Accidental illegal porn

[Donjay]

I am in MA. I need advice. I was on the web looking at adult content. I was on a page that said it was complient with US Code. It said that all the models were at least 18 years of age. There was a link that said " 18+ Teens ". I clicked on it and it was a page of thumbs of what appeared to be child porn. I did not intend or want to see this. I closed the window immediatly.
My questions are:
Am I going to jail?
Has this happened to other people looking for legal images of college aged women?
Why are these sites so easy to get too? I thought that material like this would not be so prevalent. If they are so easy to find why are the people that are responsible for their content not prosecuted?
Can I trust a site that says that they are complient with US Code. Do illegal sites often lie and say that they are compliant?

Thanks

 

[Man Named Ted]

...

As long as you didn't look at it, and you have proof it was child porn I highly doubt you'll go to jail.

 

[Mr Sloane]

What I tend to do in this situation is immediately report the site to the relevant authorities.

That way, if ever some nerd with no life is going through my cache at a repair shop, I've got some proof I did something about it.

 

[Donjay]

After researching it I now know that is the accepted protocol. I wish I had the site name. I got to it by clicking on thumbnails, panicked and just shut it down. I am done with adult material on the web anyway.
I also read that roughly 10% of all porn on the net is illegal. Scary. You are bound to get something you don't want sooner or later. The problem with thumbnails is that the only time you know a site is illegal is after you are on the page. Too risky for me.
Thanks for your help.

 

[Blendmik]

accidental illegal porn

donjay, whether you live in MA or NY or wherever, the Federal laws regarding child porn are very clear. many sites claim over 18 "proof on file" disclaimers and everything. but some sites will still send you to that kind of stuff.
the law indicates that in the event of "accidental" discovery, the site url and the source must be reported, and..... if you're uncomfortable emailing your local sheriff, there are several options for anonymous reporting of illegal material.
also, no, you are not in trouble. it is not illegal to view anything, but continous return to sites or images could be construed as intent to possess.
in addition, i read the other posts. i would'nt worry either about someone (repair man or whoever) going through your pc. no one has ANY reason at all to sweep your hardrive and,.. anyone who discovered any old images by snooping would be in more trouble then you are.....and besides, anything discovered illegally would be inadmissable.
just report anything you find that is questionable and keep a log documenting the date and place of reporting.