IP: CWD-Computer Isn't Criminal

[Dave Farber <farber () cis upenn edu>]

CyberWire Dispatch// Copyright (c) 1997 // October 29, 1997 //


Jacking in from the "Castrate the Bastards" Port:


Washington-Sexual abuse of children shreds the very fabric our moral fiber. 
 Pedophiles are a reality we'd rather not think about. Think again. Hard. 
These twisted predators have upped the ante in their perverted quest by 
taking the wonderful discovery and entertainment value that is embodied by 
the Internet and are using it to advance their own diabolical end.


In the U.S. there have been has been a high profile story of a 15-year-old 
New Jersey boy that sexually molested and killed an 11-year-old who was 
going door-to-door selling candy.  The story was quickly dubbed an 
"Internet crime" although there was absolutely no direct link between the 
crime and the computer.


How did the mainstream media make this brain dead leap of  "objective" 
reporting?  All too easily as it turns out.  The teenage killer was later 
found linked to a convicted pedophile whom he willfully traveled to New 
York to met for sex.  Yet because the 15-year-old met his abuser online and 
also was found to have created his own home page on the Web, the popular 
press dubbed the kid the "cyber-psycho."


Forget that the computer was incidental in the case.  It's not at all clear 
that the 15-year-old, a troubled youth as characterized by his own parents, 
wouldn't have sought out such trouble on his own, without the aid of the 
computer.   Yet cases of child sexual abuse, even with a cursory link to 
the Internet, keep the issue of online predators on the national stage.


What can parents do?  Ratchet up what we've always done:  educate our kids. 
 We've long warned our kids about "stranger danger."  Public parks, 
shopping malls and even the local church aren't safe havens anymore.  Now 
we need to educate our children about the potential for danger when they 
venture online just as we warn them about strangers in the park.  Yes it's 
an uncomfortable task.  But no one said parenting was all trips to 
Disneyland and Steven Spielberg movies.


What can we do?  Be realistic; bad stuff happens, even online.  Although 
the Internet isn't the criminal, it does allow sexual predators to extend 
their hunt in ways never before possible.  That's why parents can't simply 
turn their kids loose on the computer without guidance and continued 
involvement.  If little Johnny begins to blow off his friends and his 
weekends in favor of spending all his spare time in front of the computer 
be concerned.  You might have a budding Bill Gates; you might have a 
nightmare in the making. Find out what your kid is doing on the computer; 
make it a family activity.


Can we at least stop convicted sex offenders from using the computer? No, 
it makes no sense. Would we then have to have a five day waiting period 
before buying computers and modems so a criminal background check could be 
made?  Of course not.  After all, we don't forbid these dirtballs from 
entering parks or shopping malls.


We can push for harsher penalties for sex offenders.  A bill now in the 
Senate, S. 900, the "Child Exploitation Sentencing Enhancement Act," is 
aimed at beefing up the penalties for those who use a computer to commit 
crimes of sexual abuse or exploitation against children.  Jail time is 
doubled in some cases, up to 15 years.  That's a start, not a solution. If 
I were king, I'd execute them and let the victim's parents pull the switch. 
Too harsh?  Let's compromise:  extended jail time and castration.


The Internet is no different than the world around us, full of the good, 
the bad and the ugly.  But it also mirrors all that is good, wondrous and 
entertaining in our daily lives.  The Internet isn't a VCR; in today's 
world, you can't get away with not knowing how it works.  Don't waste 
another day in your ignorance;  your children can't afford your apathy.


Meeks out...


















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"Photons have neither morals nor visas"  --  Dave Farber 1994
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