Vol. 30, No. 4, #6. Online Child Exploitation Cases.

• Author: Author: James C. Anderson

Wyoming Bar Journal

2007.

Vol. 30, No. 4, #6.

Online Child Exploitation Cases

Issue: August, 2007 Author: James C. AndersonOnline Child Exploitation CasesThe Internet and other communications technologies are increasingly being used by sexual predators and child pornographers as tools for victimizing and exploiting children. As a result of this disturbing trend, since the year 2000 there has been a significant increase in the number of online child exploitation cases prosecuted in the Wyoming federal courts. As each of these cases involve the use of a computer and the Internet, the evidence gathered in the course of the investigation and subsequent court presentation of that evidence are almost always in electronic format. Given the rapidly changing technologies involved and the nature of the evidence gathered by the Government, these cases present unique challenges to both the prosecution and defense.

Today's technologies provide child pornographers with an easily accessible and seemingly anonymous means for collecting and distributing a large number of child sexual abuse images. Additionally, some offenders turn to producing their own images. The result has been that now images of child sexual abuse are more graphic and sadistic than ever before, involving younger and younger children. Of particular concern are recent studies which indicate that those who regularly view child pornography are more likely to sexually abuse children. Additionally, as the Internet and related technologies have grown, children have become increasingly at risk of being sexually solicited online by predators. Law enforcement is uncovering an escalating number of "enticement" cases, where perpetrators contact children in chat rooms or through instant messaging, available on social networking sites or gaming sites, and arrange to meet at a designated location for the purpose of making sexual contact. The Internet, for all of its good and valuable purposes, has become a tool for those who seek to exploit and abuse children.

Statistics gathered by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, illustrate this problem. According to NCMEC:

- There are approximately 30 million youth Internet users in the United States.

- Approximately 34% of youth Internet users were exposed to unsolicited sexually explicit material online within the past year.

- This exposure to unwanted sexual material occurred...