Virtual LAW

[JudgeDredd]

President BUSH has made repeated requests for tougher laws against Child Porn "no matter how it is made", which includes the new category "Virtual Child Porn".

With Virtual Porn (including "morphed" porn) there is no actual person or child or whatever, but all created within computer modelling software.

This has been rejected by The Supreme Court on the grounds that it was "unconstitutionally vague and far-reaching." ..but have drafted a bill called the Child Obscenity and Pornography Prevention Act that would ban works that are "virtually indistinguishable from that of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct"

some of the key issues are;
1 - if there is no person (no victim) is it a crime?
2 - how do you judge the age of a virtual character?
3 - will any abuse (hitting, etc) of a virtual character be deemed illegal?
4 - will virtual animals, aliens, or robots, ...etc, be exempt?
5 - should the punishment be the same as for real porn?
6 - will this law work internationally?

..this is a HOT BED of debate - what's your thoughts?

[RusselCrowShow]

Ok dude.....any child porn is fuckin sick and wrong,
so I think there should'nt be a form of it anywhere.
Real/Fake, who cares, it sickens me to know that people beat off to that shit.
Conclusion - Ban all Child Porn

[TheShrike]

Child porn is sick...
But I would agree with the Supreme Court.
I could see that law being used to censor video games and even sites like NG.
Can you imagine not being able to virtually shoot the Olsen Twins in the face???

The terror!

[Ted-Easton]

That law would reach Asassin on NG eventually, because once it's been done for porn, virtual violence can't be far behind.
And, I'm not saying I support child porn, but what is truly wrong with creating the virtual. It's an outlet for some twisted old man, rather than abducting little boys.
Would you rather bottle these feelings up?
And WHO is the victim?

[Shih]

Much as I hate too I seem too agree with the majority on this one. While child porn is a fucking blight on the world, this sort of law is the one that eventually branches out and is used to ban other things that aren't just sick but just offensive to certalin groups of people. What really needs to be done is finding the people who make this virtual porn and getting them in counseling before their urges switch from the virtual to actual.

[Freakapotimus]

I think child porn is the worst thing ever known to man in the history of all mankind. >:(

However, I would also agree with the Supreme Court.

I think "virtual" porn shouldn't fall under the same laws as other porn. If everything is digitally created, then how can you have a victim? I would still think it's as sick as the real thing, but the latter would be legal.

[Jonas]

I just want to donkey punch britney! Leave me alone!!!

lol... child porn is sick, but we love that wacky Gary Glitter. What a weird world.

[lapslf]

I think virtual child porn should be supported by the government, instead of forbidden! Sure, it's fucking sick, but those idiots can better jack off with some virtually created character than raping a 7 year old child. They'll have their sexual frustrations anyway, so you should better give them something to play with that doesn't hurt any children.

In a way, it's a solution for child porn. Is the government to stupid to realise that?

[bumcheekcity]

At 5/7/03 03:11 PM, Veggiemeal wrote: In a way, it's a solution for child porn. Is the government to stupid to realise that?

Its not really an end to child porn, neither a solution, but you're right, it can go a long way to reducing the number of paedophiles out there.

The problems mean it would be absolutely impossible to ban though, you couldnt determine the ages or anything.

[Shih]

This is not a way to deal with pedophiles. The ability to view virtual child porn does not help someone deal with their problem. In fact from a psychological view the ability to view such a thing is far morefar to result in these fantasies crossing the line and being carried out.
While I may agree that such a law is unconstitutional that does not mean virtual porn should be seen as any sort of way to treat pedophiles.

[nitroxide]

i dont agree with bush much but its good it should all be banned wether fake or real its sick and perverse i have some fetishes myself but thats just plain wrong but it sad that our goverment has to try to regulate that instead humanity cant see how bad it is and just stop.

[JudgeDredd]

At 5/7/03 05:52 PM, Shih wrote: virtual porn should (not) be seen as any sort of way to treat pedophiles.

that's not quite the point. Who in society gets their kicks from watching underage nudity or sex is.

Who are these possible pedophiles? ..there's such a stigma with that word it'ss not even listed in my dictionary. Doesn't pedo- mean to touch?

The likely scenario is that we will all able to buy a newest latest virtual sim game, which has sim-pets, a sim-family, in a sim-city. Now will this game keep a log of what the user does in the game - like by going into the youngsters room whenever they are getting dressed, etc. OR whenever they take the family car out for a virtual rampage down city streets like GTA or Carmageddon. Virtual terrorism, bankrobberies, kidnapping, etc ...these will all become chillingly real as to be undescernable from the plotting of a real life crime!

OR will the game itself will have to then be programed specifically in such a way that these "real life scenarios" are impossible, making the games a lesser simulacrum of the real world?

..will the ability to do immoral acts in a game cause more real life problems? ..or would the in-ablility to do immoral acts (pent up and hidden) lead to acting out fantasies in the real world where such behaviour isn't just coded away as non-existant?

I laughed at the thought of a Virtual Big Brother, but seriously, computers have been a way for authorities to entrap or discover potential threats in society.

I don't think locking every thought-criminal away is a real solution. America already has over 2 MILLION people behind bars - and don't tell me there isn't sex and drugs and brutality in prisons.
_

[Shih]

I'm not suggesting we lock up thought criminals. Rather I think we should use resources like these as a way to identify people who have problems and try to get them the help they need before they harm someone and need to be locked away.

[JudgeDredd]

yeah i knows :)

it's just that LAW by it's very nature is black and white, and police by their funding are natural hunters, and the court system following vague legal definitions often has no heart or soul for considerations of circumstance.

"a crime is a crime" as they say.

[Shih]

Unfortunately that's sometimes the way it's got to be. Look at the self defense laws, how many times have they been used to justify homicides. Trying to add intent as well as action to the law so often just makes for a vauge easily abused system.