DISQUS

Stephen Downes · 1 year ago

I have tens of thousands of links on my site. It would literally take the rest of my life to see what's available three links away.

Moreover, social network theory tells us that the entire internet is no more than six links away. So I can be very sure that a person could fairly easily click from my site to a porn site.

The only way to prevent this is to create enclaves inside the internet that are not connected to the rest of the internet. Leaving aside the difficulty of such a project, the damage it would do to the internet as a whole would leave it beyond repair.

It's better to teach people what to do and who to react when they are accidentally exposed to offensive materials, than to tr to change the fabric of space and time in order to isolate them from it.

Stephen Downes · 1 year ago

p.s. as I discovered to my chagrin last week, the results of links vary depending on where you are located. Thus, the perfectly benign image search for 'Downes' that I have used many times here in Canada cannot be trusted in Malaysia, where it revealed a naked body on the first page. So I would have to spend a lifetime in each political jurisdiction in the world, which is currently roighly 200 lifetimes.

Martin · 1 year ago

I have a guy on my facebook that makes the baby jesus cry everyday. If distant memory serves me correctly, I only have puppets and hip hop artists on my MySpace, so I'm probably safe. The Florida case is ridiculous, but I am at least glad that it didn't get ignored by the lower level people who had to respond to it.

Liz Ditz · 1 year ago

sheesh. Florida is looking dumber and dumber -- the creationist garbage in the schools, and now this.

my post here.

Karoli · 1 year ago

I've heard that the furor is dying down over this, but to me, being investigated by the AG and local police because of an anonymous 'tip' is the dangerous part of this story. The AG's office of cybercrimes has some smart folks in it who will surely understand the situation, but based upon what we saw in Julie Amero's case, I don't think we can have the same confidence in the local police anywhere.

What possessed this parent to go to the newspaper instead of simply confronting this officer and the principal about what had happened? What was their goal? Were they hoping to embarrass the school? the officer?

The real villain in this particular piece (just as in the Nate Fisher and Julie Amero case) is the hysterical parent who is too ignorant to understand how MySpace works and immediately assumed the officer had done something wrong.

Gideon · 1 year ago

Why is the furor dying down? Do people not care? Is the investigation going to continue?

Karoli · 1 year ago

Gideon,

From what I've been told by folks in Florida, the AG's cybercrime division have some pretty savvy folks who understand this stuff. Although there's no official word that I've found at least, the officer has not been relieved from duty or sanctioned in any way.

With that said, the idea that some anonymous hysterical nutcase could upend someone's entire career is unthinkable to me, and really, it's time to educate folks on the realities of social networks and the Internet.

Oh, and did I mention that mom was pissed b/c her son and his friends were clicking into the naughty pictures, so instead of dealing with them, she tries to pin the whole thing on the good officer, who she somehow expected to check his linked links hourly or something.

What a putz

leslie · 1 year ago

I feel like we are reliving Nate Fisher! This is an incredible story and I agree, why is it dying down.. this story should serve as catalyst to encourage discussion about this very issue -- too many people can easily have a knee-jerk reaction to something and then upend someone else's career. Once again, the parents are looking for external excuses. I would like to learn more about this... perhaps after Tuesday. Thanks for educating me .... as you always do.

krasicki · 1 year ago

Karoli,

Great observations as usual. This needs to remain on everyone's radar because the ability of anonymous callers to harm innocent people by accusing them of wholly fabricated sex crimes is becoming epidemic. And to top it off the justice system is complicit in the damage done to the innocent out of audacious stupidity.

MALLORY · 1 year ago

THE STATE OF FLORIDA IS ON A "HUNT". UNFORTUNATELY THEY ARE NOT FINDING THE "PRODUCERS" OF THIS CHILD PORNOGRAPHY. THE TASK FORCE THAT HAS EVOLVED, HAS MORE THAN TRIPLED IN THE PAST YEAR.

THAT SENDS UP A "BIG RED FLAG"!!! IF IN FACT THERE WAS AN ELECTRONIC TRANSFER OF ANYTHING, IF THE INDIVIDUAL WHOM RECEIVED
THE ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION, SENDS BACK THE TRANSMISSION, WITH A REBUTTLE OF, "NO THANKS, I'M NOT INTO THAT!" THE ELECTRONIC TRNSMISSION, HAS BEEN SENT!! WHAT IF THE TRANSMISSION DESCRIBED
ABOVE, WAS FROM LAW ENFORCEMENT TRYING TO "ENTRAP" SOMEONE??

ARE THEY STILL BEING PROSECUTED FOR ELECTRONIC TRANSMISSION OF CHILD PORNOGRAPHIC MATERIALS?? THE ANSWER IS, YES THEY ARE!!
EVEN THOUGH THE INDIVIDUAL SENT A RESPONSE OF, "NO THANKS"

THE STATE OF FLORIDA HAS ONE OF THE LARGEST TASK FORCES TO DO WITH CHILD PORNOGRAPHY. I AM NOT SAYING IT IS A BAD THING. WHAT I'M SAYING IS THE MEANS OF THERE TACTICS ARE UNCONSTITUTIONAL!!
IF THE TASK FORCE DOES NOT PRODUCE...THEY LOSE THE $$ FUNDING TO CONTINUE ON... THE SPECTRUM FOR THESE TASK FORCES ARE TOO BROAD. THEIR TACTICS ARE UNJUST AND SCAPEGOATING IS A BIG PART OF THE PROGRAM..... IF YOU ARE SERVED WITH A SEARCH WARRENT FOR YOUR COMPUTER, ANYTHING ELSE, OUT OF CLEAR VIEW(OUT IN THE OPEN)
IS NOT PART OF THE SEARCH WARRENT

MALLORY · 1 year ago

i really don't like florida

MALLORY · 1 year ago

ps: Public defenders in Highlands county, yuo better hope you never need one!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!