverts?

    --
    Dealing with lawyers would be a lot less tedious if they all looked like Casey Novak.
  199. Restraint doesn't work like that. by Grendel+Drago · · Score: 1
    Zelos has already touched on this, but I want to emphasize it.

    I'm reminded of an exchange I observed on FreeRepublic; it was on plain ol' porn in general, but the point, I think, applies here as well.

    In reply to "BTW, just what is so great about pornography that compels you to spend so much time oozing to its defense??":

    Oh, no, you don't. Pornography need not be great to deserve protection. Freedoms don't require justification. It's the revocation of freedoms that requires justification, and that justification had better be ironclad. The rantings of a madman are no basis for a totalitarian clampdown on free speech. Check that...I suppose the rantings of a madman are the only possible basis for a totalitarian clampdown on free speech, so perhaps it was inevitable that the anti-porn lobby would go in that direction. But that doesn't make it right.
    "I can't think of a good reason not to" is never a good reason to ban something. Speech gets the benefit of the doubt; that's the whole idea. You have to show a damned good positive reason for banning; being unable to think of a reason not to ban is no excuse. "Even slightly reinforc[ing]" a bad idea doesn't even come close.
    --
    Laws do not persuade just because they threaten. --Seneca
  200. Re:It's about psychology by fractoid · · Score: 1

    Your sig fits your comment perfectly.

    --
    Rampant carbon sequestration destroyed the Dinosaurs' tropical paradise. I'm here to help repair the damage.
  201. What defines a child? by Maxo-Texas · · Score: 1

    I know a hot little firecracker of a girl that is 4'6" tall and very girlish still at 30. You could easily take her for a girl of 12.

    From what it sounds like pictures of her would be virtually indistinguishable from illegal pictures.

    This is a serious issue- I can see real child abuse pictures doctored just to the edge of legality and computer generated images that can't be told from real ones not far around the corner.

    What if they have green skin... pointed years.. blue skin (so when you put on a negative filter they look normal).

    This is a wicked nasty grey area to get involved in.

    --
    She was like chocolate when she drank... semi-sweet at first and then increasingly bitter.
  202. Re:Pedophiles by netcrusher88 · · Score: 1

    Quick question - are you American? (disclaimer: I am, I'm not dissing the US, just making a point re pot, kettle, etc)

    The legal age for pornography has been 18 in the US for... at least 40 years. The age of consent is as low as 16 in many states, maybe 15 in one state? Can't remember. Odd as it may sound, this kind of thing is common. Japan? Age of consent in some prefectures is as low as 14 (though I think it's 16 nationally, laws are weird there) but the age for pornography is still 18.

    --
    There's an old saying that says pretty much whatever you want it to.
  203. No, there's a specific name for it. by Grendel+Drago · · Score: 1

    Luckily, if the child might be showing any signs of rebellion, intelligence, or desire to flourish on their own terms, there are a slew of "disease du jour" and designer drugs to keep them in that glassy-eyed / dopey-smiled state of puppiness. Autism/aspergers/marjoram/whatever is always available in case junior shows a but too much resistance.
    No, no, it's oppositional defiant disorder. Note that "treatment" will hopefully increase "compliance".
    --
    Laws do not persuade just because they threaten. --Seneca
  204. Re:Pedophiles by One+Childish+N00b · · Score: 1

    The death penalty is too quick, a jail sentence has them safe from the rest of the world. It is the only case in which I would approve the use of torture - indeed, in it's most sadistic form, since the goal isn't information or confession, just suffering. Obviously everyone who has modded me down thinks kid-fucking is okay Or maybe we just think "torture in it's most sadistic form" isn't?
    --
    Dealing with lawyers would be a lot less tedious if they all looked like Casey Novak.
  205. Re:It's about psychology by Devoidoid · · Score: 1
    I believe it was Dick Cavett who once asked, "If violence on television causes violence in the streets, why doesn't comedy on television cause comedy in the streets?"


    Are people responsible for their own behavior or not? Should the government be allowed to make up their own minds for me?

  206. Re:Here in the US, we should just stick to Obscene by Tom · · Score: 1

    since we now know that much of what appears to be synthetic really isn't, We do?

    No, we don't. We heard and that's an important difference. I doubt there are any statistics or reliable numbers on this. So for the moment, I will go with some synthetic pictures aren't, and call everyone who claims more to prove it.

    And that's the point. You make a claim, you prove it. That's the way things should work, but often they don't, especially when children or terrorists are involved.
    --
    Assorted stuff I do sometimes: Lemuria.org
  207. MMPORGS = child porn by Aceticon · · Score: 1

    The scenario:
    - In Lord of the Rings Online, a PvP a hobbit player is defeated (they just go down on their knees) and an enemy player moves his character to such a position that it it looks like the defeated hobbit is doing a blowjob to that character
    - Somebody captures the frame and posts it to a forum

    Hobbits in LOTR look remarkably like children in fancy clothes.

    Will that somebody be prosecuted?

    What about if they post it with the title "That's what we do when we pwn kiddies"

    What about if two consensual adults have cyber-sex in Second Life with child-like characters?

    1. Re:MMPORGS = child porn by argent · · Score: 1

      What about if two consensual adults have cyber-sex in Second Life with child-like characters?

      They can lose their accounts, at least, because it's actually against the SL terms of service.

  208. Denormalize pedohilia by Paulie031 · · Score: 1

    It has already been determined by courts in Canada that possession of childporn is legal when it is drawings or stories - google John Robin Sharp. According to some sources, 1 in 5 Canadians don't have a problem with pedophilia. There is no "slippery slope"- we can draw the line right here and here it stays. But there is a thin edge of the wedge. Already 1 in 5 Canadians has no problem with pedophilia, and pedophiles everywhere see Sharp as a hero. We need to "denormalize" pedophilia, and not in the database sense of the word. Being arrested tends to send the message that we don't tolerate this behavior, mental illness or not. I was a little kid 30 years ago. Pedophilia was not under society's radar, everybody knew it was a problem. It was under the radar of activist judges. I hope this bill passes, it may encourage the Canadian Parlaiment to fix our law.

  209. It's pretty common. by Grendel+Drago · · Score: 1

    As you say, there is the problem when a characters age does not match up with their apparent age.
    The trope is "Really Seven Hundred Years Old".
    --
    Laws do not persuade just because they threaten. --Seneca
  210. Re:peterprior must be a paedo by Bobb+Sledd · · Score: 1

    Well, duh... CGI stand for Common Gateway Interface. :-)

    --
    "They said I probly shouldn't fly with just one eye," "I am Bender. Please insert girder."
  211. UK Sex Laws Already Fucked Up by One+Childish+N00b · · Score: 1
    Anyone who has anything like a passing knowledge of the UK sex and pornography laws will know that there's already some rediculous laws on the books about what you can and can't do. For those not in the know, the age of sexual consent in the United Kingdom is 16, a fact which is important to the folly of the story below.

    A few years ago, back when I was 18, I was in a relationship with a girl of 17 from Liverpool, whereas I'm from London (a distance of a few hundred miles, and a few hours of train travel as I didn't drive back then). Obviously with us spending a good few weeks apart at a time, things would get a little horny for both of us and, sometimes, out would come the webcams and, well, you know. I'm not ashamed to say that I got some good use out of the PrtScr button to keep myself 'stocked up' for later when she wasn't around. Those images, on their own, not distributing them, not showing them to anyone, would land me several years in prison. They were, to the best of my legal knowledge, technically child pornography.

    Do you see the stupidity of that law yet? Mere posession of those images could have landed me with a long prison sentence and a place on a national register for the rest of my life, but when I hopped on a train and went and actually fucked her, that was perfectly legal. Now I wouldn't even be allowed to think about doing it - I'd have to shut my eyes and think about something else, maybe.

    America, you might complain about your country's puritan approach to sex, your age of consent might be higher than ours, but remember, at least you guys are consistent. We're just fucking stupid.

    --
    Dealing with lawyers would be a lot less tedious if they all looked like Casey Novak.
  212. Re:Pedophiles by VJ42 · · Score: 1

    That's seriously screwed up. I could swear that the sun has had 17yr olds on page 3. Is that illegal now, and if so why didn't the Sun and Rupert Murdoch make a fuss about it?

    --
    If I have nothing to hide, you have no reason to search me
  213. You mean... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    .. Child Gateway Interface...

    Ahh.. it's all making sense now.

  214. Re:Here in the US, we should just stick to Obscene by plague3106 · · Score: 1

    I disagree with that defintion though. First, it's too open ended. Second, why should someone not be allowed to view something because his neighbors don't like it? I thought a free society respected the rights of those in some kind of minority.. but if you happen to like watching S&M you can't do so in KY but you can in NY?

  215. Re:Pedophiles by Mister+Whirly · · Score: 1

    "t's the idea of it, not the act."

    Yes, and the sooner we criminalize ideas, not actual acts, the better off we will all be! Why wait for the criminals to actually commit illegal acts before we can punish them? It's just absurd!

