Posted on 02/09/2008 9:46:43 PM PST by ChocChipCookie
My sister-in-law and brother-in-law discovered that a neighbor has been tapping into their unsecured wireless internet connection. They've discovered 8-10 folders of photos accessible through their network that do not belong to them. (My BIL discovered this a few days ago when he wasn't able to get an internet connection and went searching for his wireless connection.) Some are general family photos of camping trips, their home, etc., but there are numerous photos that can only be described as all-male kiddie porn. Tonight my husband took steps to delete access to the folders that had been mapped to their computer and secure their network.
My SIL and BIL recognized the people in the non-porn photos as neighbors who live across the street, but they have not yet contacted the police. Because my elderly mother-in-law and an elderly aunt (both in their 70's) live with them and are home alone during the day, they are nervous about their safety should these scumbag neighbors discover who turned them in. I don't believe they know these neighbors by name or have even spoken to them.
Can any Freepers suggest the best course of action here? My in-laws had named their wireless network with their last name, so it's very possible that these neighbors know whose network they have been using. Now that access to the photos has been deleted, can the police still pursue this? Needless to say, my first instinct is to call the police myself, but it's not my family in the situation.
Cute post — but not one bit funny at all. They are all in huge trouble. Huge. And it’s way too late to unring the bell. The IP is obligated to call law enforcement, and they have all tampered with evidence, destroyed evidence, and broken a ton of sex offender laws so far, if she is actually telling us everything. If they go next door and say one word to who they THINK is responsible, everything will just escalate.
They will likely (my prediction) spend $100,000 per couple, and the men will go to prison for 5-10 years each easily (WITH a plea bargain, which they will agree to, because they will be threatened with 20 years to life).
Good attorney - bad attorney — makes no difference. Their life will never be the same. Guarantee it.
These stupid laws need to change NOW. No one understands — until it happens to you, or someone you know and love.
You are so wrong about this. You can do your own research.
FWIW:
Don’t call the cops. They haven’t a clue about the internet. Your relatives will be in the poor house by the time their lawyer explains what www means. Don’t play around with this and assume the truth will out.
Delete the files, reformat the hard drive. Then reformat it agian, use secure mode.
SECURE YOUR WIRELESS NETWORK. If you don’t know how, find somebody that does.
If you wish to take some action against the perp, find some other way that does not involve revealing materials that were once in your possession.
there also could be a reward for turning in the bad guys.
No matter whose file this is if there is child pornography on it it is illegal (and immoral) and that person(s) must be reported.
Yeah. Sure. Wanna bet 10 to 20 years on it?
Nope....anybody accessing the network will be able to see the defaulted share folders...
Note: Backup the PC since it most likely WILL be taken as evidence.
That is somewhat different but still you need to call the police since they most likely downloaded them from your network.
Kudos. Best advice on the thread.
Thank you it seems beyond my ability.
I read a few years ago that the terrorist and also porn people have stored things on an unexpected person computer.
Never quite understood it but it seem the owner of the computer would have never known until he needed work done by comp tech than it was discovered.
Too late. They are all going to be arrested and charged with CP (child porn). They will spend $100k defending themselves, but they WILL serve prison time. Count on it.
The laws are so outrageous, you just cannot know until it happens to you — or someone you know. No one believes it is possible to be treated like a mass murderer — for accidentally finding CP on your computer. You can blame it on the neighbors, or whoever you want. The laws do not take any of that into consideration. Law enforcement doesn’t care. Neither do judges or jurys. Everything is focused on labeling anyone and everyone a sexual predator, bent on exploiting children.
These people’s lives will never be the same.
Plus a fair amount of bad advice and paranoia. WEP encryption hasn't been secure since at least 2001. MAC address filtering does not provide any real security. Burning files to a CD-ROM only proves that you wanted to have a copy of the porn, you can't just bring it to the cops and say, "Yo, Mr. Cop, here's the evidence, go arrest my neighbor." If the BIL has not been charged with a crime then it is entirely legal for him to securely delete whatever he wants from his own computer.
I will say that Killdisk is a fine program. I doubt that it is necessary here, but if the BIL is utterly terrified of being prosecuted for his non-crime, then he should consider using Killdisk and then physically destroying the drive. For the latter, a drill press or even a hand drill can do a nice job. You just repeatedly drill through the drive platters. More holes, less data.
It might be easier to just kill your brother in law.
Don't forget to make a video for YouTube.
2. Call your attorney to see how to proceed, don’t expose yourself to a lawsuit.
That is one of the reasons I don't do it.
2. Call your attorney to see how to proceed, don’t expose yourself to a lawsuit.
Thanks, but offering free computer advice on FR is not likely to get me sued.
Too late. They are all going to be arrested and charged with CP (child porn). They will spend $100k defending themselves, but they WILL serve prison time. Count on it.
________________________
CCC just for grins how about posting tomorrow afternoon and let us know if the police came crashing in to arrest you for posting a question on a public forum.
it has nothing to do with her posting on a public forum. It is the time that has passed since the CP was found on her in-laws computer already, and how quickly the IP will be reporting it to the authorities. That is already in process, before she ever posted in here on FR.
Days is all it takes. Prosecutors everywhere are drooling with anticipation whenever cases like this come down the pike. The publicity, the power, the public outcry to protect the innocent victims of child porn....it’s all part of the hype and the inflated “crack down” on crime.
Laugh and make fun all you want. Wait until it happens to someone YOU know. Not so funny, my friend.
Probably not. But the ISP info does lead to the first set of doors broken down, the first set of seized (and unavailable) computers, the first round of bail bond and lawyer's fees, and the first set of wrecked reputations. Sure, if it were me, I probably would be found not guilty, but I'm too cheap to volunteer to pay the lawyer's fees in the public interest.
In this case, I would
Who knows when those guys will get busted<<<<<<<<<
Exactly. This is a dangerous situation, and I would personally consult an attorney prior to making any move or disturbing any images, to make sure I was handling it correctly. And I’d think time is of the essence.
That's ridiculous! Just because you leave the front door of your house unlocked, DOES NOT give someone the right to come in and take whatever they please from your property, or start using your "stuff".
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