Should this thread be deleted?

June 30, 2004 7:52 AM

Should this thread be deleted? Will Keyser's reporting of this end up leading back to the thread? Does anyone who voiced opinion on it have to worry?
posted by pieoverdone to Etiquette/Policy at 7:52 AM (47 comments total)

No. No. No
posted by davehat at 7:55 AM on June 30, 2004

Why should anyone worry about telling an anonymous person their opinion on how they should report child porn? Seriously, why would anyone be worried?
posted by Keyser Soze at 8:01 AM on June 30, 2004

Life imitates the last episode of "Brass Eye."
posted by Mayor Curley at 8:14 AM on June 30, 2004

What davehat said, but Keyser I thought you had realized how "anonymously" posting to mefi is.
posted by tcp at 8:18 AM on June 30, 2004

49 AskMeFi questions, Jesus Christ
posted by matteo at 8:22 AM on June 30, 2004

I thought the advice was accurate and appropriate, actually.

It could be a real issue (and maybe Keyser was asking on someone else's behalf, figuring his reputation as a ne'er-do-well would hide the actual asker's identity. I know, but who's to say?)

It's a good and possibly important question. And the last thing anyone wants is to have to answer this question again later.
posted by chicobangs at 8:23 AM on June 30, 2004

Look, this question was important. I googled for reporting it, and found solid leads, but I wanted to seek the advice of someone who may have experience in the legal industry. After people gave me an answer did I realize it would have been stupid to investigate any further. So I did what I would hope any of you do: Report it, gave all info, where I found it, and my contact info. I highly doubt reporting something of this caliber will result in cops arresting me for "questioning." And if they do I will go along until they get their answers and that will be that. This isn't some benign issue about hair dryers. If my actions took out only a crumb from an entire loaf of bread, at least I did my part.
posted by Keyser Soze at 8:28 AM on June 30, 2004

AND WHAT IS SO "NE'ER DO WELL" ABOUT TRYING TO STAMP OUT THIS MENACE?
posted by Keyser Soze at 8:31 AM on June 30, 2004

I would, however, delete mischief's comment.
posted by GeekAnimator at 8:33 AM on June 30, 2004

I'll leave it up but Keyser, dude, take a month off from posting to Ask MetaFilter. Please.

Seriously.
posted by mathowie (staff) at 8:36 AM on June 30, 2004

good job, Keyser...but you have to really be careful about associating your name and info with any unsavory stuff, especially that kind. It can put you under suspicion, rightly or wrongly (and remember that thread about running for office and words coming back to haunt you, and security clearance?)
posted by amberglow at 8:41 AM on June 30, 2004

Praise to Keyser for reporting it. I get worried about people who say 'run! run for the hills!' on this sort of issue and don't report it. Yeah, it might be tilting at windmills to send a domain to the Feds, but it's something...
posted by humuhumu at 8:46 AM on June 30, 2004

Keyser, I meant nothing malicious by that. It was offhand shorthand, is all. I thought it was a compliment.

And for what it's worth, I almost posted a comment very similar to mischief's. For what it's worth.
posted by chicobangs at 8:49 AM on June 30, 2004

Dang, I deleted mischief's comment because you guys said it was bad, but after I read the whole thread, it was fine, but I can't bring it back. Oops.

I guess the "run! run!" comments come from folks that have realized there are thousands and thousands of sites like this (I, too get awful spam reminding me of this everyday) and reporting them really isn't going to do anything if they are not US based, and even reporting them can arouse suspicion.
posted by mathowie (staff) at 9:01 AM on June 30, 2004

I can't believe how many people freaked out and suggested reformating the HD (sometimes 37 times?!). Do you really think you're going to be arrested? Even if they had the site under watch, I highly doubt they'd arrest someone whose IP registered on a website once (possibly with no click-throughs) once.

Maybe it's an American thing. Also, for all the people who claim it's nearly impossible to find "real child porn", I'd submit that if you've spent much time on a p2p network it's fucking insane/disgusting the stuff you'll accidentally end up with after people rename files as "jokes".
posted by The God Complex at 9:20 AM on June 30, 2004

Err, I dunno why I said once twice--maybe because I just woke up.
posted by The God Complex at 9:21 AM on June 30, 2004

Dang, I deleted mischief's comment because you guys said it was bad, but after I read the whole thread, it was fine,

how is it fine to infer that you think keyser actually was surfing for child porn?
posted by GeekAnimator at 9:23 AM on June 30, 2004

Dang, I deleted mischief's comment because you guys said it was bad, but after I read the whole thread, it was fine, but I can't bring it back. Oops.

