Reason: The Feds Are Dropping Child Porn Cases Instead of Revealing Info on Their Surveillance Systems
The Department of Justice has been dismissing child pornography cases in order to not reveal information about the software programs used as the basis for the charges.
An array of cases suggest serious problems with the tech tools used by federal authorities. But the private entities who developed these tools won’t submit them for independent inspection or hand over hardly any information about how they work, their error rates, or other critical information. As a result, potentially innocent people are being smeared as pedophiles and prosecuted as child porn collectors, while potentially guilty people are going free so these companies can protect “trade secrets.”
The situation suggests some of the many problems that can arise around public-private partnerships in catching criminals and the secretive digital surveillance software that it entails (software that’s being employed for far more than catching child predators).
With the child pornography cases, “the defendants are hardly the most sympathetic,” notes Tim Cushing at Techdirt. Yet that’s all the more reason why the government’s antics here are disturbing. Either the feds initially brought bad cases against people whom they just didn’t think would fight back, or they’re willing to let bad behavior go rather than face some public scrutiny.
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Ben brings up an interesting point. If the software was developed with public funds, it may be available without a court order.
This is so absurd.. My boyfriend got busted years ago for shared files left unopened on his hard drive. Now my ex who legitimately broke my hand, busted my lips, smacked , choked and degrated me for 10 years is refusing to let me have my kids because someone sent him my beau’s Google that states the entirety of every statute related and nothing to do with the part he actually got into trouble over. He won’t hear me explain anything and now I doubt I’ll even see my kids for Christmas. I got arrested a few years ago for assaulting my abuser after he shoved me out the door and locked me away from my kids scratching his arm on a jagged door jam.. I had fingernails, so I went to jail. I can’t even get a job because my mug shot is the first thing to pop up with my Google search. Our justice system is so far fucked.