FBI ran website sharing thousands of child porn images

[Thumpalumpacus]

The FBI broke the law by doing this? What I read of the article didn't seem to suggest that they broke the law, just that this approach despite having its own risks was the lesser of two evils.

I didn't read the whole article though.

I'm also off to play a game of Mafia in 9 minutes folks

It is illegal to disseminate child pornography in America.

[account_inactive]

The FBI break the law all the fucking time.

[Edwardo Piet]

So how exactly do they get away with it? I assumed different rules applied to the FBI (for the purpose of catching criminals) otherwise they'd go to prison like anyone else.

I don't understand how the FBI are allowed to do that, or how they even allow themselves to do that... when they're meant to fight crime how can they break the law themselves? It doesn't seem to make any sense, wtf. Is there some sort of weird FBI legal loophole that allows them to do this or something?

[Red_Wind]

So how exactly do they get away with it? I assumed different rules applied to the FBI (for the purpose of catching criminals) otherwise they'd go to prison like anyone else.

I don't understand how the FBI are allowed to do that, or how they even allow themselves to do that... when they're meant to fight crime how can they break the law themselves? It doesn't seem to make any sense, wtf. Is there some sort of weird FBI legal loophole that allows them to do this or something?

Most likely it runs something like the pirate bay where nothing is actually uploaded to the site, rather the site points to 3rd party sources.

[account_inactive]

So how exactly do they get away with it? I assumed different rules applied to the FBI (for the purpose of catching criminals) otherwise they'd go to prison like anyone else.

I don't understand how the FBI are allowed to do that, or how they even allow themselves to do that... when they're meant to fight crime how can they break the law themselves? It doesn't seem to make any sense, wtf. Is there some sort of weird FBI legal loophole that allows them to do this or something?

Most likely it runs something like the pirate bay where nothing is actually uploaded to the site, rather the site points to 3rd party sources.

The site apparently ran both, or it certainly sounds like it. Most of the content appeared to be uploaded to the server.

[abaris]

Frankly, I can't understand that blue eyed view on that matter.

If law enforcement just took down every site featuring child porn, what do you think would happen. In fact, it does happen, if that's the approach. So let's take this site down, oh look, another one just popped up out of nowhere. What's this? Another server in Taiwan just went active. Let's block it. Oh, could it be, that site in Kasachstan is doing the same?

They try to get to the contributors and that's not possible, just by taking down there temporary homebase, thereby sending out a warning they're already on the radar. It's based on international cooperation and observation. And, in fact, every year, there are major busts based on cooperation between the FBI, Europol and other international police organisations. They can't root it out, they never will be able to do that, since for one, it's to lucrative a business and secondly, not every country is willing to cooperate.

But they do catch some. Which wouldn't even happen if lock and repeat was the only approach.

[Jenny A]

Seriously wtf?

Sounds like a classic case of "entrapment."

Not really. Entrapment requires that the criminal was not predisposed to commit the crime. Anyone already a member of the site was already committing a crime when the FBI took it over. Anyone who found the site by searching for child pornography wasn't entrapped either because they were attempting to commit the crime before they found the website.

Now if the FBI had sent people emails or posted adverts, people responding to those could claim entrapment. But not if they had a computer full of earlier child porn.

[mediocrates]

The FBI isn't exactly a "by the book" organization... 

Case in point: cointelpro

[dyresand]

Well.. isn't what they were doing... you know sorta.. illegal.. at any point...

[mediocrates]

Well.. isn't  what they were doing... you know sorta.. illegal.. at any point...

There's bending the rules a little to get the bad guy, no doubt.  then there's:

... planted false media stories and published bogus leaflets and other publications in the name of targeted groups. They forged correspondence, sent anonymous letters, and made anonymous telephone calls. They spread misinformation about meetings and events, set up pseudo movement groups run by government agents, and manipulated or strong-armed parents, employers, landlords, school officials and others to cause trouble for activists.