Sheriff Grady Judd says tech companies are not doing enough to take down CP
In the fall of 2019, The New York Times reported a record 45 million online photos and videos of CP, with the problem growing exponentially.
Since the Times article came out, some police departments have spent money trying to update their technology departments in hopes of curbing the problem, but it has not been effective. The problem is growing worse. Is it because the strategy continues to be going after the viewers/possessors instead of channeling money into taking the pictures down? Does the United States not have IT geniuses capable of taking on this task?
Concerning CP, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said, “There’s a finite number of people that deal in this horrific stuff. It’s not a bottomless well. It can be stopped and it could be stopped rather easily by our tech giants who employ tech geniuses.”
But some tech geniuses said because there are so many different platforms and tricks…they don’t expect it to go away anytime soon.
Retired U.S. Secret Service Agent Gus Dimitrelos worked in the field for 25 years and said we have not even put a dent in the problem. “It’s not going anywhere and it’s getting worse because the ability to store data online has grown exponentially just in the past four years.”
It has been said by some in law enforcement that if every viewer/possessor of CP could be found and put in prison, we do not have the prison space to house everyone – not even close.
So, this problem has been going on for decades. Not only has there been no improvement in the situation, but it is getting worse. Isn’t it time to try a different approach? Someone once told me that it is just too easy to click on a mouse. Then take down the pictures so that there is nothing to click on.
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Another question ought to be asked … why is there so much effort in going after viewers/possessors of CP than going after the providers of CP? These are the idiots who make the smut and, as the old saying goes – cut off the head of the snake and the snake dies – they should be the ones law enforcement should go after. The smut is gross and intolerable and my guess is that the reason big tech doesn’t want to touch it is there’s money to be made – money is, after all, the root of all evil!!
Another thing to point out about the tech giants, which the sheriff is right about, why can’t they stop the stuff? If China and North Korea can block everything coming in from the U.S.A. via the internet – and even porn – why can’t we, and “big tech”, do the same??
Just some thoughts is all ….
For production, Congress has set the mandatory minimum sentence at THREE TIMES that of receipt— specifically, 15 years, up to a maximum of 30 years per incident. That has given Federal prosecutors more than enough incentive to target producers, and they don’t pass up the opportunity. But that does not address what we do about the other 45 million out there.
Let’s set aside the myths about the government’s role in child pornography.
“It’s mostly distributed by the government,” “the government can simply eliminate the supply,” “the government treats producers more lightly than viewers,” “child pornography is usually just government entrapment.”
Please.
When we advocate for elimination of the registry, some of those willing to listen would like our constructive proposals for prevention, including prevention of child pornography. Do we know of a constructive, actionable proposal for doing this?
“Just take down the pictures” does not sound constructive, FAC. Are we just venting our frustration here? Who, specifically, has the technical know-how to take them down? How do we know?
Someone has already stated that there are algorithms that can take smut like CP down. The Chinese government does it as does North Korea and other countries. So yes, it isn’t impossible for our government to end CP period. But, as also been said, follow the money and you’ll find out who really benefits from distribution of CP. (it’s a long laundry list to say the least)
This guy seems to have an unnatural interest in CP…seems like someone should actually check Sheriff Grady Judd’s hard-drive. Might be quite a surprise (or not really) to many.
Seems that those who have an obsession about stopping something are usually doing so because they either are doing that thing OR want to be doing that thing. I am just saying…
There was a lead guy in charge of HSI’s (whatever investigated CP, sex trafficking, etc.) that himself had a whole slew of CP.
I do think the government is complicit in promoting those “Catch a Predator” style arrests and urging people to commit crimes. Other than using a few captured Dark Web sites as a honey pot, I don’t think they produce or share CP. I’ve seen sentences of producers getting 30+ years in prison.
It’s…amusing…how in one breath they’ll say that these images are forever, but then say that they’ll do everything they can to get rid of it as though busting all the downloaders on a P2P or TOR network somehow makes the slightest dent in the amount out there. CP no longer has a finite number like the drugs or contraband ivory, so giving out long harsh sentences to downloaders/possessors isn’t logical.
That is why I reject the “marketplace” analogy so often used by prosecutors. While commercial producers may have benefitted from some initial sale, once on the internet there is no feedback to the producer. Supply becomes essentially unlimited so there is no supply-demand dynamic. It certainly sounds nefarious for prosecutors to claim that possession contributes to the marketplace which encourages more production.
There are many good logical and moral arguments against CP, but market feedback is not one of them.
Veritas
Technology is past the point where it doesn’t even take human intervention. AI and recognition algorithms could easily scrub 99% of all CP from these platforms, if not more, if they so desired.
However, that is not going to get it off the dark web and seedier places and if it is encrypted, no software can tell what it is.
Good point Alan, and it is in those dark places where the real criminals are at. Aren’t those folks the ones we think about when we think of eliminating the evil of CP?
So True!!
In a sick but funny comparison, I put out a Craigslist ad under ‘Community’ offering to host people for thanksgiving dinner. I added that homeless, registrants, and LGBTQ+ persons were welcome.
My ad was flagged as inappropriate and removed.
So I ask you, if it’s easy enough for a single person to remove my offer of assistance, how hard could it be for all of us to remove child porn from social media sites?
Unfortunately, the smart people say ‘follow the money’.
The challenge is that most of these 45 million photos and videos are not on social media sites. When they are, thankfully, they tend to quickly get flagged.
Judd leads the Nation in his stings faking Adult Dating Websites and posting classified ads for young women and then having deputies pose as children. He is making RSOs out of men and women that otherwise would have no interest and then calls us all scumbags and worse. Polk County is still living in the deep south past and somehow this madman keeps getting re-elected. JEV True Confessions
Yeah I agree with you. Also I would like to point out something. in my personal opinion, there is something up with Shady Grady. I just seen on the news where one of his veteran deputies shot and killed a woman. The woman was 24ys old. She has 2 children.
In the situation the woman was experiencing some psychological break down and was armed with a shovel when the deputy arrived. She was known to the sheriff’s office for having a history of drug abuse and being bipolar. In my personal opinion why does a veteran deputy need to shoot-to-kill a woman armed with a shovel. He shot her FOUR times? Now I don’t know about the rest of you but my military training of both Peace keeping and combat missions along with deescalating a situation and the escalation use of lethal force training says something is not right with this Sheriff’s department. In this specific scenario alone. The officer could have tased her at any moment. Shot her in the arm that she was holding the shovel with, then shot her in the leg and not center mass right off rip. To me, Sheriff Shady Grady’s department seems to lack training. Something is not right. I have heard so much about Shady Grady and I don’t even live in or near Polk County. The family of this woman needs to sue the Sheriff’s department. I would if it was my daughter.
I said all that to say this. Yeah CP is a huge problem but taking down the pictures will not stop the root cause of the problem. It’s kinda like law enforcement intercepting the drug shipment before it makes it to its destination. The drug king pin is still out there making and distributing drugs. In this case the perpetrators are still out there making and distributing CP. Take down 1 picture and 1000 more pop up. Just like for the most part, the registry does not stop a sex crime from being committed. It’s a false sense of security is all it is.
This post was meant for Jacob. I guess I tapped the wrong reply button somehow.