Few charges carry the same amount of social stigma as child pornography. Additionally, few offenses that don’t directly harm another person carry such serious penalties.
Anyone accused of accessing or downloading explicit images or videos of children will face not just criminal consequences but significant social fallout from those charges as well. Fighting back may be the only way to protect your reputation and your future.
In scenarios where there is evidence of someone accessing certain websites or digital files but no inappropriate content on your personal phone or computer, your household wireless network might be to blame.
No one wants to leave a dangerous digital trail
Most people readily acknowledge that there is some content that is not safe to view or download on the internet. Any compromising images involving children or teenagers could lead to incarceration, fines and even sex offender status that requires a lifetime registration and notifying neighbors.
Savvy offenders will try to avoid leaving a digital trail that would implicate them. Instead, they may use other people’s devices or illegally access someone else’s internet. A poorly-secured wireless network is easy for those with advanced computer skills to access.
If you do not properly secure your wireless network, the potential exists for a neighbor, a visitor or even a person in a van parked outside to use your internet for illegal purposes. If law enforcement agents track activity to a specific IP address, they could associate the crime with your house because someone hacked into your Wi-Fi network.
Looking at the evidence carefully can give you options for pushing back against digital child pornography charges, including raising the possibility that someone else used your internet. An experienced attorney can help.