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Computer underground Digest Wed Jan 21, 1998 Volume 10 : Issue 05
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ISSN 1004-042X
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Editor: Jim Thomas (cudigest@sun.soci.niu.edu)
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News Editor: Gordon Meyer (gmeyer@sun.soci.niu.edu)
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Archivist: Brendan Kehoe
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Shadow Master: Stanton McCandlish
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Shadow-Archivists: Dan Carosone / Paul Southworth
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Ralph Sims / Jyrki Kuoppala
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Ian Dickinson
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Field Agent Extraordinaire: David Smith
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Cu Digest Homepage: http://www.soci.niu.edu/~cudigest
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CONTENTS, #10.05 (Wed, Jan 21, 1998)
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File 1--SEMANTICS AND THE CHILD PORNOGRAPHER (From V.I.P. Newsletter)
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File 2--Text of US v. Hockings (Child porn decision / 9th Fed Circ.)
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File 3--Text of 18 USC Sec. 2252 (Sexual Exploitation...of Children )
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File 4--Law Enforcement Using the Web for "Justice?"
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File 5--"Underground", Suelette Dreyfus
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File 6--Cu Digest Header Info (unchanged since 7 May, 1997)
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CuD ADMINISTRATIVE, EDITORIAL, AND SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION APPEARS IN
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THE CONCLUDING FILE AT THE END OF EACH ISSUE.
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---------------------------------------------------------------------
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Date: Thu, 15 Jan 1998 20:13:43
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From: Charles C.Mann@sun.soci.niu.edu, ccm@crocker.com
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Subject: File 1--SEMANTICS AND THE CHILD PORNOGRAPHER (From V.I.P. Newsletter)
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I forwarded a copy of a bit from this same newsletter last
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month that you seemed to find interesting. Sorry to be doing it
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again -- I promise this is the last one -- but this case seemed so
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bizarre that I thought CuD might get a chuckle out of it. Although
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I suspect civil libertarians might cheer the outcome, the level of
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Congressional law-writing incompetence suggested by the court is
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depressing to contemplate.
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Charles Mann
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------- Forwarded Message Follows -------
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Date--Wed, 14 Jan 1998 22--52--38 -0500
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From--Erick Iriarte <bdpc@mail.dti.net>
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To--Multiple recipients of list <cni-copyright@cni.org>
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Subject--VIP - 1/12/98
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<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><
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V.I.P. (Virtual Intellectual Property) Newsletter
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U.S. Intellectual Property & New Media Law Update
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Monday, January 12, 1998
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Volume II, Issue II
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Bazerman & Drangel, P.C.
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<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><
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(C) Bazerman & Drangel, P.C. 1998
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*********************************************
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SEMANTICS AND THE CHILD PORNOGRAPHER
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U.S. v. Hockings (Ninth Cir. - Decided- November 21, 1997)
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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The Defendant was charged with one count of possession of eight
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computer files containing visual depictions of child pornography in
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violation of Section 18 U.S.C. Sec. 2252(a)(4)(B) and one count of
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transporting sixteen visual depictions of child pornography in
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interstate commerce in violation of 18 U.S.C. Sec. 2252(a)(1).
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After a bench trial he was found guilty on both counts.
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What is a poor child pornographer to do if he is caught red handed
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with the child pornography? Why, attack the statute, what else. The
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statute criminalizes the knowing transportation in interstate commerce
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by any means including by computer or mail of "visual depictions"
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involving minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct or possessing
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three such items. On appeal, Defendant maintained that visual
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depiction did not include GIF files. The Court noted that it would be
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an "absurdity" to find that Congress intended to outlaw the
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transportation of pornographic visual depictions of children by
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computer, yet concluded that the Congress did not intend to include
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GIF files within the definition of visual depiction.
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Defendant had a subsidiary argument that the statute was
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unconstitutionally vague since it did not clearly indicate to him that
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such electronic depictions would be considered visual depictions under
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the statute. The Court found the statute clear on its face.