    I for one welcome our precognitive oppressing overlords!!! ~

    --
    "But this one goes to 11!"
  216. Moral panic by helgihg · · Score: 1

    This is such an obvious case of pure hatred, fear and hysteria over the obviously serious crime of child abuse. Yes, it's horrible, no, that does not mean that artificial child porn causes child sex abuse. The causal relationship is merely assumed. In fact, I would expect the opposite, that sexually disturbed people would get satisfaction for their disgusting urges by watching artificial child porn, thus REDUCING, not increasing, the risk of them abusing an actual living child. But of course, the hysteria will win, as usual.

  217. Re:Pedophiles by terrymr · · Score: 1

    Same in Washington State USA ... Age of consent for most situations is 16 - however taking pictures of or having indecent conversations with a person under 18 could well land you in jail.

  218. Re:Pedophiles by arminw · · Score: 1

    ....to slaughter the lot of them....

    Slaughtering them is probably not such a good idea. Reducing them to lifelong poverty or at least applying present punishment as if done with real children would be enough.

    Laws should be primarily to protect society as a whole, rather than the punishment of such evildoers. People who get their sexual kicks from children, real or computer simulated are NOT an asset to any society. They should be treated as outcasts until there is genuine evidence that they have turned from their deviant behavior. A quick painless death for them is too merciful. Their miserable existence should be widely publicized to hopefully deter others from going down such evil paths.

    --
    All theory is gray
  219. I screwed up by TheLink · · Score: 1

    OK I screwed up. The US only allows enlistment (with parental consent) at 17.

    Oops.

    --
    1. Re:I screwed up by fractoid · · Score: 1

      Your point still stands, because in the US, the sexual age of consent is 18. So someone can give consent to be shot at, bombed, gassed, potentially captured by enemy combatants and tortured... but they're not considered mature enough to judge whether they want to jiggle their wibblies with someone else?

      --
      Rampant carbon sequestration destroyed the Dinosaurs' tropical paradise. I'm here to help repair the damage.
  220. Re:Pedophiles by QCompson · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Personally I would make the law that if they are found in conjunction with photographic indecent images then they should be bundled in with Level 1 images (the least severe) and if you find nothing but graphic images they should be ignored but maybe the cops should keep a regular eye on the person who has them. So you support increasing the punishment for someone convicted of child pornography offenses because they possess artistic images which depict no real children. And you want the police to monitor people who possess drawn or computer-generated fake images. You advocate increasing penalties and surveillance based on assumptions of what a persons thinks or desires, even though their direct actions may not have any connection to abuse of children in real life.

    I wonder if you'd also support the police keeping an eye on people who read literature which has child-sex themes? Perhaps monitoring those who check out "Lolita" at the library?

    I'd say you picked a fitting career for yourself. Congratulations.
  221. Re:Pedophiles by MobileTatsu-NJG · · Score: 1

    Interestingly, every single person who's read this has vehemently disagreed with you. That should tell you something about yourself... but I doubt you're going to pick up on it. This is Slashdot. If you end up on the wrong side of public opinion, it's easy for you to express yourself and have every single response be against you, it doesn't matter that you're actually right or wrong. So I agree with you, I doubt he's going to pick up on it. The problem is that on this site in particular and it's wonderful 'thought control' moderation system, it is hardly a useful tool in telling somebody they're crazy.

    And no, I don't agree with the guy you're criticizing. I just don't agree with your specific statement as it was written.
    --

    "I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)

  222. parent post is wrong by TheLink · · Score: 1

    Sorry, I screwed up. The US only allows enlistment (with parental consent) at 17.

    --
  223. Re:Here in the US, we should just stick to Obscene by QCompson · · Score: 1

    I'm not sure about UK law, but here in the US, we have a nice standard for what is Obscene: Oh brother. Let me guess. 1L?
  224. Re:Pedophiles by Mister+Whirly · · Score: 1

    "I would likely kill myself first if my thoughts ever turned to hurting good people."

    You may want to start loading up that shotgun. You are advocating the torture of people who have committed zero acts that were illegal or immoral, but only thought about them.
    And claiming everyone who doesn't go along with your fascist thought crime agenda doesn't mean that the rest of us rational sane folks are pro "kid-fucking" as you put it. I am no fan of child molesters either, but I can see the difference between someone who actually commits an act of molestation and someone who doesn't.

    --
    "But this one goes to 11!"
  225. No Computer Generated Abuse? by Jeremiah+Cornelius · · Score: 1

    Looks like slashdot is going to be screened at the perimeter!

    We can blast it in from wifi-enabled ships outside the territorial waters, 'tho. Radio Caroline becomes 21st century.

    --
    "Flyin' in just a sweet place,
    Never been known to fail..."
  226. Re:Pedophiles by arminw · · Score: 1

    ....this is really, discrimination against thought crime....

    Anyone who thinks about such behavior and anybody who profits in trafficking with material that panders to deviant sexual desires is not an asset to any society.

    Not only does society have a right to, but has an obligation to protect those members of society who do not engage in such despicably deviant thoughts or BEHAVIOR. If a person thinks those kinds of thoughts and fantasizes on such themes, that is bad enough. In the end, a person IS what he or she thinks. There is a very high probability that anyone who thinks about anything long enough, will eventually act upon such thoughts. Evil thoughts tend to lead to evil deeds and good thoughts tend to led to good deeds. Society cannot prevent evil thoughts, but surely can and must do everything possible to prevent such evil ACTIONS.

    --
    All theory is gray
  227. Re:Pedophiles by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    They are "Putto" (often misnamed "Cherubs") and are almost always historically depicted as male.

    See:
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Putto

  228. Re:This isn't quite as ridiculous as it first appe by QCompson · · Score: 1

    The key point here is that they're trying to avoid people processing their existing illegal photographs using software into drawings and/or graphics. Therefore there is a child directly involved. Then there are existing illegal photographs involved. Prosecute them on that basis.

    'The government has acknowledged that paedophiles may be circumventing the law by using computer technology to manipulate real photographs or videos of abuse into drawings or cartoons.' May? May?!? They're going to deprive people of their liberty because of something which may hypothetically be happening?

    This is as ridiculous as it first appears. Even more so, in fact, given their flimsy justification.
  229. Oh, really? by Grendel+Drago · · Score: 1

    [W]e now know that much of what appears to be synthetic really isn't, it's just a color-by-numbers photoshop job of a real picture involving real people.
    Citation needed, please. No, government handwaving about what "may" be happening doesn't count. It makes no darn sense; why would people bother to rotoscope porn instead of just drawing it themselves, especially since it's far, far less risky to do the latter?
    --
    Laws do not persuade just because they threaten. --Seneca
  230. Re:Pedophiles by fractoid · · Score: 1

    Actually... no, no they're not. They look like children with the startings of woman-features. The youngest that girls start becoming physically attractive (to me, everyone's different) is around 16ish. When I was younger it was probably 14-15. I don't doubt when I'm 50, a 20-year-old girl will seem "too young".

    --
    Rampant carbon sequestration destroyed the Dinosaurs' tropical paradise. I'm here to help repair the damage.
  231. If I make a drawing of a building being blown up.. by Reziac · · Score: 2, Insightful

    ...does that make me a terrorist?

    Do any real people get killed because I draw pictures of explosions??

    It's the exact same thing as making *fictional* kiddie porn illegal: a *representation* of something is being equated with *the real thing*.

    As I've said numerous times -- how is this not Thought Crime??

    --
    ~REZ~ #43301. Who'd fake being me anyway?
  232. Re:Pedophiles by arminw · · Score: 1

    ....There is a world of difference between someone who thinks about committing an illegal or immoral act and someone who actually commits the act....

    There is indeed a difference. However, people usually THINK about things before taking action. There is no way anyone can prevent bad thoughts (also good thoughts) or feelings from entering their mind. Once such thoughts do come, a person CAN nurture and feed them until they do result in actions. A person CAN also reject such thoughts and ideas immediately after they arise. When a person does that with bad thoughts, these will not result in bad actions.

    It is not to a societies' benefit to make it easy and convenient for those who wish to entertain such bad fantasies at length. Punishing someone for the mere possession of material designed to feed such fantasies is hard to fairly implement. The making and selling such material for profit is easier to control.

    It's kind of like laws against marijuana or other anti-posession laws. The mere possession of something should not be a crime, but only the wrongful actions that may hurt others in some way, that have been taken with that material or object. It is also easy for those with power to frame a person, using any anti-posession laws. Drinking is not illegal, but the action of driving while drunk is and should be.

    Because actions begin with thought, it is generally futile and bad policy for any law to try to prevent crime. Laws can ultimately only deal with bad thoughts after they have turned into bad actions of crime.

    --
    All theory is gray
  233. Re:Pedophiles by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    because 'kids' are goats?

  234. Copine scale uses by BenEnglishAtHome · · Score: 1

    As a part of a criminal investigation or prosecution, for what purpose are photographs categorized on the Copine scale? Is it just to guide in deciding the severity of punishment?

    The Wikipedia stub on the subject is more confusing than helpful. It emphasizes that the scale was intended to distinguish between erotica and porn, yet the description given of Level 1 lumps the two (by common definition) together. And, if my readings in re Dost and others are correct, all the images described in Level 1 are prosecutable as porn in the U.S., anyway.

    So I'm just trying to figure out how the thing is used. Can you recommend any good online resources where I could look this stuff up? TIA.

