Sharing porn illegal even if intent is to help, experts warn

Sharing porn illegal even if intent is to help, experts warn

A viral Facebook video that resulted in the arrest of a man in Alabama on child sex abuse charges may seem like a success story, but it comes with a serious warning — sharing pornographic images, even with good intentions, is a crime.

The video, which shows a man molesting a young girl, was shared thousands of time across social media platforms by outraged viewers who hoped their shares would lead to the abuser’s identification and arrest.

That strategy seems to have worked but with a cost. Germaine Moore, an Alabama resident, was arrested after his mug shot and name were publicized. The girl is safe but her image has been broadcast to thousands of people.

“It’s very disturbing that people feel like it’s OK to post something awful happening to a child on social media,” Tim Gann, Madison County chief trial attorney told Huntsville’s WHNT News. “It’s an awful thought that people can’t understand that that’s wrong.”

Law enforcement officials warn that sharing or saving pornographic images, even with the goal of helping, is a crime. People who come across such images or videos should go through the proper channels to report the content, not take the law into their own hands.

The proper protocol is to report the offensive content to the social media platform for content violation. The social media site should then maintain a copy of the image or video and follow its protocol for reporting the content.

Facebook spokeswoman Ruchika Budhraja told The Washington Post, “sharing any kind of child exploitative imagery using Facebook or Messenger is not acceptable — even to express outrage.”

If pornographic content is received via email, the FBI warns recipients not to click on the image or any links in the email, nor to save the content to a device as “evidence,” since any possession of child pornography, defined as “obscene matter containing a visual depiction of a person under the age of 17 years” engaged in a sex act, is a felony in Alabama, punishable by jail time and fines.

Reporting the right way

The right way to handle such material is to notify the appropriate authorities immediately.

Call your local FBI field office (Alabama has two: one in Mobile and one in Birmingham) or submit via the FBI tips line at 1-800-CALL-FBI.

Other reporting agencies are The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) at 1-800-THE-LOST or www.cybertipline.com and the National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4ACHILD (800-422-4453).

The reporting individual will not be asked to provide a copy of the content in any report. (TAB)