Researchers Use Computer-Generated 10-Year-Old Girl To Catch Online Predators

mrspoonsi writes "Dutch researchers conducted a 10-week sting, using a life-like, computer-generated 10-year-old Filipino girl named 'Sweetie.' During this time, 20,000 men contacted her. 1,000 of these men offered money to remove clothing (254 were from the U.S., 110 from the U.K. and 103 from India). Charity organization Terre des Hommes launched a global campaign to stop 'webcam sex tourism.' It has 'handed over its findings to police and has said it will provide authorities with the technology it has developed."

Comments

The police are passing up a gem

[Frobnicator]

In the article the police agencies from several nations are mentioned, asking the group to stop their work and let the police do it all.

They should be partnering with the group, giving them guidance at how to report the crimes of attempted sex crimes to the right agencies and getting iron-clad evidence to the courts. The group could work wonders in avoiding child sexual exploitation globally, or at least making predators think twice.

Instead the cops are telling them, "Let us do our job, go away." They are throwing away a gem just because they didn't do it all themselves.

Re:The numbers

[cheekyjohnson]

Then shouldn't one factor in the 10 year old girls freedom to not have undesired sex forced upon her?

That's like saying "Then shouldn't we factor in people who don't want to be blown up by terrorists?" to people who argue that the TSA needs to be abolished. There is a difference between criminals abusing people and the government, which I think should be a just entity, abusing people. What I meant is that I do not believe that something should be banned merely because it could be abused or could prove harmful in certain circumstances, at least in general.

and sending pictures of their penis to without saying in advance thats what the picture is

This I don't even care about; it's a picture.

and proceeded to try having sex with her.

With a nonexistent person?

There are also only a small number of situations, mainly where the adult chances their mind and doesn't want to do so in the end, that would factor in.

As far as I'm concerned, unless there is damning evidence that they were actually about to rape someone (they took action) or did rape someone, I don't care about anything else, including the age of the supposed victim.

If their intent is to have sex with a 10 year old, they clearly have intentions to have sex with a 10 year old.

Uh... thanks for stating the obvious, I guess. If 1 + 1 = 2, then 1 + 1 = 2.