  235. Re:peterprior must be a paedo by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    heehee, you got flamebait modded. :-)

  236. Re:Pedophiles by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "I admit i don't know much of pedophiles but the pedophiles on 4chan seem to be pretty nice people"

    wait wut? 4chan users are some of the rudest trolls on the internet

  237. Re:Here in the US, we should just stick to Obscene by Reziac · · Score: 1

    It occurs to me that with synthetic images, it would be very easy to take adult actors and make them LOOK like children -- just crunch the aspect ratio vertically and you'd get an apparent height/weight ratio that approximates an immature human form.

    In that case, where is the crime? The actors are all adults. Which children were harmed by this?

    --
    ~REZ~ #43301. Who'd fake being me anyway?
  238. You're So Gullible by Brian+Ribbon · · Score: 1

    "Has anyone who has replied actually read TFA?"

    Yes. I've also read the consultation for this proposal, replied to it, read the summary of replies and next steps, and read the announcement on the MoJ's website.

     

    "The reason they want to ban it is because it's made by converting REAL CHILD PORN into computer generated images."

    Shotacon - cartoon material featuring boys in sexual situations - is certainly not derived from images of real children; humans couldn't physically do many of the things which are depicted in shotacon, because such cartoons are so absurd.

    Furthermore, there would be no logical reason to use real children to produce material for conversion into what can be generated by a computer. Child sex cartoons are mass produced in Japan and are widely available in shops; such industries are not a kind of underground child abuse industry. The Japanese cartoons which I'm referring to are posted to the internet and are therefore widely available on the internet. And no child has been used to produce them.

    As has already been discussed, converting real child pornography to cartoon images (and possessing converted images) is already illegal under the Protection of Children Act, as amended by the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act. I suggest that you try to apply some degree of critical analysis to what the nice people in the government say, because they'll do or say anything to get your vote.

    The BBC is no more trustworthy; in their article they state that possessing child pornography is illegal under the Obscene Publications Act, despite the fact that the Obscene Publications Act says nothing about child pornography nor the possession of any material without intent.

     

    "So demand for this sort of thing drives up demand for child porn and therefore child abuse."

    We've already established that this proposal will do nothing to combat real child ponography, but what makes you think that all real child pornography is abusive? A recent study found that, in 44% of successful prosecutions, the most severe material didn't actually depict sexual activity.

    What is the real reason for your support of this proposed law?
    --
    "To the future or to the past, to a time when thought is free" ~ Nineteen Eighty-Four
    1. Re:You're So Gullible by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      what makes you think that all real child pornography is abusive

      They're too young to know what's going on and give any meaningful kind of consent. Taking advantage of little kids and tricking them into appearing in fap material for sickos is definitely abusive.

    2. Re:You're So Gullible by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Furthermore, there would be no logical reason to use real [images]

      1. It is far easier, and more authentic to draw a picture from an original, fool; and
      2. in some legislations it's legal to have computer generated images.

      That creates the incentive to hide real images as what might appear to have been generated. That's two logical reasons they'd do it, you big dummy.

      We've already established that this proposal will do nothing...

      No we haven't, and I don't agree. People can't just say prove that it happens for it to be logically and reasonably assumed that any event doesn't ever happen. That's like saying "Prove that banks are robbed with empty guns or we shouldn't make THAT illegal."

      The fact that you're an admitted pedophile and you continually refuse to accept that children are being exploited and victimized even when they're NOT performing a sex act in an erotic picture proves that your brand of critical thinking is criminally retarded, delusional and self-serving.

      You want to attack the legislatures motives? Let's attack yours based on your other comments.

    3. Re:You're So Gullible by Brian+Ribbon · · Score: 1

      "in some legislations it's legal to have computer generated images."

      So nobody is going to use real, illegal images of children to make images which are to be turned into computer generated images. Who would do something illegal to make something which can be made legally?

       

      "That creates the incentive to hide real images as what might appear to have been generated."

      Computer forensics would be able to figure out if an image had been converted from a photograph, so that point is bunk. Also, the police have a huge database of illegal images, so they can check CGIs against real images using hash values.

       

      "People can't just say prove that it happens for it to be logically and reasonably assumed that any event doesn't ever happen. That's like saying "Prove that banks are robbed with empty guns or we shouldn't make THAT illegal.""


      If they're going to create an overarching law to criminalise something, they better prove that it actually happens. This proposed law claims to wish to criminalise something which is already criminalised (and not apparently existant), then criminalises every other kind of visual depiction of a child which shows:

      (a) An excessive focus on a child's genitalia; or

      (b) A person of any age performing an act of intercourse or oral sex with a child; or

      (c) An act of masturbation by, of or involving a child; or

      (d) Penetration of the vagina, anus or mouth of a child with a part of the person's body or with anything else; or

      (e) Bestiality involving a child


       

      "The fact that you're an admitted pedophile and you continually refuse to accept that children are being exploited and victimized even when they're NOT performing a sex act in an erotic picture proves that your brand of critical thinking is criminally retarded, delusional and self-serving."

      The terms "exploitation" and "victimization" are used to excuse moral crusades against anything which cannot be defined as abuse. If children don't understand why people want to take nude photographs of them - but they're happy to have such photographs taken - they clearly have not been harmed.

       

      "You want to attack the legislatures motives?"

      When their justification for a far-reaching law is to criminalise something which is already illegal, one doesn't need to be a genius to figure out that they're bullshitting.
      --
      "To the future or to the past, to a time when thought is free" ~ Nineteen Eighty-Four
    4. Re:You're So Gullible by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      the police have a huge database of illegal images, so they can check CGIs against real images using hash values.

      Are you retarded? When you modify the file, the hash changes.

    5. Re:You're So Gullible by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The terms "exploitation" and "victimization" are used by victims of sexual abuse, and it's been well documented, that's how we know the harmful effects of such exploitation and victimization. And like the average pedo you have no empathy for the victims, and the arguments you put forth are way off but you refuse to see that and keep saying the same things as if your arguments are still sound. You're being slothful and you're too vested in this argument. Recuse yourself.

      I'll try again: See points 1 and 2 again where I TOLD you why someone would trace an original: Because it's a more authentic and an easier-to-produce way of possibly getting through a loophole in some jurisdictions.

      The way your hearing it is: "It's illegal, therefore no one does it." Are you really that obtuse? Saying "Prove it otherwise" is an absurd attempt to shift the burden of proof.

      Any artist will tell you that they use magazines and all other types of media to facilitate in the production of drawings. I'm not convinced that a computer can find all instances of such plagiarism.

      The terms "moral crusades" and "cannot be defined as abuse" are loaded comments by pedo's that try to gain sympathy but fail miserably because they're delusional and fallacious.

      Pedos make a lot of excuses to justify taking advantage of their victims. The fact that you're doing it is no surprise.

      What if your dentist gave you HIV and you didn't know it? I guess you'd not be harmed because you didn't understand the needle had HIV in it and you appeared to be happy at the time. Likewise, elderly people who didn't understand the bad contract they were signing weren't being victimized because they didn't understand it. And that person who was drugged and photographed in humiliating positions and posted on the Internet had no understanding about it. And those people in the bathroom stall who were videotaped with hidden cameras had no idea - therefore it can't be defined as abuse.

      All such activities are ILLEGAL for a reason. The reason is that NO ONE wants that to be done to them and those it has been done to feel victimized and exploited. And that includes children.

      Children don't have the capacity to consent, therefore adults have to make decisions for them that are in their best interest. Exploiting them for your sexual gratification is not in their best interest.

      All those children grow up and a lot of them will remember and be humiliated and infuriated. Just because someone doesn't realize or understand what's happening to them doesn't mean it's okay or that they're "happy" and willing participants or that a crime or wrong hasn't occurred.

      If your sick twisted brain really thinks that way you need your head examined. And I think you need to be incarcerated too, since I'm not sure the law will always keep you from practicing what you preach with actual children?

    6. Re:You're So Gullible by Brian+Ribbon · · Score: 1

      "And I think you need to be incarcerated too, since I'm not sure the law will always keep you from practicing what you preach with actual children?"


      I have never claimed that having sex with children is acceptable; I would not molest a child even if were legal to do so. Even if I did think that doing such was acceptable, your suggestion that someone should be imprisoned "just in case" they commit an offence is ridiculous. I suggest that you find somewhere other than Slashdot to post, because the people here won't support such shallow views.

      If being attracted to children and expressing controversial views were criminal offences which resulted in imprisonment for life, I would have no reason to conform to the law in any way. That would be a major problem for anyone who said anything offensive about paedophiles in my presence.
      --
      "To the future or to the past, to a time when thought is free" ~ Nineteen Eighty-Four
    7. Re:You're So Gullible by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well then, wouldn't you at least think individuals who thought that such was acceptable would need to be placed under some sort of restrictions?

      The fact that you fail to see why voyeurism, manipulation and victimization of children is a crime, and that you believe, with their inability to consent, children who are NOT told the reason and true intention in full disclosure, are "happy and unharmed and unvictimized" in participating; and the fact that you believe and keep promoting in your multiple instances that such exploitive pictures should be freely available "for the sake of the children" because apparently you think the true crime is if someone get's any money out of it and that's the only motivation for their distribution/demand yet you admit the pictures would simply be available FREE... hence distribution and demand still exist. etc. etc. is all so ludicrous and idiotic to me that it suggests that you're delusional if not completely disingenuous.

