I'm wondering what the legality is in the US and Canada of viewing websites that have illegal content on them.
Like, I'm thinking videos of people killing themselves or underage sex, or sex with animals, or classified information that's published offshore, or videos of people doing illegal acts.
Is the same stuff that's illegal to document, possess and distribute also illegal to watch from someone else's server? Would the cookies and temp files be considered 'possession' and would you be exempt from possession if you cleared your browser cache after visiting?
I'm curious as to whether your ISP is allowed to track your viewing habits, turn that information over to police, and your computer could be confiscated. In this case, if there was evidence of you visiting websites that had illegal content, but not participating in its distribution in any way, would it be grounds for being arrested?
I understand that although many laws exist, they often go unenforced. I guess it's also important to ask whether online voyeurs get busted for looking, or whether it's a waste of time.
Speaking of which, thanks for your time.
Like, I'm thinking videos of people killing themselves or underage sex, or sex with animals, or classified information that's published offshore, or videos of people doing illegal acts.
Is the same stuff that's illegal to document, possess and distribute also illegal to watch from someone else's server? Would the cookies and temp files be considered 'possession' and would you be exempt from possession if you cleared your browser cache after visiting?
I'm curious as to whether your ISP is allowed to track your viewing habits, turn that information over to police, and your computer could be confiscated. In this case, if there was evidence of you visiting websites that had illegal content, but not participating in its distribution in any way, would it be grounds for being arrested?
I understand that although many laws exist, they often go unenforced. I guess it's also important to ask whether online voyeurs get busted for looking, or whether it's a waste of time.
Speaking of which, thanks for your time.