Here is the link to read the entire story:Â Â http://abcnews.go.com/2020/LegalCenter/story?id=2785054&page=1
A Teenage Boy Faces Decades in Prison For Visiting Sexually Explicit Web Sites -- But Was It Really Someone Else?
There was a  17 year old boy who was a very normal teenage boy who was accused of something that was just atroucious.  In an exclusive interview with "20/20," the Bandy family reveals how the world as they knew it came crumbling down, and how Matthew's life has since changed.
About 2 years ago, police officers came to the home of this boy charging him with possession of child pornography. Â What is so weird about this is that he admitted to viewing adult pornography, but not those of children. He had gotten a website from a friend at school and decided to take a peak at pictures like you would find in a Playboy magazine. Â He only looked at photos, but never downloaded any of them.
According to the warrant, nine images of young girls in suggestive poses were found on the Bandy family computer. Yahoo monitors chat rooms for suspicious content and reported that child porn was uploaded from the computer at the Bandys' home address.  He faces up to 10 years in prison per picture that was on his computer, for a total of 90 years in prison.
What is worse is this is something that could happen to anyone anywhere.  The computer has accessed a Yahoo account where there was child pornography.  If this kid did not put the pics there.. then how did they get there you ask.  A computer forensic expert was asked and this is what was said "If you have an Internet connection, high speed, through, let's say, your cable company, or through the phone company, that computer is always on, and basically you have an open doorway to the outside," Loehrs said. "So the home user has no idea who's coming into their computer."  Loehrs went into the Bandys' computer and what she found could frighten any parent — more than 200 infected files, so-called backdoors that allowed hackers to access the family computer from remote locations, no where near Matthew's house. "They could be on your computer and you'd never know it," she said.
Under even under the strictest rules and the strictest security, your computer is vulnerable.
 How do you protect your computer?..
 20/20 left a link on how to protect your computer from things like this.. here is the link. http://abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=2791407&page=1
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Comments: 22
quick scan of the most obvious files etc. automatically and do a full system scan once a week, I also have a seperate spyware program
as back-up to the one that comes with my Anti-virus software as well as
through my AT+T Yahoo.
That poor kid and his family. I've noticed that the 'sex offender registry' also lists teen-agers... yet some of those kids who are convicted of Child sex offenses
are only a year or two older than their victim... I also know that if you are over
the age of consent you can be charged with statutory rape if the person you
had sex with is under the age of consent... so my question is... what
happens to a teenage boy who has sex with a teenage girl who, by dint
of a few months to a year age difference, is accused and convicted of statutory rape because the girl's parents found out and freaked out... does he deserve
to be forever marked as a sex offender? I understand if he forced sex on
the girl or in other more obvious cases of rape or abuse, but when it's teen sex between consenting teens of different ages (don't forget it could easily have been the girl who was older than the boy) then what?
What about the kids that go to myspace or an equivalent site and hook up
with other kids within a year or two of their own age and look at pictures
of those other kids in suggestive poses, or post their own pics?
(when they are under age of consent)
I know that we need these "sex offender" registry sites... but does the
label have to be attached to everybody, including the boy who's 'girlfriend' was a few month younger than him and 'technically'
under age... I know when I was a teenager(15), my first boyfriend
was 2 years older than me and we 'skirted around the main event'
a few times. If my Dad had found out he would have persecuted the boy
as far as he could within the bounds of the law... yet no coersion ever
took place on his part and technically my "virtue" remained intact...
I guess I have a problem with some of the "broad" definitions that are
used these days... or with how people can misuse these sites and entrap
young people and get away with it while the teen ends up with charges and a record.
I don't have any kids myself but I have been the victim of an adult male
wanting to and attempting to lure me into a physical encounter when I was
11 yrs old, so I have no sympathy for those who prey on kids, or any body
for that matter... I just think sometimes our Criminal justice system gets
a little too gung ho some times...
It is not his creation, he did not take the photos and he did not put them on the net but he looked at them and now he is a criminal, I don't live in America so I didn't see the programe. But my son sometimes looks at naked women on the net and I have had to say somethings to him to stop him doing it. I am happy if he buys a penthouse as long as he doesn't leave them lying around. But I told him don't buy anything stronger like Hussler. My Daughter has posters of Brad Pitt and some pop bands on her wall and school books bearing just about all and this is called appropiate. My son has a poster of a Car on the wall and the playboy mag is in his desk draw. When he has finished "READING "it he gives it to his mates and will buy the next issue. I think he is very normal. as I remember when I went to school Kids swapped girly mags but i wasn't at all intrested after seeing one for the first time. My son is 17 and my Daughter is 15. I go to other people places and there are more posters on kids bedroom walls than there are walls. and some are very revealing although not nude or topless but still not dressed in a suite and tie either.
Donna.. yes it is really scary.. most people do have security on their computers and it isn't worth beans when it comes to stuff like this.
I have heard of stories where neighbors witnessed stuff being removed from homes by the govt.. but when the homeowner returned it was like nothing was missing at all.. very scary as the same neighbor could not track the points where the stuff was returned.