      Listening to you refusing to get these points is troubling and an indicator that you lack insight and hence need some restrictions. Much like when alcoholics deny they have a problem.

  239. Well, that depends ... by Neflyte_Zero · · Score: 1

    ... on which sticks you're talking about.

    --
    Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn.
  240. Push others down to make you look taller by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Actually there are a lot of really insecure people trying to label others as "evil" so they can feel as if they are "good" although they've never actually done anything kind or productive in their lives, and are afraid others will notice that if they don't find an easier target to hate.

    The more fanatically "anti-something" someone is, the more likely they are to be hiding something about themselves.

  241. Test for the Free Speech True Believer by reydar · · Score: 1

    A couple of years ago I read the case of a Canadian pedophile who was under scrutiny by the courts for his penning and online publishing of written stories of child rape. Usually featuring boys who would thank the rapist afterwards for providing such a healthy and formative experience. It really challenged my "Zero Tolerance" attitude towards anything anti-freespeech. This guy is being persecuted for penning fictional stories, the nature of which ought to be illegal... But then do I become an advocate of the Thought Police? Free speech is free speech... Even if it is drawings or stories about things that no adult should reasonably be engaging their mind with. If somebody is deep down a pedophile, that may never change... Like somebody who is thoroughly heterosexual or homosexual, you can't change your nature. The problem is that they are so demonized they are probably more likely to become twisted people on the fringes of society rather than productive adults with a mental illness. Remember all the serial killer homosexuals from the last half-century? If society can give them therapy for their problem rather then blanket condemnation and scorn then there may be more pedophiles willing and able to engage therapy as a solution. The question is, could it be accepted that the creation of fictional pornography, in which no children are actually exploited, be used as a means of therapy?

    --
    ------- "I must create my own system, Or be enslaved by another man's" -William Blake
  242. Perfect excuse, though by Rui+del-Negro · · Score: 1

    Now I wouldn't even be allowed to think about doing it - I'd have to shut my eyes and think about something else, maybe. "No, honey, I'm not thinking about Scarlett Johansson because I find her more attractive than you. It's just because I'm legally obliged to."
  243. Re:Pedophiles by Reziac · · Score: 1

    If fictional depictions of kiddie porn are illegal, then fictional depictions of murder should also be illegal. There is no philosophical or practical difference.

    --
    ~REZ~ #43301. Who'd fake being me anyway?
  244. So... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    That just about wraps things up for Second Life.

  245. Re:It's about psychology by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    WHOOOOSH!!!!

  246. Christian legislation by Grahad · · Score: 1

    Careful! You will be marked a heretic by the government for questioning their Christian based legislation. Anyone else find it odd that US has a registry to track sex offenders, but does not bother tracking those who are convicted of assault and or murder?

  247. Re:Pedophiles by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Not all of us share your taste in mates, you insensitive clod!

  248. Dokidoki by rossmills · · Score: 1

    Hmm. If this law comes to pass, what do I do with Dokidoki Majo Shinpan? Is that abuse? Is that consensual since it's "legal in that country"? Should I take it to the police and say "Do... um... do I need to give this to you?"

  249. Re:Pedophiles by fractoid · · Score: 1

    And even if they do... you think your statue is going to feel HURT? O.o

    Sorry, but I disagree, parent is not flamebait. He's just trying to make the point, if I read him aright, that the whole "perverts everywhere" moral panic is just that - a moral panic with little basis.

    --
    Rampant carbon sequestration destroyed the Dinosaurs' tropical paradise. I'm here to help repair the damage.
  250. Re:Pedophiles by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Are you asking about the basis of masculinity vs. femininity is western classical culture? Are are you just being a "weenie"?

    In our culture Masculinity comes with it the ability to "take up space" or claim territory (see also Explorers, Astronauts, Bill Gates, Arnold Schwarzenegger). Femininity does not. (See the Nicorette commercial with the girl in the cab.) Male genital display is a means of claiming territory, and is thus acceptable.

  251. Desperately needed in Toontown by Fastolfe · · Score: 3, Funny

    Toon child porn is a very real problem that affects residents of Toontown every day. Local ordinances only go so far. So long as there are no laws against toon child porn outside of Toontown, the demand exists and toon children continue to be exploited. Toon children are regularly taken across municipal lines and blatantly exploited in dark basements to produce these images. It's about time we did something about this and I applaud this ban.

  252. Re:Pedophiles by Archades54 · · Score: 1

    Does this mean everyone who's played pretty much any game isn't an asset to society, since they've thought about killing?

    --
    If your neighbours roof is flying past your window, you know it's cyclone season.
  253. Re:Pedophiles by Archades54 · · Score: 1

    With girls developing earlier, they are becoming more attractive at earlier ages since men are mainly visual. Hence why the term jailbait is used, they are sexually attractive to us men on a basic primal instinct, they may look sexually mature but be under the age of consent. It's becoming more common that girls as young as 12 are getting DD cup breasts, and are taller than earlier centuries. At 50 she may seem young, but I'm sure she will still rattle your loins.

    --
    If your neighbours roof is flying past your window, you know it's cyclone season.
  254. Re:Pedophiles by Maestro4k · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I guess what I'm trying to say is that that particular aspect of this law is unenforcable, as there is no way you can establish the age of animated characters other than by asking the artists unless they are very obviously babies\small children as with lolicon type 'art'.

    Good luck with that, already it's not uncommon to see characters that are "legal lolis", women who haven't developed but are 20+. It's more common in H games but it turns up in anime some too, for example the teacher in Doki Doki School Hours. She looks like she's a grade schooler but she's in her 20s. And while it's not terribly common there are cases of this occurring in real life so it's not completely fantasy. So if the author swears the girl who looks like she's 8 years old is really 25 does that mean it's OK? Or will the law just allow the police/prosecutors/etc. to decide what age they think the girl is supposed to be and prosecute based on that? I'm guessing it'll be the latter and that path will lead to horrid abuse, people will be getting thrown in jail that never really committed a crime.

    This is about control, not protecting any children.

  255. Re:Pedophiles by arminw · · Score: 1

    ....Does this mean everyone who's played pretty much any game isn't an asset to society.....

    If you had read my post carefully, you would have notices the word "trafficking". What I mean by that is someone trading or selling such things.

    --
    All theory is gray
  256. Re:Pedophiles by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    That's the most rediculous bullshit I've ever heard. That's like saying that if I download a CD illegally, then all other CDs I own legally should also count towards extra counts of copyright infringement. Why should we keep an eye on those that possess cartoon porn anyways? If that's the case then we should keep a regular eye on everyone who consumes any amount of alcohol.

  257. Re:Pedophiles by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Oh my god you are deluded.

    It's really frightening to see.

    You have about 40 people vehemently disagreeing with you and the best you can come up with is "oh shit you must alll be kiddie fuckers"

    Wow.

    Did you misplace your Perverted Justice membership card? You sound like one of those wackos.

    the fact that people ACTUALLY thought your post was sarcasm should very definitively demonstrate the absolute absurdity of your position.

    You're a fence sitter on most issues, but suddenly, this particular one turns you in to a rabid sociopath?

    Well isn't that nice. You must be part of some sort of group that agrees with you. I don't think an intelligent, free thinking person could come up with that tripe without spending some time submerged in an echo chamber where everyone agrees with you.

    If this is really the case, as an intelligent person, you have to step back and actually think about what you're saying.

    because it's really twisted...

  258. Re:Pedophiles by Slashdot+Parent · · Score: 1

    why is it okay to say "I love kids" but not "I love 12-year-olds"? Because no sane person loves 12-year-olds.
    --
    They don't grade fathers, but if your daughter's a stripper, you fucked up. --Chris Rock
  259. What nudity? by Krishnoid · · Score: 1

    That was him giving the audience the finger, wasn't it? Or was it?

  260. Re:Pedophiles by Oktober+Sunset · · Score: 3, Insightful

    If I have sex with a 16 year old in view of a CCTV camera, then does that make the camera operator a paedo?

  261. So what do I tell my daughter? by Anachragnome · · Score: 1

    When I cannot give her a hug or kiss in public? Its fucking ILLEGAL?

    Thats where this is all headed. Intended or not, some "offended" idiot is going to make a fuss out of something like that because "they" were offended.

    Who decides what is affection and what is "lust"?

    Who decides whether or not an image is on my PC because I thought the artwork was interesting from an art standpoint or because I get a hard-on viewing it?

    Please tell me, who decides what MY intent was? ME, or someone else?

  262. Re:Pedophiles by Oktober+Sunset · · Score: 1

    Who said it's not. Build one and see what people say.

  263. Re:Pedophiles by Oktober+Sunset · · Score: 1

    Wouldn't that make almost every action film ever made a snuff movie?

  264. Re:Pedophiles by bluefoxlucid · · Score: 1

    Anyone who thinks about such behavior and anybody who profits in trafficking... You specified two separate entities.

    You also create the repressive loop that someone suddenly can't accept themselves and polarizes their thoughts such that they can "hide their dark side from themselves" or whatever magic you want to call it. That is, those impulses become something they indulge in in private... uncontrollably. The indulgences become their own animal, and the person now has less control over it. Good job.

