Let’s set the scene. You’ve got the popcorn, a box of candy, your favorite blanket and a beverage, and you’re all set to finally start your GoT marathon. You curl up on the chair, connect the laptop to the TV, and hit “play.” And then you think, Gee, there’s an AWFUL lot of direwolf sex in this first scene.
Congratulations: you’ve got porn.
Now, it’s annoying, yeah; but as long as everyone is over 18, you’re pretty much in the clear. But what do you do if that flash of skin belongs to someone underage? What do you do if there’s no show at all – just a stream of images that leads the Feds to your door?
If you think it sounds extreme, don’t. It happens a lot. And the most common denominator in these cases are P2P programs like BitTorrent, because the Internet is dark and full of terrors.
The FBI is watching
TorrentFreak.com has a pretty excellent explanation of how it works, but here’s how the Feds find you:
“The FBI and other law enforcement agencies use these search engines [like Isohunt and The Pirate Bay] to find torrents that are known to link to child porn. They then load the torrent files in modified torrent clients and obtain IP-addresses and other information from the associated trackers. The software in question is modified to download complete files from a single source, so the investigator knows that the person on the other end has a full copy.”
The Feds track the files (they even have their own software, designed just for law enforcement) and boom – perps are found and carted away. They don’t even need a warrant, because the files are open to anyone who wants to download them. It’s pretty sneaky, yeah – but it’s legal.
BitTorrent and services like it are out for themselves
Now, I’ve talked before about how if you end up with accidental child pornography on your computer, that you should call the cops ASAP (and then call me). The same holds true here: you are the victim (as is the poor kid in the images you got), and with my help, we can make that clear to the cops. What I want you to know, though, is that any time you use a P2P file sharing program, you are at risk of ending up with some serious B.S. on your computer. A quick Google search will show you countless links to sites where someone is screaming that uTorrent, Vuze or BitTorrent keeps reinstalling. They literally won’t go away.
So even if you installed the program and want to get rid of it, too bad so sad: you’re stuck with it. And you might not even know that you’re stuck with it. Add potentially corrupted or virus-infected files or software, and now you’re really up a creek.
Not all file sharing is bad, but these programs aren’t trying to make things easier for you: they’re trying to make money for their parent companies. And since they’re never going to be named in a lawsuit, because they don’t own the images or files, they have literally nothing to lose if you get busted with kiddie porn.
That’s why, if you end up with illegal content – like, federal-agents-coming-after-you illegal content – you want someone like me on your side. I started my law firm Drew Cochran, Attorney at Law because I know there are a lot of people out there who are facing life-altering criminal charges for things beyond their control. As an Annapolis defense lawyer, I’ve helped countless people just like you fight back against sex crime charges. Let me help you, too. Please call 410-271-1892 or fill out this contact form to learn more.
I know it’s terrifying, but you’re not alone. Just remember: Keep Calm – and Call Drew.
