From: Michael Froomkin <Michael@umlaw.demon.co.uk>
Date: Thu, 27 Jul 95 08:09:57 PDT
To: cyberia-l@birds.wm.edu
Subject: International raids on internet "porn ring"
Message-ID: <2816@umlaw.demon.co.uk>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


Today's Guardian (uk) reports at page 4, column 2:

[I've edited this down]


       "Police move on Internet porn" 
By Owen Bowcott

       Vice squad officers from eight police forces yesterday took
part in an internationally-co-ordinated operation aimed at
suspected paedophiles who are alleged to have been exchanging
child pornography on the Internet.

       Nine people were arrested in early morning raids in the 
United Kingdom and a further 31 were detained elsewhere in her, 
America, the far east and South Africa.

       Codenamed Operation Starburst, the investigation follows 
growing concerns [about internet porn]  ...

       In the United Kingdom, 13 search warrants were executed 
... Computer equipment was seized.  Those arrested were 
questioned but later released on bail.  [later the article 
reports 9 arrests and 17 computers seized] 

       The inquiry was prompted by officers in the West  
Midlands police commercial vice unit who had identified 
several   Britons they believed were distributing child 
pornography on the Internet.  The Paedophile Unit and the 
National Criminal Intelligence Service made contact with 
overseas police forces to trace people suspected of  trading 
obscene pictures.

       [Detectives then quoted describing how "appalling" and 
"hard core" the pictures were, and saying that the "perverts 
were not making profits from the pictures" just trading them.]
-- 
Michael Froomkin                   until Aug 6: michael@umlaw.demon.co.uk
U.Miami School of Law                                     London, England
mfroomki@umiami.ir.miami.edu <-- this will still find me
PO Box 248087 Coral Gables, FL 33124-8087 "Rain in parts, then dry" --BBC
See http://www-swiss.ai.mit.edu/6095/articles/froomkin-metaphor/text.html