    More importantly, you're also advocating jailing people for crimes against no one. We don't like how you think so we arrest you. Any art is an expression of thought, even sociopathically warped artist-generated pornography (computer is a tool, like a pencil or a chisel); only the viewer and the creator are involved, so now you are policing someone for having a thought (after they reveal the thought they've had) and someone else for appreciation of the expression. Why don't we just profile people and eliminate those we believe may become criminals in the future?
  265. Re:Pedophiles by ArsenneLupin · · Score: 1

    Brussels has both. In addition to the well-known Manneken Pis, there is also its female counterpart Jeanneke Pis.

  266. Re:peterprior must be a paedo by jdinkel · · Score: 0

    Many people do start with marijuana and move on to harder stuff. I could understand arguing for legalizing marijuana despite this, but do we really want to allow such leniency with child abuse? Personally, I am not a big supporter of legislating morality, but in this case the risk of leniency is far, FAR too great.

  267. PLEAESE STOP SPAELLING IT LIKE AE FAEGGOT!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I haeve aesked you fucking paeople ae million times to pleaese stop spaelling it like ae faeggot!!

    It's spaelled pedophile

    1. Re:PLEAESE STOP SPAELLING IT LIKE AE FAEGGOT!! by richardablitt · · Score: 1

      Except the article is about the UK, where we can cope with 2 vowels being next to each other in a word.

  268. What about simulated kiddy porn? by EmbeddedJanitor · · Score: 1
    ie, by tricky camera work + cgi it looks like kiddy-fiddling is happening, but in fact no kiddy was actually harmed in the making of the movie.

    That would fail your "Was any child actually harmed..." clause, but is that OK?

    --
    Engineering is the art of compromise.
    1. Re:What about simulated kiddy porn? by MSZ · · Score: 1

      That very much depends on what actually we want to punish or deter. Do we want to punish some people for having socially unacceptable sex drive (but being able to control themselves to the extent of not grabbing actual child) or do we reserve punishment to those who act on it, causing harm?

      I can imagine that a really disturbing montage could be made without directly hurting some kid. I agree that such thing would be disgusting. However I stand by the rule I've proposed earlier. Abuse should lead to punishment, but just appearance of abuse should not cause punishment - or at least not the same level. Copypasting some kid onto orgy photo is not the same as actually dragging the brat to said orgy and letting some pervert have his way with him/her.

      Of course if such movie were made it could cause other kinds of harm, like associating someone's face with such kind of pervert porn. This is not the same as sexual abuse but still wrong and open to possible punishment.

      I think pretty much any use of real live children in such materials will cause harm, either direct (filmed real abuse) or indirect (innocent photos or movies edited to look not so innocent making victim recognizable as an apparent participant). However things are much different when it comes to the core of the law we discuss here - 100% CGI and drawings are not children and their use should not be treated the same way.

      The other issue is that judging appearances leads to fuzzines which leads to people getting long prison terms and "sexual predator" tags on the unclear criteria. Given my not-so-great faith in humanity I can see it leading to someone getting 25 to life for drawing two stick figures having sex - because some judge decides that these may be underage stick figures. (If you think this is madness, please read about kids being detained by the police for drawing image of a gun. This did happen.)

      --
      The moon is not fully subjugated. I demand a second assault wave preceded by a massive nuclear bombardment.
    2. Re:What about simulated kiddy porn? by shutdown+-p+now · · Score: 1

      Either it is entirely okay, or we also have to ban all the more hardcore BDSM porn (it does, after all, often depicts rather violent torture, and it may even look real to a casual observer).

    3. Re:What about simulated kiddy porn? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      UK did that not so long ago.

  269. Re:Pedophiles by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Since the actual barrier of posting something as an AC is very low, I would wager that if people vehemently agreed with you, they would feel compelled to share that and there is very little to stop them.

    I would argue that, instead, your opinion is sufficiently twisted, that even people who agree with you that pedophiles are creepy and should be prevented from doing illegal things CANT agree with your desire to engage in revenge fueled systematic torture people for who's crime is making doodles on a piece of paper that happen to appear to involve children acting sexy or perhaps merely THINKING about making such doodles as you seem to imply.

  270. Re:It's about psychology by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If what you say is true, your argument could only be compelling if:

    the military used created photos of battle to desensitize their soldiers.

    but that isn't what you said at all, is it? You mentioned "killing simulations", which just like "raping simulations" sound a lot more interactive than hundreds of pictures. Not to mention the soldiers engaged in these simulations are being administered to and otherwise encouraged in their simulated progress by superiors and the like.

    at least you tried to bridge the two concepts by mentioning television, which arguably is something of a middle ground between the two media we've discussed.

    but sorry dood. you don't seem to have made any points.

  271. Re:It's about psychology by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Yeah but isn't it funny wut he did thar?

    "That is, however, not a reason to ban it."

    But it's almost as if he was making an argument to that effect.

    Words like "desensitize" and phrases like "could easily cause" won't work to convince anyone of anything on this website.

    I could say atmospheric refraction of solar light "could easily cause" an observably blue sky. But, despite being true, I didn't show anyone anything of value, nor did I prove my case.

    The GP uses these sneaky words to the same effect (zero) but it pains me to think that maybe, just maybe, he thought for a second he was worth something.

  272. Re:Pedophiles by NoobixCube · · Score: 0, Troll

    Computer generated child porn being legal creates a loophole. Anyone with real child porn can claim it's computer generated. If they change a few things in the photo or video so the light-mapping is wrong, it can even look fake to an analyst. I normally see the world as one big grey mess with no certainty or absolutes. When it comes to pedophilia, in any form, I fail to see any grey. It's all pretty much black and white to me.

    --
    Admit it. You post strawman arguments as AC so you get modded Insightful for refuting them, rather than Troll
  273. Re:Pedophiles by bluefoxlucid · · Score: 1

    I'm under no illusion I am a good person, but pedophiles take pleasure in harming - physically and emotionally - people in no position to defend themselves. Helpless children. No, pedophiles are sexually attracted to the young, to a variable but significant degree (early teens? Preteens? We have specific terms for those attracted to adolescents i.e. 15-19 and those attracted to extremely young 1-5).

    Pederasts are guilty of actually engaging in the indulgence of such attraction.

    In any case, statute is a stupid measure of rape; just like you don't rape every girl you sleep with, not every pedophile fantasizes about child rape, and not every pederast rapes children or wants to. They do fantasize about or physically take advantage of the naivity, innocence, and manipulability of young children in all cases; but rape? Rape requires forcing someone against their will, and you cannot lump all child sexual crimes into that category-- especially crimes that don't even involve a real human in any stage on any level!

    Pederasts need attention just like drug addicts: jail time, and/or therapy. They're guilty of a crime, perhaps to gross disregard for the law and affinity only to the desire to get away with it. Perhaps they're only guilty of a mistake, though, and really do need help. Both can happen. There are some BAD people out there, but also the misguided, weak, and insecure are strewn everywhere too.

    Pedophiles may need therapy, or they may be just fine and actually have control over their actions-- and, interestingly enough, you become A LOT more stable when you can accept yourself on a personal level, even if you have to make the decision that acting on your own desires is WRONG. Look at people who have rape or infidelity fantasies, and take to roleplaying with a consenting partner (with a safety word or without, depending on the level of trust between the two-- someone might actually trust someone enough to decide they can accept it if they suddenly decide they really do want to stop it and can't). Hell, people like that have partners that act out being younger or older than they are too (babysitter fantasy-- from either side).

    Also "Harm" is a relative term; we have a set of guidelines for how we want people to develop psychologically, and knowledge changes that. Raping a child, teaching them to be a sex slave, rewards for sex, etc, develop a person mentally unfit for survival-- THIS IS HARM. However, simple sex is no different than a parent teaching his young child upon puberty all about sex, safe sex, etc, and then leaving the decisions up to them. In other words, the actual minimal harm is the same as if your daughter decides to have sex with a boy when she's 11, and is easily attainable in practice. That's not to say this is a good thing, or that it's excusable for an adult to take advantage of a child that way (you CANNOT be unbiased in your involvement when your decisions lead to you getting laid!); it's just a consideration for perspective.
  274. Re:Pedophiles by bluefoxlucid · · Score: 1

    US Copyright Act Ammendment 9999:

    No copyright protection can ever cover any work for which the original material was produced via illegal means, even if the material was produced in a country or region where such acts were legal.

    Though, even if such an amendment existed, some people are exhibitionists and their reward for distribution is the thought that somewhere out there, millions of people are bittorrenting a video of ... yeah. This doesn't help.