Careful with that axe, Matthew.
posted by dash_slot- at 9:36 AM on June 30, 2004

how is it fine to infer...

oops, use the wrong word up there. I meant 'imply' not 'infer'.
posted by GeekAnimator at 9:44 AM on June 30, 2004

So... why are people so freaky about this? Why, for example, would that thread be "iffy" to leave up? Matt says "even reporting them (kiddy porn sites) can arouse suspicion, and as TGC noted, people are saying they would wipe their hard drives if they accidentally came across something like this. Why all the hysteria? Have there been many cases of people being arrested/prosecuted for "involuntary surfing"? Or what's the deal, exactly?
posted by taz at 10:06 AM on June 30, 2004

's ok, matt, shit happens.
posted by mischief at 10:22 AM on June 30, 2004

how is it fine to infer that you think keyser actually was surfing for child porn?

Given keyser's reputation, I highly doubt I am the only one who finds his entire post questionable. Possible scenarios:

A. He literally did stumble upon child porn. Therefore, sharing the lesson learned would be invaluable as a 'don't do this in the future' for those of us who surf in extraordinary territories.

B. He found what he was looking for and is covering his tracks.

C. The entire post is a hoax to leverage his standing with the community.

D. Given it's keyser, who knows what else.

(Disclaimer: Notice I never said he DID do anything; only that I doubt we have the full story. ;-P )

((Oh, and then there's that whole self-policing thing.))
posted by mischief at 10:49 AM on June 30, 2004

For you foreigners who are puzzled by the American response, please remember, our government and society was up-in-arms for the better part of a week because a rock star showed a tit for 15 seconds on national television. Our Justice Department is primed like a steel trap and is run by a Puritain, who wouldn't think twice about a few crucifictions.
posted by crunchland at 10:52 AM on June 30, 2004

Keyser Soze is the new Miguel. Only less likable. And a way higher "back away slowly" factor.

The typical Keyser post:

"I went into an Army recruitment center, they said I was too small and I didn't have enough education. So I want to ask you to help with my homework, or my film, or my busted car(s), or the 100GB and 160GB hard drives in my XP Linksys 4 port Cable/DSL 100TX hub (intel) Imac 233 G3 with 96MB of RAM, using OS 9.2.1 Western Digital 100GB 7200 and a 160GB 8MB cache computer. But keep in mind I have never owned a business before, I was charged with Furnishing Alcohol to a Minor, I am not 21 yet, and I have been looking for free 'adult' sites for a long time.

What equipment set should I buy to brew a keg of beer? I asked to speak to their legal department, and they said they didn't have one. Who would you beat up?"

The kid is a problem. Not the sort who learns.

So the underage kid they busted a few weeks ago goes to the cops and tells them that he's found a bunch of kiddie porn while he was looking at adults sites on the Internet.

Shouldn't we be calling child protective services about this kid? Has anyone tried to contact his parents?
posted by y6y6y6 at 10:55 AM on June 30, 2004

"I highly doubt I am the only one who finds his entire post questionable."

Yep. I just read all of his AskMe posts from oldest to newest. I have $20 says he's making the persona up.
posted by y6y6y6 at 10:57 AM on June 30, 2004

y6y6y6, he was posting it for someone else, I accidentally deleted the comment too. So this was a post to skirt the in-progress anonymous posting system.

Keyser, dude, take some time off. I'm going to code in a limit of one question a week soon, just in case.
posted by mathowie (staff) at 11:01 AM on June 30, 2004

This is why we can't have nice things.
posted by Stan Chin at 11:09 AM on June 30, 2004

ok Matt, your the boss.
posted by Keyser Soze at 11:33 AM on June 30, 2004

APOSTROPHE ARR EEE BITCH
posted by Pretty_Generic at 11:50 AM on June 30, 2004

(y6y6y6, you're email doesn't work)
posted by jpoulos at 1:06 PM on June 30, 2004

