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Legal Issues

by Mike Masnick

Mon, Aug 11th 2003 1:36am





Trojans Putting Child Pornography On Computers

from the that-can't-be-good dept

With the recent acquittal of a UK man accused of having child pornography on his computer after it was determined that the images were a result of a Trojan horse virus on his computer, the NY Times is looking at a number of legal questions this brings up. First of all, there's the issue of whether or not this will become the "standard" defense of anyone caught with child pornography. However, even scarier, is the idea that child porn could just end up showing up on your hard drive without your knowledge, if you did happen to get infected with a Trojan horse. The article quotes Mark Rasch saying: "The scary thing is not that the defense might work, [but] that the defense might be right." Yet another example where authorities are going to have to get caught up on technology if they're going to accurately find the criminals, and not end up throwing innocent people in jail.

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  1.  
    identicon
    Anonymous Coward, Aug 11th, 2003 @ 7:48am

    No Subject Given

    Years ago, as a 'joke' at work, we subscribed a co-worker to an explicit pornographic gay male magazine. While we never admitted... we hinted... and the whole thing was seen as a joke.

    Can't imagine what would happen today.

    The parallels are obvious.

     

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  2.  
    identicon
    Ian Davis, Aug 11th, 2003 @ 8:21am

    Deliberate Infections

    Of course, now all the paedophile has to do is deliberately get infected - not only do they get their chosen type of porn for free they also get an alibi for having it. Makes you wonder at the motivation of the virus writer.

    The same could happen with MP3s also - a virus that acts as a Kazaa client would provide cover for all kinds of illegal trading.

     

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  3.  
    identicon
    Anonymous Coward, Aug 11th, 2003 @ 9:53am

    Re: No Subject Given

    Yeah. we used to do that all the time. It was gas with those who could get the joke (which used to be more people, back when people used their brain and lived without mommy).

    In this american theocracy, I'd be afraid today of having my figurative hand chopped off by the snarling 'protective' lawyers.



     

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  4.  
    identicon
    aNonMooseCowherd, Aug 11th, 2003 @ 10:37am

    No Subject Given

    Maybe this is what will finally get people to take security seriously.

     

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  5.  
    identicon
    cef, Jan 21st, 2005 @ 12:24am

    No Subject Given

    That's why the internet piracy must be stopped, i mean, guess no one's ever in mood to find some crap like that on the hard drive

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]


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