  275. Re:Pedophiles by TheVelvetFlamebait · · Score: 1

    The point he's making is that South Park being comedy is an opinion.
    Duh. My point was that the OP didn't deserve his flamebait mod. He just said that paedophilia disgusts him, just like snuff films or their fantasy equivalents. The next guy, in classic slashdot style, follows with a hyperbolic non-sequitur, by declaring that he must mean South Park. I tried to point out that it wasn't necessarily true, and that South Park is a comedy more than a fantasy snuff film. Then yet another guy decides that because I thought South Park was a comedy, that I must think that a video of a clown killing someone is also comedy! See the pattern here? Sometimes, I swear, the people here are total morons.
    --
    You know, there is a difference between trolling and pointing out the flaws in your reasoning. Just saying.
  276. Is it a crime to watch a crime? by KostasPlenty · · Score: 1

    I believe that adults having sex with little kids are perverted and that these kids are not old enough to make up their minds so they need to be protected (I am not sure the same can be said about a 17-year old teenager though with their 22-year old partner). The question is this: -Why is it so different to watch a 40 year old woman sexually abuse a 12 year old boy, than watching one adult killing another? -Why is it illegal at all to watch that, and is it still illegal when it is examined as evidence against these people in court? -What if someone in the courtroom or police station where the material is examined gets aroused? Murder and pederastia are both crimes, and there are laws against those crimes. I don't see what is so special about watching them, and if someone can be sexually satisfied by watching crimes why are they a threat to society? (Please don't demonstrate your proof with an illustration! :-) )

  277. Re:Pedophiles by bluefoxlucid · · Score: 1
    You are dead on but let me point something out for you...

    Very few people are promoting anything sexual with undeveloped children, or calling it anything other than sick and disturbing. This is problem 1: demonization. We aren't saying the person is "sick" and needs help; we're saying they're, well, inhuman and need to be purged from existence.

    They have a problem with the law calling 18 fine, but 17 years and 360 days sick. They have a problem with equating thinking about an action with doing said action. They have a problem with the narrowness with which the laws are interpreted, and the impossibility of opposing the laws for fear of being branded as someone that thinks it's ok for little Timmy and Susan to be raped. Symptoms of Problem 1: lack of ability to reason; general dismissal of people you haven't met. Dismissing these peoples' importance allows you to attack them indirectly without having to consider the complications of individual judgment.

    I hang out online a lot. I know one guy who started complaining because 11-15 year old girls were posting suggestive pictures of themselves on a Swedish MySpace site (always clothed, proper, legal), and they were freaking dead-on hot. He started posting links... later on (months in) I started taking the links and hitting up people with them and asking questions... turns out basically every guy I know in their 20s thinks some 12-13 year olds are totally "hittable" except they're "kids" and so nobody would ACTUALLY touch them; it's a nice thought, but no.

    We as the collection of people on the Internet are still rather shy of the public; however, in private we'll admit to a lot of stuff. It seems to me that a LOT of guys will look, and like it, but they have no strong desire to touch (I'd imagine this would change if she actively started flirting). It also seems society as a whole would echo outrage if one of these people got on TV and said, "Yeah, that 12 year old chick's freaking sexy."

    You don't ACTUALLY try to screw every girl you meet at the mall; you walk past most of them and give a second glance. We all know to stop there for anyone under 18, though those second glances get progressively longer as she approaches 17... yet we'll tear our eyes away and stab the guy next to us for opening his mouth and saying she's hot, because he must be a child rapist. Go figure.

    As anecdotal evidence, I will also say in high school that there were a few teachers that I (and pretty much every other male in the school) wished had 'abused' them. Naturally though, the politicians know better than my present or 14 year old self. Conflict of interest. Go back and get her.
  278. Re:Pedophiles by bluefoxlucid · · Score: 1

    Slaughtering them is probably not such a good idea. Reducing them to lifelong poverty or at least applying present punishment as if done with real children would be enough. Yeah, Hitler found that out for us. But, how do you make Jews stay poor?
  279. Re:peterprior must be a paedo by couchslug · · Score: 1

    "Why, this CGI is gateway porno!"

    In MY day we had ASCII gateway porno and we LIKED it!

    --
    "This post is an artistic work of fiction and falsehood. Only a fool would take anything posted here as fact."
  280. Re:Pedophiles by arminw · · Score: 1

    ....We don't like how you think so we arrest you...

    Nobody should be punished for thoughts. It is when these thoughts become actions that damage others, the society should step in.

    --
    All theory is gray
  281. Killing Iraqi children is real, not a cartoon :( by bzelbob · · Score: 1

    Is it just me or does anyone else think it sad that a Ministry of 'Justice' would potentially ban drawings and cartoons, while ignoring the fact that their country (the U.K) participated in the Iraq war which has indirectly not abused but actually killed thousands (or more) iraqi children?

    My country (USA) also is responsible for this and I consider the people who started this war far guiltier than any child molestors.

    Their day is coming and they will be punished, so help us God.

  282. Re:Pedophiles by arminw · · Score: 1

    ...Yeah, Hitler found that out for us....

    Hitler persecuted people for things they could not help. People CAN control their ACTIONS. If they don't, have self control, then society has to control them.

    --
    All theory is gray
  283. Re:Pedophiles by bluefoxlucid · · Score: 1

    Actions like thinking?

  284. Re:Pedophiles by bluefoxlucid · · Score: 1

    Anyone (Joe) who thinks about such behavior and anybody (Bob) who profits in trafficking... Not what you said.
  285. Damn you! by DerangedAlchemist · · Score: 1

    Clicking those links is now a felony in the UK! And you aided that activity, you sick bastard...

  286. Re:Pedophiles by arminw · · Score: 1

    No, not thinking, but putting those thoughts into actions that are hurtful or offensive to others. The foremost job of any government is to protect the people under its jurisdiction from one another.

    --
    All theory is gray
  287. Re:Pedophiles by Jarik_Tentsu · · Score: 1
    Oh, and I suppose them we should put anyone away for things they MIGHT do. If some kid living in a poor shitty neighbourhood and hangs out with a bad group of friends, we should put them away because when they get older they are very likely to become rapists, gangsters and murderers.

    You're saying we should put away people for thinking differently. Essentially have our very own Inquisition. "They might do something in the future, so let's get 'em now!". Sorry mate, that's not what our justice system is based on - hell, that's not what MOST countries' justice system is based on. So passing a law like this is going against the very basis of the innocent until proven guilty [of an action] value we reiterate so much.

    There is a very high probability that anyone who thinks about anything long enough, will eventually act upon such thoughts And you know this...how?

    You're speculating. So am I actually. But I think it's more likely there are many people who would be classified as 'paedophiles' - however, out of them only a small few would actually *act* upon it. I'd imagine there's people out there who are brought up with a loving family, have a nice job, and are taught values like "Molesting is wrong". They know it's wrong, but forever reason, still retain this attraction to little girls. They've got enough of a sense of 'right' and 'wrong' to never act upon it. So their outlet becomes these 'fantasies'.

    Is it really that hard to believe? It's like why do people get turned on by S&M? It's obviously related to a 'rape' fantasy or whatnot (I'm not talking dominatrix style, but the converse where the guy ties up the girl). These guys obviously get turned on by that. But they have enough of a sense of what's right and wrong to never actually go out there and rape someone - rather, they make a fantasy of it.

    We're both speculating, but I'd imagine not all the paedophiles are those weirdos hanging around kindergarden's trying to cop a feel.

    And honestly, I'd hate to live in a society you'd create if it meant I'd be put away for things I 'might' do.

    ~Jarik
  288. Re:Pedophiles by Jarik_Tentsu · · Score: 1

    So it's legal to fuck her, but if you take a picture of it with your mobile phone, you go behind bars for 20 years. Actually, I can kinda understand this.

    I'd imagine this law is more aimed at girls actually being exploited by less 'amateur' pornography. Ie, getting paid to do it as opposed to the girl's boyfriend deciding to keep a few photos of her for himself. They probably figure at that age a girl is old enough to decide whether she wants to sleep with a guy or not, but might be exploited with people dangling $100s of dollars in front of her face.

    ~Jarik
  289. Re:Pedophiles by bluefoxlucid · · Score: 1

    The foremost job of any government is to protect the people under its jurisdiction from one another. .... Uh.

    Oh, from one another. Mistook that as "From Themselves" for a moment.

    Well whatever. Your arguments are rather unstructured and full of confusing double-speak anyway, so I'm not bothering with this anymore.
  290. Re:Pedophiles by arminw · · Score: 1

    .... I suppose them we should put anyone away for things they MIGHT do....

    Unfortunately, society and laws cannot deal with what someone actually MIGHT do or thinks about. Law cannot prevent crime. I can only deal with an individual AFTER they have done an action detrimental to another person. To protect people from each other is by far the major reason for having any sort of government in the first place. Almost all laws get enacted because someone did NOT care about the harm they caused to others. This human trait is called selfishness.

    As to WHY people get "turned on" by various things would get us into a philosophical and religious discussion. If the deviant fantasies promoted by any form of porn cause harm to others, is it not the society's right and duty to minimize such potential harm? Is this not the reason we have mandatory licensing, vaccinations and insurance? If a person gets very sick and then others get sick because that first person refused to take doable steps to not get sick, is that right? Can a society force certain preventive measures?

    Can society try to some degree attempt to stop the spread crime and disease? Should society try to prevent others from commercializing the fostering and promotion of certain kinds of behavior? Should those who drive be forced to demonstrate a minimum of ability and be financially responsible if they could cause harm to others through negligence or just pure accident?

    I would not want to live in a society that punished people for what they thought or might do either. I do want to live in a society where every member thinks not only of themselves, but also of those around them.

    --
    All theory is gray
  291. Prolactin Levels Disagree by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    What makes you so sure in this case? If someone enjoys watching pornography they'd probably enjoy actually participating far more, as experiments have shown that orgasms are far more pleasurable when actually having sex compared to masturbating, based on blood prolactin levels.

