4 ms·

In the US, it's entirely possible that an image on that site could get someone charged with possession of child pornography.

antoncohen 15y ago
I don't think anything on that site qualifies as pornography or child pornography in the US. "Pornography" is not a legal term, but is generally defined as "intended to cause sexual excitement" [1]. "Child Pornography" is a legal term, with similar definition in law [2]. If you look at the pictures there are a lot that show topless or covered-nude young males. They are not child pornography because they do not display "sexually explicit conduct." It's not illegal to take pictures of your naked baby [3]. If the under-age males in the photographs were depicted performing fellatio on a sex toy it would be child pornography, no matter how much clothing they had on. Nudity != Pornography. [1] http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pornography http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pornography [2] http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/usc_sec_18_00002256----000-.html http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/usc_sec_18_00002256----000... [3] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pornography_by_region#Child_pornography http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pornography_by_region#Child_por...
- potatolicious 15y ago
  As with all things even remotely approaching the label "child pornography", caution is better than not. The fact that a charge wouldn't stand up in a court of law is one thing, your reputation and life is another. Being accused of anything even remotely like this is enough to end one's useful life. Our society can't give two shits that you were exonerated, they just care that you were accused.
  - buff-a 15y ago
    You are living in fear. There is an entire rational society in the USA that is alive and well. Its just not as large as the ignorant, irrational one.
    - potatolicious 15y ago
      Will the rational people ride to my rescue? If not, I fail to see what your point is. So, some people will be rational enough to see through the bullshit, but the vast majority of the world will not, and unfortunately one doesn't have much control who he/she runs into in their lifetime.
      - buff-a 15y ago
        Well, you might have to move.
    - jtheory 15y ago
      It's not at all irrational to be wary of a system that can ruin your life if you run afoul of it. It's a shame that the situation forces self-censorship, but the situation is a reality in the US, and it's irrational to pretend the risk isn't real. Here's an article that stuck in my mind when I read it a few years back: http://www.salon.com/2006/07/18/photos_18/ http://www.salon.com/2006/07/18/photos_18/ It discusses (after the writer's personal horror story of being investigated for child porn after taking photos of his kids nude on a camping trip) how the laws intended to keep kids safe are actually causing many unsubstantiated reports, which in turn must be investigated, which in turn has disastrous consequences for many completely innocent parties. It also takes a stab at estimating how many people this actually happens to. Would you to have all of your co-workers, neighbors, etc. interviewed about you due to child pornography charges? Be forced to take your own children into child protection services to be asked leading questions about good touches and bad touches? That damage isn't fixed when the charges are dropped. I'm a parent, and perfectly comfortable with breast-feeding, nudity, and all that. My daughter loves running around naked, and that's awesome. But I don't put any photos online that would put me or anyone else at risk, and would never send them to a photo lab, in the US or any other country I've lived in. It's just not worth the risk.
  - lotharbot 15y ago
    This is particularly true for those who work with children. Once rumors start circulating that your kid's 4th grade teacher "got busted for child porn", there's a high likelihood they'll never be able to teach again, even if the investigation clears them or the charge is thrown out. Sure, some parents will be understanding, but it only takes a few to cause a frenzy. It's also important for those of us who browse the internet with our children present. If your first grader tells his friend he saw a naked picture of a little kid on daddy's computer, and an adult overhears, that's probably going to bring child protective services (or SRS or whatever it's called in your area). Once CPS is involved, your entire life comes under intense scrutiny. Point being: exercise caution. Use NSFW labels whenever you link to nudity, especially child nudity, even if it's totally non-sexual.

antoncohen 15y ago

I don't think anything on that site qualifies as pornography or child pornography in the US. "Pornography" is not a legal term, but is generally defined as "intended to cause sexual excitement" [1]. "Child Pornography" is a legal term, with similar definition in law [2]. If you look at the pictures there are a lot that show topless or covered-nude young males. They are not child pornography because they do not display "sexually explicit conduct." It's not illegal to take pictures of your naked baby [3]. If the under-age males in the photographs were depicted performing fellatio on a sex toy it would be child pornography, no matter how much clothing they had on. Nudity != Pornography. [1] http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pornography http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pornography [2] http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/usc_sec_18_00002256----000-.html http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/usc_sec_18_00002256----000... [3] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pornography_by_region#Child_pornography http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pornography_by_region#Child_por...

potatolicious 15y ago
As with all things even remotely approaching the label "child pornography", caution is better than not. The fact that a charge wouldn't stand up in a court of law is one thing, your reputation and life is another. Being accused of anything even remotely like this is enough to end one's useful life. Our society can't give two shits that you were exonerated, they just care that you were accused.
- buff-a 15y ago
  You are living in fear. There is an entire rational society in the USA that is alive and well. Its just not as large as the ignorant, irrational one.
  - potatolicious 15y ago
    Will the rational people ride to my rescue? If not, I fail to see what your point is. So, some people will be rational enough to see through the bullshit, but the vast majority of the world will not, and unfortunately one doesn't have much control who he/she runs into in their lifetime.
    - buff-a 15y ago
      Well, you might have to move.
  - jtheory 15y ago
    It's not at all irrational to be wary of a system that can ruin your life if you run afoul of it. It's a shame that the situation forces self-censorship, but the situation is a reality in the US, and it's irrational to pretend the risk isn't real. Here's an article that stuck in my mind when I read it a few years back: http://www.salon.com/2006/07/18/photos_18/ http://www.salon.com/2006/07/18/photos_18/ It discusses (after the writer's personal horror story of being investigated for child porn after taking photos of his kids nude on a camping trip) how the laws intended to keep kids safe are actually causing many unsubstantiated reports, which in turn must be investigated, which in turn has disastrous consequences for many completely innocent parties. It also takes a stab at estimating how many people this actually happens to. Would you to have all of your co-workers, neighbors, etc. interviewed about you due to child pornography charges? Be forced to take your own children into child protection services to be asked leading questions about good touches and bad touches? That damage isn't fixed when the charges are dropped. I'm a parent, and perfectly comfortable with breast-feeding, nudity, and all that. My daughter loves running around naked, and that's awesome. But I don't put any photos online that would put me or anyone else at risk, and would never send them to a photo lab, in the US or any other country I've lived in. It's just not worth the risk.
- lotharbot 15y ago
  This is particularly true for those who work with children. Once rumors start circulating that your kid's 4th grade teacher "got busted for child porn", there's a high likelihood they'll never be able to teach again, even if the investigation clears them or the charge is thrown out. Sure, some parents will be understanding, but it only takes a few to cause a frenzy. It's also important for those of us who browse the internet with our children present. If your first grader tells his friend he saw a naked picture of a little kid on daddy's computer, and an adult overhears, that's probably going to bring child protective services (or SRS or whatever it's called in your area). Once CPS is involved, your entire life comes under intense scrutiny. Point being: exercise caution. Use NSFW labels whenever you link to nudity, especially child nudity, even if it's totally non-sexual.