Crackdown on Child Porn

A bill intended to crackdown on child pornography and brings numerous Missouri statutes into the modern age passes the House and moves to the Senate. The bill would create harsher penalties for possessing and distributing child porn, including child porn sent via the Internet. It allows police to search for child porn without going to court to determine if the material sought is obscene. Sponsor Phil Smith of Louisiana dismisses claims that could lead to abuse. The bill adds electronic communication to the stalking statutes, prohibits sending nude photos of someone over the Internet without their permission, and forces public libraries to filter porn on computers or write a porn policy. It creates the crime of computer invasion of privacy and makes it unlawful to use a computer to issue a threat.