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The this decision can be seen at:
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http://www.vcilp.org/Fed-Ct/Circuit/9th/opinions/9750018.htm
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<lots of less relevant stuff snipped out>
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%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
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<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><
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The complete set of newsletters can be viewed at:
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http://www.ipcounselors.com
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If you have any questions or comments regarding any of the above,
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please do not hesitate to contact us. IF YOU ARE AWARE OF ANY
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INTERESTING RECENT CASE, PARTICULARLY IF THE COMPLAINT OR DECISION IS
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ON THE WEB OR YOU CAN SUPPLY US WITH A COPY OF THE PLEADINGS OR
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DECISION FOR POSTING, PLEASE LET US KNOW.
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If you do not wish to receive the update, send a message to
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bdpc@ipcounselors.com with "unsubscribe update" in the body of the
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message. If you know of others who wish to subscribe, have them send a
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message to bdpc@ipcounselors.com with "subscribe update" in the body
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of their message.
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Bazerman & Drangel, P.C.
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Intellectual Property and New Media Attorneys
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60 East 42nd Street
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Suite 1158
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New York, NY 10165
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tel: 212 292 5390
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fax: 212 292 5391
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e-mail: bdpc@ipcounselors.com
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------------------------------
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Date: Fri, 16 Jan 1998 12:23:25 -0600
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From: jthomas@SUN.SOCI.NIU.EDU(Jim Thomas)
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Subject: File 2--Text of US v. Hockings (Child porn decision / 9th Fed Circ.)
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From: http://www.vcilp.org/Fed-Ct/Circuit/9th/opinions/9750018.htm
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_________________________________________________________________
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[IMAGE] This opinion was acquired from the 9th Circuit and enhanced
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for distribution on the Internet by
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The Villanova Center for Information and Policy.
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_________________________________________________________________
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FOR PUBLICATION
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UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
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FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT
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UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
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No. 97-50018
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Plaintiff-Appellee,
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D.C. No.
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v.
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CR-95-00556-TJH
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MARK STUART HOCKINGS,
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OPINION
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Defendant-Appellant.
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Appeal from the United States District Court
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for the Central District of California
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Terry J. Hatter, District Judge, Presiding
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Argued and Submitted
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November 3, 1997--Pasadena, California
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Filed November 21, 1997
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Before: William C. Canby, Jr. and David R. Thompson,
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Circuit Judges, and Donald W. Molloy,* District Judge.
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Opinion by Judge Molloy
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_________________________________________________________________
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SUMMARY
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COUNSEL
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Richard D. Burda, Deputy Federal Public Defender, Los
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Angeles, California, for the defendant-appellant.
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David C. Scheper, and Benjamin Jones, Jr., Assistant United
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States Attorneys, Los Angeles, California, for the plaintiff-
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appellee.
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_________________________________________________________________
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OPINION
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MOLLOY, District Judge:
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I. Overview
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Mark Stuart Hockings ("Hockings") was charged with one
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count of possessing eight computer files containing visual
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13999
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depictions of child pornography, in violation of 18 U.S.C.
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S 2252(a)(4)(B), and one count of transporting sixteen visual
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depictions of child pornography in interstate commerce, in
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violation of 18 U.S.C. S 2252(a)(1). After a bench trial he was
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found guilty on both counts.
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On appeal, he claims the computer GIF files from which
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pornographic images could be retrieved are not "visual
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depictions" as defined in the charging statute. Additionally, he
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argues the charging statute did not provide him with fair
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warning of the proscribed conduct. We disagree.
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The construction or interpretation of a statute is reviewed
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de novo. United States v. DeLaCorte, 113 F.3d 154, 155 (9th
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Cir. 1997). Whether a statute is void for vagueness is also
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reviewed de novo. United States v. Woodley, 9 F.3d 774, 778
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(9th Cir. 1993).
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II. Discussion
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A.
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Subsections 2252(a)(1) and (4)(B) criminalize the knowing
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transportation in interstate commerce, "by any means includ-
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ing by computer or mails," of "visual depictions" involving
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minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, 18 U.S.C.
