Today's Guardian (uk) reports at page 4, column 2: [I've edited this down] "Police move on Internet porn" By Owen Bowcott Vice squad officers from eight police forces yesterday took part in an internationally-co-ordinated operation aimed at suspected paedophiles who are alleged to have been exchanging child pornography on the Internet. Nine people were arrested in early morning raids in the United Kingdom and a further 31 were detained elsewhere in her, America, the far east and South Africa. Codenamed Operation Starburst, the investigation follows growing concerns [about internet porn] ... In the United Kingdom, 13 search warrants were executed ... Computer equipment was seized. Those arrested were questioned but later released on bail. [later the article reports 9 arrests and 17 computers seized] The inquiry was prompted by officers in the West Midlands police commercial vice unit who had identified several Britons they believed were distributing child pornography on the Internet. The Paedophile Unit and the National Criminal Intelligence Service made contact with overseas police forces to trace people suspected of trading obscene pictures. [Detectives then quoted describing how "appalling" and "hard core" the pictures were, and saying that the "perverts were not making profits from the pictures" just trading them.] -- Michael Froomkin until Aug 6: michael@umlaw.demon.co.uk U.Miami School of Law London, England mfroomki@umiami.ir.miami.edu <-- this will still find me PO Box 248087 Coral Gables, FL 33124-8087 "Rain in parts, then dry" --BBC See http://www-swiss.ai.mit.edu/6095/articles/froomkin-metaphor/text.html