  292. Re:Pedophiles by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I have a problem like that, and it is were socially possible, I would ask the police to watch me. I've never hurt anyone, and I don't want to. Unfortunately, if I asked the police to watch me, they would instead arrest me.

  293. Re:It's about psychology by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You mean like asking what effect Bugs Bunny has on weal wabbits, wight?

  294. Get a psychiatrist. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Circular logic. Yeah, you have no problems. You're a pedo. We'll just trust your instinct and judgment. Do you make sure to stay away from children? Are you a teacher? Do you spend lots of time with children, or do you have or know what healthy boundaries are? The arguments you've put forth are lame and we all know your true intent when suggesting this material should be free to help the children. It's a Straw Man. Give me a break.

  295. Re:Pedophiles by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I have a problem like that, and it is were socially possible, I would ask the police to watch me. I've never hurt anyone, and I don't want to. Unfortunately, if I asked the police to watch me, they would instead arrest me. We're watching now.
  296. Re:Pedophiles by Fireflymantis · · Score: 1

    Congratulations on admitting what you actually think. I know where you're coming from, and you're right that you shouldn't give a damn what others think about it. That's the whole point. Thinking about something doesn't hurt. Only the actions do. As a poster above said, "committing vile acts is wrong, however the expression of vile ideas, is both forewarning and proof of freedom. The inability to recognize the difference is ignorance, and the first step towards tragedy." Sadly, watching laws like this roll in day after day, I fear that ignorance is far too widespead. And how will it be accepted in? With applause and cheers.

  297. Re:It's about psychology by fractoid · · Score: 1

    Because the GP poster was totally serious and not at all sarcastic, and I totally wasn't making an off-the-cuff reference to his sig.

    HSOOOHW?

    --
    Rampant carbon sequestration destroyed the Dinosaurs' tropical paradise. I'm here to help repair the damage.
  298. Re:Killing Iraqi children is real, not a cartoon : by fractoid · · Score: 1

    You mean you think it's worse to merely be killed than to have some nasty adult's finger up your pre-teen twat? /sarcastic wide-eyed stare

    I think a lot of the people espousing this legislation need to get their priorities straight. Kiddy fiddling is very, very bad, but killing people is worse.

    --
    Rampant carbon sequestration destroyed the Dinosaurs' tropical paradise. I'm here to help repair the damage.
  299. Re:Pedophiles by AndyboyH · · Score: 1

    If only for a test case to come up...

    That would be amazing - to watch the government tear itself apart between it's love for "think of the children" based antics, and "let's watch every John Smith" CCTV mentality.

    --
    Baka Drew
  300. Re:Pedophiles by AndyboyH · · Score: 1

    By being a UK resident, and opening those links, does that make me a paedo in the eyes of the new law?

    It's too much of a risk. :S

    --
    Baka Drew
  301. Re:Statues by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
  302. Cognitive Dissonance as release by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0


    People have a need to be able to process thoughts "OffStage". The easy example is 3,000 years worth of murder & scorned-love in literature.

      That's great! Whenever I'm angry I can read/watch vigilante justice at work, and sigh in contentment. It's the principle of cathartic release that enables a person to maintain their stable persona OnStage in life. Even children's literature contains murders! However, this is socially *encouraged*, so it's simply fantastic.

    We're less comfortable with sex overall, but we barely tolerate it "among consenting parties in very discreet situations". Indecency guidelines and the age limits barely hold the situation in check.

    Sexual material *specializes* in cognitive dissonance situations! All kinds of scenarios that would be top-grade felonies are fair game. 18th Birthday Parties are great!

    Try this *opening paragraph* from the 1600 BC Egyptian story "The Doomed Prince".

    "There was once a king to whom no man child was born. His heart was very sad thereat; he asked for a boy from the gods of his time, and they decreed that one should be born to him. He lay with his wife during the night and she conceived; when the months of the birth were accomplished lo, a man-child was born. When the Hathors came to decree him a destiny, they said, "He shall die by the crocodile, or by the serpent, or indeed by the dog".

    Sex and Baby-Killing in three sentences.

  303. Re:Pedophiles by VJ42 · · Score: 1

    If only for a test case to come up... That would be amazing - to watch the government tear itself apart between it's love for "think of the children" based antics, and "let's watch every John Smith" CCTV mentality. No, they'd just arrest him & his 16yr old gf for public indecency. I'm not saying that that's the right thing to do, but that's what they would do.
    --
    If I have nothing to hide, you have no reason to search me
  304. Re:Pedophiles by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "I don't believe there is any punishment too severe for a pedophile....I would approve the use of torture..."

    Boundaries are interesting.

    There is a wide range of things which may be considered pedophilic, and modern laws might classify even innocent remarks under this heading. I wonder if you have any concept of graded torture, or whether you would go the whole hog for someone who just said "Your daughter looks nice today"

  305. Re:peterprior must be a paedo by fuzzix · · Score: 1

    Many people do start with marijuana and move on to harder stuff.

    Just because most junkies have smoked weed doesn't mean the weed made them junkies. Most people who smoke cigarettes have tried alcohol - does alcohol lead to tobacco?
  306. Re:peterprior must be a paedo by jdinkel · · Score: 1

    This is diverging more and more from the real issue, but yes I know many many people who smoke only when they are drinking. I, myself, am one of them.

  307. Re:Pedophiles by computational+super · · Score: 1

    Well, I think there's a difference between getting three disagreements and not a single agreement and getting three hundred disagreements and not a single agreement. I think actually Slashdot's moderation system helps demonstrate the depth of one's craziness, though. Consider this - all of his posts are modded -1 and people are still finding his post just to disagree with him.

    --
    Proud neuron in the Slashdot hivemind since 2002.
  308. Re:peterprior must be a paedo by fuzzix · · Score: 1

    This is diverging more and more from the real issue, but yes I know many many people who smoke only when they are drinking. I, myself, am one of them. I do too... but I did smoke for 10 years or so :)
  309. the big argument by vuffi_raa · · Score: 1

    the big thing to remember here is NOT who you are protecting, but the mechanics of the law itself- the problem with it isn't child abuse itself- (I and I am pretty sure damn near all of us are against it), the problem is that the law is attempting to legislate thoughts and intents and not acts. When you begin to legislate what people can think about or how they think about a subject you open the floodgates for very scary laws and rulings when the wrong person comes to power or the wrong judge sits on a bench. Lets face it- if you can legislate intent and morality this may be the start, but who is to say that you don't use the precedence of a law like this to say- you can't display the intent of political upheaval in order to protect from riots or negative images of religion (umm kind of like a lot of middle eastern countries) or any number of things that a person or group of people in power plain don't like.

  310. Do you seriously believe this BS? by elucido · · Score: 1


    I've had evil thoughts all my life, and I've not done any evil deeds.

    The argument that evil thoughts leads to evil deeds is like saying that being born leads to sin. It's the original sin argument, and it's stupid.

    People do evil behavior because they don't have a conscience. It has nothing to do with what a person is thinking. Most people who have a conscience think about doing evil stuff just as much as anyone else, only we have a voice in our head telling us it's wrong.

    1. Re:Do you seriously believe this BS? by arminw · · Score: 1

      ...It has nothing to do with what a person is thinking....

      The conscience is also part of thinking. It is your will that decides which thoughts get acted upon. People that do evil silence their conscience and deliberately decide to put these evil thoughts into action. People who do act out their evil thoughts, tell the voice of their conscience to shut up. If that is done often enough, the voice does just that, or at least is reduced to a whisper that is easy to ignore.

      --
      All theory is gray
    2. Re:Do you seriously believe this BS? by elucido · · Score: 1

      ...It has nothing to do with what a person is thinking....

      The conscience is also part of thinking. It is your will that decides which thoughts get acted upon. People that do evil silence their conscience and deliberately decide to put these evil thoughts into action. People who do act out their evil thoughts, tell the voice of their conscience to shut up. If that is done often enough, the voice does just that, or at least is reduced to a whisper that is easy to ignore. That point is, most of us have a conscience. Rapists don't have a conscience, they don't feel any empathy towards their victim, and that's why they go through with it. To criminalize the thoughts instead of the deeds will lead to putting a lot of people in prison who were never capable of committing the deeds in the first place, and it will do nothing to stop the sick individuals who enjoy raping/torturing.

      It's just like how some kids love to torture animals, that kid may grow up to be an adult who likes to rape people, but it's not like every kid who every killed any animal in the context of hunting, or by accident, is the type who will torture a cat or dog for the pleasure of it. It takes a certain rare kind of individual to be like that.

      I don't think you can learn much about a persons thinking based on what pictures they have on their computer. And you certainly can't jump from the level of non-violet viewer of pictures to labeling them on the level of child molestor or rapist. I think there are different levels of pedophiles here, the non-violent types who don't abuse kids but who have creepy thoughts, and the actual abusers.

  311. How do we know their intentions? by elucido · · Score: 1

    I am also in the digital forensics industry and it is a scary thought when you try to work out how this will be enforced.
    How accurate do the drawings have to be? (eg, would a stick man with a label "14 year old naked girl" be banned?)

    Do existing images still count as legal? (classical art?)

    It does seem like a slippery slope despite their best intentions.