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S 2252(a)(1) (emphasis added). It is also illegal to be in the
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knowing possession of three or more "matter[s] which contain
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any [such] visual depiction," 18 U.S.C.S 2252(a)(4)(B).
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When the offense happened, the applicable statute stated that
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" `visual depiction' includes undeveloped film and
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videotape." 18 U.S.C. S 2256(5) (Law. Co-op. 1991). It did
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not refer to information stored on disc. In 1996, the statutory
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definition was expanded to include "data stored on computer
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disk or by electronic means which is capable of conversion
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into a visual image." 18 U.S.C.S. S 2256(5) (Law. Co-op.
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1991 & Supp. 1997).
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14000
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When interpreting a statute, we "look first to the plain lan-
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guage of the statute, construing the provisions of the entire
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law, including its object and policy, to ascertain the intent of
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Congress." Northwest Forest Resource Council v. Glickman,
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82 F.3d 825, 830 (9th Cir. 1996). If the statute is unclear, we
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look next to the legislative history. Id. at 830-31.
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[1] Hockings argues that his conduct is not within the pur-
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view of the statute because the definition of "visual depiction"
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contained in the former version of section 2256(5), includes
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undeveloped film and videotape but not computer data. How-
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ever, both subparts of section 2252 under which Hockings
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was charged prohibit the transportation by computer of visual
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depictions of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct. It
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leads to an absurdity to find that Congress intended to outlaw
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the transportation of pornographic visual depictions of chil-
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dren by computer, yet conclude that Congress did not intend
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to include GIF files within the definition of visual depiction.
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[2] The former definition of "visual depiction" is not lim-
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ited to undeveloped film and videotape--it "includes" those
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items but is not drafted as an exhaustive list of all items that
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constitute a "visual depiction." See 18 U.S.C.S. S 2256(5)
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(1991). This view is supported by United States v. Smith, 795
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F.2d 841 (9th Cir. 1986). Smith construed the pre-1986 ver-
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sion of the child pornography statute that contained no defini-
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tion of "visual depiction." Smith took photographs of three
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teenage girls in various stages of nudity and sent the film for
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developing. After developing the film, the photo company
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contacted U.S. postal inspectors. Smith was charged with vio-
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lations of the federal child pornography statutes and convicted
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on all counts. Id. at 844-45.
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On appeal, this court rejected Smith's argument that
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"unprocessed, undeveloped film does not constitute a `visual
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depiction' within the meaning of the statute." Id. at 846.
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Accepting that "color film must undergo an elaborate devel-
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14001
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oping process before any image can be perceived by the
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human eye," id., the court concluded:
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[T]he exclusion of unprocessed film from the stat-
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ute's coverage would impede the child pornography
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laws by protecting a necessary intermediate step in
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the sexual exploitation of children. The interpreta-
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tion urged by Smith would allow unrestricted inter-
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state commerce in child pornography so long as the
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pornography was still in the form of undeveloped
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film. Such a loophole is inconsistent with congres-
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sional intent; the undeveloped state of the film does
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not eliminate the harm to the child victims in the
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film's production or the incentive to produce created
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by the film's trafficking. We therefore hold that the
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undeveloped film constitutes a "visual depiction"
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. . . .
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Id. at 846-47.
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[3] The same rationale applies to GIF files in relation to the
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pre-1996 version of the statute under which Hockings was
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charged. GIF files were a means of storage and transportation
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of visual depictions of child pornography in this case.
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Although a software program was required to de-compress the
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GIF file, the contents of the GIF file could be viewed on a
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computer screen or printed in hard copy if so desired.
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[4] The statute was amended in 1996 to specifically include
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computer data such as GIF files. ("[V]isual depiction includes
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. . . data stored on computer disk or by electronic means
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which is capable of conversion into a visual image"). 18
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U.S.C.A. S 2256 (West Supp. 1997). Hockings suggests the
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amendment lends support to his argument that the pre-1996
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statute did not encompass GIF files. However, "Congress may
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amend a statute simply to clarify existing law, to correct a
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misinterpretation, or to overrule wrongly decided cases. Thus,
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an amendment to a statute does not necessarily indicate that
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14002
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the unamended statute means the opposite." United States v.
