Viewing online child porn to become crime
Thursday 25 October 2007
Looking at child pornography on the internet will become a criminal offence in the Netherlands under new legislation being drawn up by justice minister Ernst Hirsch Ballin, ANP news service reports. The possession of child porn is already a crime.
A new EU treaty which the Netherlands has signed now makes it possible to use credit card details to prove suspects have downloaded banned material such as child porn.
It also makes it easier to combat 'grooming', a process by which adults befriend children via the internet with the aim of abusing them sexually.
Once the Netherlands has passed its new law, the public prosecution department will be able to take action against suspected abusers who suggest a meeting with a minor.
© DutchNews.nl
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Friday: Cold and sunny everywhere. Heavy frost at night. Similar Saturday but thaw possible Sunday
What the new law will allow investigators to do is use credit card details to prove that people have viewed child pornography, not downloaded it. As you say yourself, downloading and storing child pornography on your computer is already illegal.
Paedodophiles can currenly circumvent that law by viewing images on the internet but not downloading them. The new law will make this illegal.
And about time, too.
By Chas Conway-Stewart | October 25, 2007 1:06 PM