Well, not in as many words, but the knock-on effect of the current consulation on the child pornography laws is worrying for SL users…
The Home Office is considering changing child pornography laws to include cartoon or computer-created pictures. It is currently an offence to possess indecent photographs or “pseudo-photographs” of children, but indecent cartoons, computer-animated scenes, and drawings are legal. The Home Office note announcing the consultation says: “Evidence from police and children’s organisations is that the availability of such images is growing.” The document states such images could be used to “groom” children for acts of abuse.
The consultation will consider whether to amend the Child Protection Act, create a new offence, or do nothing. The consultation covers England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. The government’s preferred option is to create a new offence with punishment of an unlimited fine and up to three years in prison.
The Register
I’ve already touched on this area before, but if this law goes though (and which consultation from the Labour Governmnet hasn’t gone through unchanged?). The argument that you could have put forward – that SL screens are a cartoon, or cgi, and not pseudo-pictures, would be removed from any defense in the United Kingdom. Play SL, have an avatar which appear to be a child perform something that could be percieved to be indecent (say, hugging someone who appears to look older) and bingo – you’ve broken the indecency laws, created the image on your computer, and you can be charged with the delights of HMP Holloway.