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Hawkins, 30 F.3d 1077, 1082 (9th Cir. 1994). We conclude
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that computer GIF files are visual depictions within the mean-
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ing of the charging statute. The visual image transported in
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binary form starts and ends pornographically and that is what
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Congress seeks to prohibit.
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B.
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[5] We also reject Hockings' attack on the statute as void
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for vagueness. The Supreme Court outlined the contours of
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the vagueness doctrine in United States v. Lanier, 137 L.Ed.
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2d 432 (1997). First, an act cannot be so vague that "men of
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common intelligence must necessarily guess at its meaning
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and differ as to its application." Id. at 442. Second, the rule
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of lenity must be applied to restrict criminal statutes to con-
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duct clearly covered by those statutes. Id. Third, a court may
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interpret the statute to provide the "requisite level" of clarity,
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but any such interpretation must not be so "novel " as to
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include conduct that "neither the statute or any prior judicial
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decision has fairly disclosed to be within its scope." Id. at
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442-43.
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Hockings argues that the charging statute is constitutionally
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vague because it criminalizes "the transportation and posses-
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sion of items [GIF files] that clearly are not visual depictions,
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on the grounds that they are visual depictions, goes beyond
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what a person of common intelligence would infer from read-
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ing the statute." We disagree. The statute satisfies the Lanier
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standard.
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[6] As noted above, GIF files are merely a means of storage
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and transportation of visual depictions. The statute proscribes
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the transportation of visual depictions of minors engaged in
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sexually explicit conduct by any means, including by com-
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puter. 18 U.S.C. S 2252(a)(1),(4)(B). While holding other-
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wise, even if judicial gloss is required to bring GIF files
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within the compass of the statute, such an interpretation is not
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14003
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novel in view of the case law discussed above. See Smith
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supra; see also United States v. Thomas, 74 F.3d 701, 707
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(6th Cir. 1996)(holding that GIF files fall within the obscenity
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statutes although not specifically proscribed herein because
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"the manner in which the images move[ ] does not affect their
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ability to be viewed on a computer screen in [a distant loca-
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tion] or their ability to be printed out in hard copy in that dis-
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tant location"). Hence, Hockings had fair warning that the
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transportation of visual depictions by means of computer GIF
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files was in violation of the statute.
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AFFIRMED.
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14004
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the end
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------------------------------
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Date: Sat, 17 Jan 1998 22:33:52 -0600
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From: jthomas@VENUS.SOCI.NIU.EDU(Jim Thomas)
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Subject: File 3--Text of 18 USC Sec. 2252 (Sexual Exploitation...of Children )
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|||
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(Source - http://law.house.gov/usc.htm)
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18 USC Sec. 2252 01/16/96
