In the early 1980's, the internet was in its
infancy. It was regarded as a way that would change and connect the world, and
it has, but at what cost? Before the internet, people relied on other methods
to receive the news and other information, such as books, television,
newspapers, magazines and radio. Nowadays, computers are found almost
everywhere, with internet access right alongside it, to instantly be able to
access any information you are seeking. While the majority of people who use
the internet for entertainment purposes, business, and school or even to talk
to family members across the country or even the world, there are people who
use it for more sinister purposes, and has made for a melting pot of nefarious
agendas.
Since its
invention, the internet has been host to new breeds of criminals, and often
times are never caught or prosecuted. The knowledge of these crimes has changed
the ways in which you use the internet. In the ways that parents have taught
their children to be cautious about strangers in the real world, it should be
even more so instilled when regarding the internet in any way, shape or form. “Predators and scam artists know
how to utilize the latest technology. Real crime runs rampant in the virtual
world,” said NAAG President and Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning, who made
this topic the focus of his one-year presidential term. (www.naag.org). Children and
teenagers make up one of the largest groups of internet users; this makes it
easier for predators to prey upon them. It is often because they are young,
trusting, curious and naive that they are perfect targets, and with the added
danger that it provides the predator with anonymity.
Several laws
have been made to try and protect children from predators. In fact the
President of the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) is making it
his focus for the Initiative Summit. “Unfortunately, as technology advances, online sexual predators find new
ways to prey on our children,” President Bruning said. “As Internet access
becomes more and more ‘wireless’ and allows people to move around, it becomes
harder to track down and prosecute these offenders.” (www.naag.org) they have also
been working on two goals: hastening the law enforcement subpoena process and
removing child pornography from the internet. The Communication Decency Act
(CDA) was passed in 1996, and it made it illegal to put “indecent” material
where children could access it on the internet but the Supreme Court found that
the term “indecent” was found to be too vague. Following the CDA was The Child
Online Protection Act (COPA), in 1998, which was a narrower version of the CDA,
where sites required proof of age before giving access to users. It was
challenged and in 1999 they was a permanent injunction against its enforcement.
While there are many positive attributes to the
internet there are also slightly darker attributes as well. As with everything
in life and the worlds around us, for every day there is a night, for every
good thing in the world there is something waiting in the wings to cause harm
or to use it in a way it was never intended for. We have to educate our
children more and tell them about all potential dangers and not just gloss over
them because it may be uncomfortable. “Together, we can bring emerging trends to the forefront, be diligent in
our efforts to harness new technology and limit the crime and corruption that
come with it,” said President Bruning. (www.naag.org)
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