    It was a similar situation when the age at which someone could appear in pornographic images changed. An example is that Sam Fox appeared topless in the Sun newspaper aged 17 (which at the time was legal) but the change in the law made posession of that newspaper paedophilia. You say despite their best intentions, but how do we know their intentions aren't to create precisely the slippery slope you fear? It's the same government that started a war with Iraq despite their best intentions to avoid it.
  312. Perfect excluse to create global surveillance. by elucido · · Score: 1

    Personally I would make the law that if they are found in conjunction with photographic indecent images then they should be bundled in with Level 1 images (the least severe) and if you find nothing but graphic images they should be ignored but maybe the cops should keep a regular eye on the person who has them. So you support increasing the punishment for someone convicted of child pornography offenses because they possess artistic images which depict no real children. And you want the police to monitor people who possess drawn or computer-generated fake images. You advocate increasing penalties and surveillance based on assumptions of what a persons thinks or desires, even though their direct actions may not have any connection to abuse of children in real life.

    I wonder if you'd also support the police keeping an eye on people who read literature which has child-sex themes? Perhaps monitoring those who check out "Lolita" at the library?

    I'd say you picked a fitting career for yourself. Congratulations. See, maybe we've run out of Muslim terrorists as an excuse to build up the surveillance state, so now we need a new boogyman, the Pedophile terrorist. And by casting as wide of a net as possible, anyone with a computer is now a potential pedophile and so now we should monitor every computer in cyberspace.

    And of course, anyone can be labeled a pedophile easily if set up properly, you know, the feds give them the illegal pictures and then arrest them for possession, or a virus downloads it onto millions of computers in some botnet as part of some cyber war tactic.

    I can see some hackers in China or Russia writing viruses to make the governments waste resources arresting people for this. I can also see the real terrorists trying to make this situation worse because all it's going to do is cause the government to turn on it's own people.

  313. How is that defined? by elucido · · Score: 1

    Same in Washington State USA ... Age of consent for most situations is 16 - however taking pictures of or having indecent conversations with a person under 18 could well land you in jail. How do you define an indecent conversation? That's the kinda law that is so fuzzy and vague that it's practically undefinable. It's easy to figure out whats indecent when it's someone under 15, but over 15, what is indecent?

  314. Should ASCII child porn be outlawed to? by elucido · · Score: 1


    Say some crazy programmer writes an ASCII child porn generator. Should the programmer and the people who go to the websites which displayed it be arrested and given prison time for seeing the ASCII images?

  315. The justice system has changed. by elucido · · Score: 1


    A. Pre-crime is now a reality.

    B. Thought crimes are now a reality.

    If you think like a pedophile, you are a pedophile.
    So why do we even bother trying to pretend that pedophiles are human?

    How about we treat all who think like pedophiles as thought terrorists and give them the death penalty? And we can develop our brain scanning and genetic technology so we can remove the genes from all fetuses once and for all erasing the existence of them.

    But I have a feeling that wont happen because the government needs the fear of pedophiles as a way to do surveillance on the rest of us. If we were to give all pedophiles the death penalty right now, we wouldn't have a wide enough net cast to catch the millions or billions of pedophiles that could be on the internet.

    So in 5 years thats when the inquisition will begin and if you don't think all pedophiles should be given the death penalty, maybe you're a pedophile supporter, and maybe you're just one of them.

  316. Clowns are human, pedophiles are not human. by elucido · · Score: 1


    The difference is, pedophiles are not considered human. This is why we can arrest people for thinking as a pedophile.

  317. You must be a pedophile too. by elucido · · Score: 1

    You have suspicious thinking.

  318. Perhaps there really are billions of pedophiles. by elucido · · Score: 1

    Or perhaps billions who have to be labeled pedophile.

    All we will need is some evidence that you had a sick thought, if you write some suspicious text, if you download a suspicious image, if you look at a 16 year old in the wrong way, perhaps there should be laws to address all of these possibilities so that anyone can be labeled a pedophile.

  319. Why we need a billion pedophiles. by elucido · · Score: 1


    Here is a list of reasons why we need at least a billion pedophiles.

    A. It allows us to infinitely increase the budgets and power of law enforcement agencies. Now the FBI and local police have a reason to work together, now there is a reason for the unmanned drones to be scanning the skies and a reason for every phone and internet connection to be tapped. Terrorism doesn't work because it's just not believable that there could be a billion terrorists, but a billion pedophiles works just fine.

    B. It allows for the institution of both thought crimes and pre-crimes, which can lead to massive government DNA and brain scanning to see exactly who has the genes and brain of a criminal. No need for trials anymore, simply arrest all who fail their yearly medical exam, drug testing, or sexual preference testing.

    C. If there must be a billion pedophiles, how hard would it be to get someone put on the pedophile suspect list? Probably about as easy as it was to get people put on the terrorist watch list. Last I heard it's almost a million people. And they can use something similar to this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_TIPS to build a list. Consider what the world would be like if a billion people were put on this watch list? And what if it just happens to be the billion people you dislike or actively hate?

    D. By having a billion pedophiles, we'd have every excuse we need to launch a war on pedophillia, spend hundreds of billions monitoring the internet usage of billions all around the world.

    We can use this money to encourage informants to entrap people by offering rewards based on conviction rate.

    We can use this money to go after people who download mp3s and movies, and warez pirates. Limewire and other popular programs can be flooded with kiddie porn as a way to keep people from using it.

    Foreign goverments that hate us will have the ability to write botnet and viruses and hide gigs of kiddie porn on millions of harddrives of selected people they dislike, and then tip off the very informants who track pedophiles down for a living simply by giving the informants a list of IP addresses along with the list of files.

    Individuals who want to censor the internet will be able to do so, using the illegal hyperlink model as a way to censor other websites. And allowing for the legal creation of global thought crimes and thought viruses. Hate sites will be censored. If you say anything hateful you will be punished.

    There are plenty of other reasons for why we need at least a billion pedophiles, but this post is just a way to get you to think in this direction.

  320. Why have a line? by elucido · · Score: 1


    If you can pass any law you want as long as it has to do with fighting pedophilia, why draw a line at all? You can declare war on pedophilia and test everyone with brain scans, DNA testing, and sexual preference testing, and require every citizen to pass this test or go straight to prison as a pedophile.

    Basically we show you a series of sick images and if your brain shows that you are turned on by any of these images you get life in prison or get chipped. Problem solved.

  321. The final solution, sexual preference testing. by elucido · · Score: 1

    Every adult male or female must pass this test or receive their choice of a life sentence in prison for pedophilia, or be chipped.

    You must pass a brain scan/sexual preference test to determine whether or not you are a pedophile.

    You are shown a series of sick images and if your brain shows that you are turned on by any of these images you get life in prison or get chipped.

    Problem solved.

  322. His ideas are worth more than your freedom. by elucido · · Score: 1


    Sacrifice your freedom of thought so that we can live in a world without virtual snuff films and computer generated child pornography. Keep your sick thoughts to yourself so that other people can express their sick thoughts in public.

  323. You think just like they do. by elucido · · Score: 1


    If you support torture, you are no different than the pedophile who tortures children.

    Torture is torture. However, I do agree that pedophiles should be locked away in prison. The question should be whether or not being exposed to certain images makes someone a pedophile.

    I personally think it takes a bit more than that, but thats just my opinion. If you believe people should be locked up for thinking as a pedophile, why not just institute a sexual preference test and determine who they are once and for all so you can leave the rest of us alone?

    A pedophile will fail that test, the rest of us sane people will pass.

  324. First question, are pedophiles human or not? by elucido · · Score: 1

    Answer: Yes? No?

  325. Give them a sexual preference brain scan. by elucido · · Score: 1


    Give them a brain scan and force them to view sick images. If they fall into the pedophile category, offer to either chip them or put them in prison.

    1. Re:Give them a sexual preference brain scan. by bluefoxlucid · · Score: 1

      My sarcasm detector is broken, you sound like a moron.

    2. Re:Give them a sexual preference brain scan. by elucido · · Score: 1


      It's consistent with the current agenda and it would work.

    3. Re:Give them a sexual preference brain scan. by bluefoxlucid · · Score: 1

      Yes but it sounds like it would also destroy the lives of innocents. ?_?

  326. Re:It's about psychology by Fulcrum+of+Evil · · Score: 1

    If there is a rule that you can talk about everything except X, then you have freedom of speech with respect to (All possible topics of speech - X). So in a significant sense it would not be correct that you "don't have free speech at all".

    It is correct, actually: the only speech that needs protection is unpopular speech. If you can ban specific topics, then speech is no longer free.

    --
    "We returned the General to El Salvador, or maybe Guatemala, it's difficult to tell from 10,000 feet"
  327. Re:Pedophiles by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    First off, I agree with you, cgt anything should be ok.

    A Muslim will tell you not to eat pork, a Hindu will tell you not to eat beef, which one is right? Why does only one have to be right?
    But the answer is the vegetarian/vegan will tell you they are both right and you also shouldn't eat other things which were alive(ignoring that plants are alive too) As you can see it's a slippery slope.
  328. how old is that jpeg? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I don't see how you can determine the age of an image. In real life, there are plenty of 18 year olds here in the USA that can pass for 15. And plenty of 15s who can pass for 18. My 20 year old ex was mistaken for a high-schooler by old people.

    How the bloody hell do these damn brits expect to determine the intended age of an image??

    They should all go bugger themselves, I say.