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TITLE 18 - CRIMES AND CRIMINAL PROCEDURE
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PART I - CRIMES
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CHAPTER 110 - SEXUAL EXPLOITATION AND OTHER ABUSE OF CHILDREN
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|
|||
|
Sec. 2252. Certain activities relating to material involving the
|
|||
|
sexual exploitation of minors
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
-STATUTE-
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
(a) Any person who -
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
(1) knowingly transports or ships in interstate or foreign
|
|||
|
commerce by any means including by computer or mails, any visual
|
|||
|
depiction, if -
|
|||
|
(A) the producing of such visual depiction involves the use
|
|||
|
(B) such visual depiction is of such conduct;
|
|||
|
(2) knowingly receives, or distributes, any visual depiction
|
|||
|
that has been mailed, or has been shipped or transported in
|
|||
|
interstate or foreign commerce, or which contains materials which
|
|||
|
have been mailed or so shipped or transported, by any means
|
|||
|
including by computer, or knowingly reproduces any visual
|
|||
|
depiction for distribution in interstate or foreign commerce or
|
|||
|
through the mails, if -
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
(A) the producing of such visual depiction involves the use
|
|||
|
of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct; and
|
|||
|
(B) such visual depiction is of such conduct;
|
|||
|
(3) either -
|
|||
|
(A) in the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of
|
|||
|
the United States, or on any land or building owned by, leased
|
|||
|
to, or otherwise used by or under the control of the Government
|
|||
|
of the United States, or in the Indian country as defined in
|
|||
|
section 1151 of this title, knowingly sells or possesses with
|
|||
|
intent to sell any visual depiction; or
|
|||
|
(B) knowingly sells or possesses with intent to sell any
|
|||
|
visual depiction that has been mailed, or has been shipped or
|
|||
|
transported in interstate or foreign commerce, or which was
|
|||
|
produced using materials which have been mailed or so shipped
|
|||
|
or transported, by any means, including by computer, if -
|
|||
|
(i) the producing of such visual depiction involves the use
|
|||
|
of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct; and
|
|||
|
(ii) such visual depiction is of such conduct; or
|
|||
|
(4) either -
|
|||
|
(A) in the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of
|
|||
|
the United States, or on any land or building owned by, leased
|
|||
|
to, or otherwise used by or under the control of the Government
|
|||
|
of the United States, or in the Indian country as defined in
|
|||
|
section 1151 of this title, knowingly possesses 3 or more
|
|||
|
books, magazines, periodicals, films, video tapes, or other
|
|||
|
matter which contain any visual depiction; or
|
|||
|
(B) knowingly possesses 3 or more books, magazines,
|
|||
|
periodicals, films, video tapes, or other matter which contain
|
|||
|
any visual depiction that has been mailed, or has been shipped
|
|||
|
or transported in interstate or foreign commerce, or which was
|
|||
|
produced using materials which have been mailed or so shipped
|
|||
|
or transported, by any means including by computer, if -
|
|||
|
(i) the producing of such visual depiction involves the use
|
|||
|
of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct; and
|
|||
|
(ii) such visual depiction is of such conduct;
|
|||
|
shall be punished as provided in subsection (b) of this section.
|
|||
|
(b)(1) Whoever violates, or attempts or conspires to violate,
|
|||
|
paragraph (1), (2), or (3) of subsection (a) shall be fined under
|
|||
|
this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both, but, if
|
|||
|
such person has a prior conviction under this chapter or chapter
|
|||
|
109A, such person shall be fined under this title and imprisoned
|
|||
|
for not less than five years nor more than fifteen years.
|
|||
|
(2) Whoever violates, or attempts or conspires to violate,
|
|||
|
paragraph (4) of subsection (a) shall be fined under this title or
|
|||
|
imprisoned for not more than five years, or both.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Date: Wed, 21 Jan 98 15:57 CST
|
|||
|
From: Cu Digest <TK0JUT2@MVS.CSO.NIU.EDU>
|
|||
|
Subject: File 4--Law Enforcement Using the Web for "Justice?"
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
The homepage links between law enforcement and the public became a
|
|||
|
bit tighter in the past few weeks. Two homepages, one from a New
|
|||
|
York state Attorney General, and the other from an Illinois
|
|||
|
citizen, respectively used the Web to oppose the parole of a man
|
|||
|
convicted of murdering a child and to publicize the names of sex
|
|||
|
offenders.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
In New York, the Attorney General used the homepage in an attempt
|
|||
|
to sway the decision of the parole board in an upcoming case. This
|
|||
|
seems an unacceptable intrusion of politics in what ought to be
|
|||
|
independent decision making. The New York Times reported the
|
|||
|
story as follows:
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Date--Tuesday, December 23, 1997
|
|||
|
Source--By Joseph A. Kirby, Tribune Staff Writer.
