DOJ steps up child porn fight, plan regulates digital cameras
Tim May
tcmay at got.net
Sun Apr 1 17:22:07 PDT 2001
New generations to be unveiled every year on this day, I expect?
--Tim
At 6:09 PM -0400 4/1/01, Declan McCullagh wrote:
>----- Forwarded message from Declan McCullagh <declan at well.com> -----
>
>From: Declan McCullagh <declan at well.com>
>Subject: FC: DOJ steps up child porn fight, plan regulates digital cameras
>To: politech at politechbot.com
>Date: Sun, 1 Apr 2001 18:07:24 -0400
>X-URL: Politech is at http://www.politechbot.com/
>
>
>http://www.cluebot.com/article.pl?sid=01/04/01/2155249
>
>DOJ STEPS UP CHILD PORNOGRAPHY FIGHT
>Proposal makes digital cameras "childsafe"
>
>April 1, 2001
>By Staff Writer
>
> WASHINGTON -- Citing the explosive growth in child pornography and
> obscenity, the U.S. Department of Justice aims to rein in the
> fast-growing digital camera industry.
>
> A DOJ project code-named "Indecent Images" plans to implant
> technologies developed to automatically recognize hard-core Internet
> sex images into the next generation of cameras. An II-compliant camera
> will refuse to take illegal photographs or videos, and could even
> quietly tip off law enforcement to illicit behavior.
>
> On Friday, a DOJ spokeswoman confirmed the existence of the II
> project, and said that the remarkable number of child pornographers
> now using digital cameras on the Internet underground represents a new
> challenge to law enforcement that Congress should carefully consider.
>
> The spokeswoman declined to provide details, but one DOJ source said
> the Office of Legislative Affairs has drafted legislation and plans to
> send it to Capitol Hill next month. The Senate has previously voted to
> condemn the menace of children and sex.
>
> "One we'd prosecute child pornographers who take rolls of film to the
> corner fot-o-mat for developing," said the source, who spoke on
> condition of anonymity. "But now when everything's digital, we can no
> longer protect America's children. We need a new First Amendment for
> the digital age."
>
> Child pornography appears to be a popular Internet hobby. An Altavista
> search returns 25,999 pages found that "match your search criteria." A
> Google search turns up far more child pornography: 425,000 hits.
>
> A spokesman for President Bush said the White House supports the II
> plan, which is consistent with the 2000 Republican Party platform that
> urged strenuous activity involving "obscenity and child pornography."
> Bush said last year that: "It's important for us to explain to our
> nation that life is important. It's not only life of babies, but it's
> life of children living in, you know, the dark dungeons of the
> Internet."
>
> Critics said the II draft bill raises free speech concerns.
>
> An ACLU spokeswoman said that the II proposal would unreasonably
> restrict legitimate art and photography, and that the technology to
> recognize images as child pornography or obscenity is far from
> perfect. The ACLU and the American Library Association filed suit
> earlier this month to overturn the Children's Internet Protection Act,
> which encourages libraries to use filtering software -- some of which
> uses II-type technology.
>
> The bill would likely be sponsored in the Senate by Dianne Feinstein
> (D-Calif.) and Judiciary chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), and in the
> House by Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.). Hatch and Feinstein co-sponsored the
> 1996 "morphed" child porn law that is currently the subject of a legal
> challenge, and an aide said Feinstein viewed this as a logical
> extension of using technology to thwart inappropriate views and
> behavior.
>
> The DOJ proposal requires the Federal Communications Commission --
> which already regulates "indecent" broadcasts -- to police the digital
> photo and video industry as well. Any manufacturer seeking a license
> to sell such products in the U.S. after April 1, 2002 would have to
> demonstrate that they were II-compatible to receive FCC approval under
> agency rule 602P.
>
> Nikon and Canon, which sell digital cameras, could not immediately be
> reached for comment. Kodak faxed a statement to reporters over the
> weekend that said: "We never have approved of the use of our products
> to record intercourse, missionary position or otherwise, with
> children, and we look forward to working with law enforcement to meet
> their concerns."
>
> The II technology plan, according to an outline provided by the DOJ
> source, has two phases: II.1, which scans images using advanced neural
> networks to recognize and delete illicit material.
>
> II.2, which would not be mandated until April 1, 2003, is far more
> high-tech. Some observers believe it will spur development of this
> kind of advanced artificial intelligence, giving U.S. tech firms a
> badly-needed boost given the recent stock market downturn.
>
> The II draft says that "any variant" of digital still or video camera
> must include a GPS device and a transmitter that is compatible with
> U.S. pager networks. When a child pornographer takes an illegal photo,
> the camera recognizes it and transmits an encrypted message containing
> the image, the date, and the location to the local police -- who would
> then raid the home and save the child from continued erotic
> exploitation.
>
> The Family Research Council, which estimates it has been involved in
> helping police make 83.5 percent of arrests related to child
> pornography, applauded the II approach. "It's about time Congress did
> something hard-core on this issue," said FRC spokesman and author
> Martin Rimm. "The Internet should be more than a place where children
> can have sex with dogs."
>
> The DOJ wants to encourage photo-video manufacturers to license
> technology from companies such as Exotrope, a firm in New York state
> that sells porn-recognition software. New York Governor George Pataki
> has applauded Exotrope's "state-of-the-art technology and PC Magazine
> gave it an "editor's choice" award.
>
> The FRC's Rimm, who conducted a highly-publicized Carnegie Mellon
> University study into how pornography is marketed on the information
> superhighway -- an updated version will soon be published in
> Georgetown University's law review -- says he hopes Congress will act
> swiftly.
>
> "My research shows 'paraphilic pornography' is on the rise," he said.
> "Our research team has undertaken the first comprehensive study of
> child pornography on the information superhighway, and let me tell
> you: Perversion has gone digital, and we need to penetrate this
> problem now."
>
> Compiled from staff and wire reports
>
>###
>
>[Note the date on the above report. Caveat lector, and all that. --Declan]
>
>
>
>-------------------------------------------------------------------------
>POLITECH -- Declan McCullagh's politics and technology mailing list
>You may redistribute this message freely if it remains intact.
>To subscribe, visit http://www.politechbot.com/info/subscribe.html
>This message is archived at http://www.politechbot.com/
>-------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
>----- End forwarded message -----
--
Timothy C. May tcmay at got.net Corralitos, California
Political: Co-founder Cypherpunks/crypto anarchy/Cyphernomicon
Technical: physics/soft errors/Smalltalk/Squeak/agents/games/Go
Personal: b.1951/UCSB/Intel '74-'86/retired/investor/motorcycles/guns
More information about the Testlist
mailing list