D'oh! "your", not "you're".
posted by jpoulos at 1:07 PM on June 30, 2004

Opps. My bad. Fixed now.
posted by y6y6y6 at 1:54 PM on June 30, 2004

<beating a dead horse>

Were your adolescences really all that boring that you find Keyser's utterly mundane troubles with the law so utterly shocking? Everyone I know in Keyser's age bracket — literally, every single person — does or has done much more illegal/dangerous/unhealthy/stupid things than anything Keyser has mentioned here. These aren't burnouts, they're normal middle-class kids who are or will be going to college and will be working in middle management in 10 years with a spouse and kids and a dog. Would it be too freaking much to ask that people tone down the condescension a little bit? I can't understand this bizarre selective puritanism — everyone else here is allowed to talk about their recreational drugs, their drunken debaucheries, their bar fights, and their lapses in judgement and nobody bats an eye. Keyser holds a party with liquor that the cops bust and suddenly he's Mr. Fucking Troubled Youth.

</beating a dead horse>
posted by IshmaelGraves at 2:04 PM on June 30, 2004

Middle management deserves condescension, picket fencer!
posted by The God Complex at 2:17 PM on June 30, 2004

That thread was pretty damn stupid. Firstly, when you see any kind of illegal activity going on on the web, whatever it is, reporting it is largely pointless -- it just forces sites abroad. Secondly, all the paranoia about cleaning out caches is silly, too -- the only people who get caught doing illegal stuff on the web are ones who are silly enough to give out personal details (like credit card numbers) in order to do so.

I agree with Mayor Curley: the whole thing is very "welcome... to paedogeddon!" Question was dumb, answers were paranoid -- this is what thoughtcrimes do to society.
posted by reklaw at 2:23 PM on June 30, 2004

Keyser Soze: Meta-Filter's The Usual Suspects
posted by thomcatspike at 2:50 PM on June 30, 2004

I highly doubt reporting something of this caliber will result in cops arresting me for "questioning." And if they do I will go along until they get their answers and that will be that.
Oh, to be that young and naive again. *sigh*
posted by dg at 3:10 PM on June 30, 2004

IshmaelGraves: I'm younger than Keyser, and yet I feel like taking him aside and giving him a bit of friendly, older sibling advice. He consistantly does stuff like this, and MeFi is not the place for it.
posted by Orange Goblin at 3:19 PM on June 30, 2004

i'm with Ishmael--lay off Keyser. A few AskMe qs are not a big deal, and we give damn good advice.
posted by amberglow at 3:25 PM on June 30, 2004

" I'm going to code in a limit of one question a week soon, just in case."

frankly, Matt, it is your site so it's of course your choice, but let me say that this is just unfair. why do we all have to pay for Keyser's? you'll be killing a good feature of AskMeFi for the entire community because of one -- sorry Keiser -- asshole (someone who has embarrassed the community, tried to sell his account, had at least one ridiculous flameout, got MeFi in trouble, and often uses the site to ask for legal help or simply because he likes to post zany questions on it probably out of sheer boredom or because it takes his mind off his troubles with the cops?)

it is just not right, Matt. really.
if you feel he is ruining AskMeFi ban him. but don't kill features just because Keyser will eventually abuse them
posted by matteo at 4:28 PM on June 30, 2004

Ishmael:

"Mr. Fucking Troubled Youth."

um, let's ahhhhh.... hope not. Care to try for a more nuanced word choice?
posted by mwhybark at 4:51 PM on June 30, 2004

matteo: I think it'd be alright to limit the number of questions a user can post in a week. If Keyser doesn't abuse the system, someone else will. Matt might as well make the fix now and save us all the headache. Besides, he didn't say how many posts he would make the limit. 3 sounds good to me, but maybe 5, but no more than that.
posted by elwoodwiles at 5:12 PM on June 30, 2004

What Matteo said.

elwoodwiles -- Matt said one question a week, which sounds too restrictive to me. (And note that I haven't been posting a lot of questions, so it's not my personal ox being gored. I like to read lots of questions, though...)
posted by litlnemo at 5:24 PM on June 30, 2004

How about one question ever? That way you would make sure it is really, really important and look really hard for an answer elsewhere first.
posted by dg at 5:42 PM on June 30, 2004

I wear my penis pump at night.
posted by angry modem at 5:49 PM on June 30, 2004

The odd thing is, rather than keeping track of your vision, you'll probably go blind.
posted by yerfatma at 4:13 AM on July 1, 2004

you've got it made
posted by cortex at 5:18 PM on July 1, 2004