|
|||
|
Dateline--NEW YORK
|
|||
|
Copyright Chicago Tribune
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
OFFICIAL USES WEB TO FIGHT ABUSER'S PAROLE
|
|||
|
NEW YORKER'S POSTING PROMPTS HUNDREDS OF REPLIES AGAINST KILLER
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
In an unusual mingling of government and the Internet,
|
|||
|
New York state's attorney general took to cyberspace Monday
|
|||
|
to publicize his opposition to a parole petition by a
|
|||
|
Manhattan lawyer whose sensational case focused the nation's
|
|||
|
attention on domestic abuse a decade ago.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Atty. Gen. Dennis Vacco used his state Web page to alert
|
|||
|
New York residents to the upcoming January parole hearing of
|
|||
|
Joel Steinberg, who was convicted of killing his illegally
|
|||
|
adopted 6-year-old daughter, Lisa, in November 1987.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
<<Article describes how Steinberg's lover testified that
|
|||
|
he had brutally abused her and their two children for years
|
|||
|
and how Stienberg reported smoked cocaine while his oldest
|
|||
|
child was dying of a brain hemorrhage>>
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
"The Parole Board must give full weight to his horrific
|
|||
|
and senseless beatings of Lisa," Vacco wrote on the Web
|
|||
|
site, which features a picture of Lisa holding her younger
|
|||
|
brother. "Joel Steinberg . . . was nothing more than a
|
|||
|
despicable monster. He has not yet paid his debt to
|
|||
|
society."
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
<snip>
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Vacco's use of the Internet to publicize his decision is
|
|||
|
somewhat of a twist because the attorney general, like some other
|
|||
|
politicians, is a critic of the information superhighway. In
|
|||
|
recent months, the attorney general has said the Internet allows
|
|||
|
teenagers easy access to pornography and affords them the ability
|
|||
|
to illegally purchase alcohol.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
The story provides the ULR as:
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
www.oag.state.ny.us
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
In Illinois, an Associated Press report on 3 December '97 provided
|
|||
|
a URL of www.chilicothe.com that lists the names and registered
|
|||
|
sex offenders in soime Illinois counties. Although the URL was not
|
|||
|
responding to several attempts to reach it, similar homepages have
|
|||
|
been reported across the country, and the numbers will likely
|
|||
|
increase.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Because may states (and the federal government) have enacted
|
|||
|
"Megan's Laws" that require convicted sex offenders, especially
|
|||
|
with juvenile victims, to
|
|||
|
register with police in the town in which they live, such
|
|||
|
information is public. However, the legality of publishing the
|
|||
|
information makes it no less unacceptable. First, the definition
|
|||
|
of "sex offense," even when juveniles are involved, remains too
|
|||
|
broad to be meaningful. Second, the lists are not error-proof.
|
|||
|
Third, publicity exaggerates a stigma that makes reintegration
|
|||
|
into society difficulty. Finally, most offenses with juveniles as
|
|||
|
victims occur within the home.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Public dialogue on crime, such as it is, currently contains far
|
|||
|
too much heat and too little reason. State officials should bear
|
|||
|
in mind that responsible Net use applies to them as well as those
|
|||
|
they target: Demagoguery and reducing justice to a game of
|
|||
|
passions across the Net may be effective grandstanding, but it
|
|||
|
also raises questions about the impartiality of the justice.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Date: Tue, 13 Jan 1998 10:17:06 -0800
|
|||
|
From: <Rob.Slade@sprint.ca>
|
|||
|
Subject: File 5--"Underground", Suelette Dreyfus
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
BKNDRGND.RVW 970723
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
"Underground", Suelette Dreyfus, 1997, 1-86330-595-5, A$19.95
|
|||
|
%A Suelette Dreyfus
|
|||
|
%C 35 Cotham Road, Kew 3101, Australia
|
|||
|
%D 1997
|
|||
|
%G 1-86330-595-5
|
|||
|
