FC: DOJ steps up child porn fight, plan regulates digital cameras
Declan McCullagh
declan at well.com
Sun Apr 1 15:07:24 PDT 2001
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]
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