%I Reed Books/Mandarin/Random House Australia
|
|||
|
%O A$19.95 +61-2-9550-9207 fax: +61-2-9560-0334
|
|||
|
%O debbie@iaccess.com.au
|
|||
|
%P 475
|
|||
|
%T "Underground"
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
This book is yet another gee-whiz look at teenage mutant wannabe-high-
|
|||
|
tech-bandits. The stories revolve around a number of individuals with
|
|||
|
loose links to one particular bulletin board in Melbourne, Australia,
|
|||
|
all engaged in system intrusions and phone phreaking.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
An immediate annoyance is the insistence of the author in referring to
|
|||
|
system breaking as "hacking." ("Cracking" seems to be reserved for
|
|||
|
breaking copy protection on games and other commercial software.) If
|
|||
|
any actual hacking takes place--creative, or otherwise sophisticated,
|
|||
|
use of the technology--it isn't apparent in the book. The
|
|||
|
descriptions of activities are vague, but generally appear to be
|
|||
|
simple "cookbook" uses of known security loopholes. This may not
|
|||
|
accurately reflect the events as they transpired, since the author
|
|||
|
also betrays no depth of technical knowledge, and seems to be willing
|
|||
|
to accept boasting as fact. The bibliography is impressively long
|
|||
|
until you realize that a number of the articles are never used or
|
|||
|
referenced. At which point, you wonder how much material has even
|
|||
|
been read.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
The structure and organization of the book is abrupt and sometimes
|
|||
|
difficult. Social or psychological observations are arbitrarily
|
|||
|
plunked into the middle of descriptions of system exploration, and,
|
|||
|
even though the paucity of dates makes it difficult to be sure, they
|
|||
|
don't appear to be in any chronological sequence, either. Those who
|
|||
|
have studied in the security field will recognize some names and even
|
|||
|
"handles," but the conceit of using only handles for members of the
|
|||
|
"underground" makes it difficult to know how much of the material to
|
|||
|
trust.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Early chapters foreshadow dire events to overtake "Craig Bowen" and
|
|||
|
Stuart Gill: Bowen never gets mentioned again, and Gill is only
|
|||
|
mentioned twice, peripherally. (In combination with frequent
|
|||
|
allusions to ignorance on the part of law enforcement agencies, one
|
|||
|
might suspect that a kind of Australian version of "The Hacker
|
|||
|
Crackdown" [cf. BKHKCRCK.RVW] was planned, but, if so, it didn't come
|
|||
|
off.)
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
The book's attitude is also oddly inconsistent. In places, the
|
|||
|
crackers and phreaks are lauded as brilliant, anti-establishment
|
|||
|
heroes; but, by and large, they are portrayed as unsocialized,
|
|||
|
paranoid, spineless non-entities, who have no life skills beyond a few
|
|||
|
pieces of pseudo-technical knowledge used for playing vicious pranks.
|
|||
|
So thorough is this characterization, that it comes as a total shock
|
|||
|
to find, in the afterword, that not only do these people survive their
|
|||
|
court convictions, but also become important contributing members of
|
|||
|
society.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
The author seems to feel quite free to point fingers in all
|
|||
|
directions. The absurdity of giving "look-see" intruders larger
|
|||
|
prison sentences than thieves or spies is pointed out, but not the
|
|||
|
difficulty of legally proving intent. After repeatedly hinting at
|
|||
|
police incompetence, brutality, and even corruption, the book ends
|
|||
|
with a rather weak statement implying that the situation is getting
|
|||
|
better. The common cracker assertion that if sysadmins don't want
|
|||
|
intruders, then they should secure their systems better, is followed
|
|||
|
up with no discussion of surveys showing only one full-time security
|
|||
|
person per five thousand employees, and only passing mention, by one
|
|||
|
of the ex-intruders, of the extreme difficulty in doing so. Poor
|
|||
|
family situations are used so frequently to justify illegal activities
|
|||
|
that one feels the need to point out that *most* products of "broken"
|
|||
|
homes do *not* become obsessive, paranoid loner criminals!
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
It is interesting to see a book written about a non-US scene, and from
|
|||
|
a non-American perspective. Technically and journalistically,
|
|||
|
however, it has numerous problems.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
copyright Robert M. Slade, 1997 BKNDRGND.RVW 970723
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Date: Thu, 7 May 1997 22:51:01 CST
|
|||
|
From: CuD Moderators <cudigest@sun.soci.niu.edu>
|
|||
|
Subject: File 6--Cu Digest Header Info (unchanged since 7 May, 1997)
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Cu-Digest is a weekly electronic journal/newsletter. Subscriptions are
|
|||
|
available at no cost electronically.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
CuD is available as a Usenet newsgroup: comp.society.cu-digest
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Or, to subscribe, send post with this in the "Subject:: line:
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
SUBSCRIBE CU-DIGEST
|
|||
|
Send the message to: cu-digest-request@weber.ucsd.edu
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
DO NOT SEND SUBSCRIPTIONS TO THE MODERATORS.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
The editors may be contacted by voice (815-753-6436), fax (815-753-6302)
|
|||
|
or U.S. mail at: Jim Thomas, Department of Sociology, NIU, DeKalb, IL
|
|||
|
60115, USA.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
To UNSUB, send a one-line message: UNSUB CU-DIGEST
|
|||
|
Send it to CU-DIGEST-REQUEST@WEBER.UCSD.EDU
|
|||
|
(NOTE: The address you unsub must correspond to your From: line)
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Issues of CuD can also be found in the Usenet comp.society.cu-digest
|
|||
|
news group; on CompuServe in DL0 and DL4 of the IBMBBS SIG, DL1 of
|
|||
|
LAWSIG, and DL1 of TELECOM; on GEnie in the PF*NPC RT
|
|||
|
libraries and in the VIRUS/SECURITY library; from America Online in
|
|||
|
the PC Telecom forum under "computing newsletters;"
|
|||
|
On Delphi in the General Discussion database of the Internet SIG;
|
|||
|
on RIPCO BBS (312) 528-5020 (and via Ripco on internet);
|
|||
|
CuD is also available via Fidonet File Request from
|
|||
|
1:11/70; unlisted nodes and points welcome.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
In ITALY: ZERO! BBS: +39-11-6507540
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
UNITED STATES: ftp.etext.org (206.252.8.100) in /pub/CuD/CuD
|
|||
|
Web-accessible from: http://www.etext.org/CuD/CuD/
|
|||
|
ftp.eff.org (192.88.144.4) in /pub/Publications/CuD/
|
|||
|
aql.gatech.edu (128.61.10.53) in /pub/eff/cud/
|
|||
|
world.std.com in /src/wuarchive/doc/EFF/Publications/CuD/
|
|||
|
wuarchive.wustl.edu in /doc/EFF/Publications/CuD/
|
|||
|
EUROPE: nic.funet.fi in pub/doc/CuD/CuD/ (Finland)
|
|||
|
ftp.warwick.ac.uk in pub/cud/ (United Kingdom)
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
The most recent issues of CuD can be obtained from the
|
|||
|
Cu Digest WWW site at:
|
|||
|
URL: http://www.soci.niu.edu/~cudigest/
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
COMPUTER UNDERGROUND DIGEST is an open forum dedicated to sharing
|
|||
|
information among computerists and to the presentation and debate of
|
|||
|
diverse views. CuD material may be reprinted for non-profit as long
|
|||
|
as the source is cited. Authors hold a presumptive copyright, and
|
|||
|
they should be contacted for reprint permission. It is assumed that
|
|||
|
non-personal mail to the moderators may be reprinted unless otherwise
|
|||
|
specified. Readers are encouraged to submit reasoned articles
|
|||
|
relating to computer culture and communication. Articles are
|
|||
|
preferred to short responses. Please avoid quoting previous posts
|
|||
|
unless absolutely necessary.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
DISCLAIMER: The views represented herein do not necessarily represent
|
|||
|
the views of the moderators. Digest contributors assume all
|
|||
|
responsibility for ensuring that articles submitted do not
|
|||
|
violate copyright protections.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
End of Computer Underground Digest #10.05
|
|||
|
************************************
|
|||
|
|