

Computer Crime

The Dangers of File Sharing and Peer to Peer Networks

File sharing has been a big part of the counter-culture of legal and illegal music and movie downloads in the United States. Many file sharing programs that allowed the free flow of copyrighted files like Limewire, Napster, Bearshare, Frostwire, and the like have long been shut down by the U.S. Government (or switched their business models), but new software springs up all the time. For example, as soon as Limewire was shut down, Frostwire came out and today the most prevelant Peer to Peer software of today is bit Torrent. The cycle keeps repeating as bit torrent sites like The Pirate Bay, Demonoid, and others have faced government seizures of their physical servers located in other countries. The government may not be able to completely shut down all of the file-sharing software as it continues to morph into different models that make it undetectable. Many people praise these programs as means to download and own files for free that they would otherwise have to pay for, but what these people don’t realize is the inherent danger of downloading files from anonymous sources and sharing the same files out to strangers: namely, child pornography.

Helpful Link > Click the following links to view our Child Pornography Case Victories and view all of our Arizona Sex Crime Victories.


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File Sharing Networks


Peer to Peer Networks





There are conspiracy theories out there that the government uses images of child porn to set people up for conviction. People use this to explain the surge of conviction among political rivals and other important people in society. This ruins their reputation and labels them a sex offender for the rest of their lives. Though this rumor does not have much traction, it is wise to avoid the possibility altogether by abstaining from P2P file sharing sites.

Here is a video David Michael Cantor made when Limewire was in the news in Oct 2010:

Every state in the US has laws regarding the possession and distribution of child pornography. For example, here in Arizona the law is A.R.S §13-3553 Sexual Exploitation of a Minor” (i.e. “Child Pornography”) and it is a class two (2) felony.  In Arizona, the minimum prison term is 10 years per image, if convicted. If you are facing child pornography charges, it’s a good idea to find yourself a defense attorney who has experience with these types of cases and also works with a good computer forensics expert.

If you have legal questions about Sexual Exploitation of a Minor and Child Pornography possession and distribution, please give our office a call at (602) 307-0808. If you are in the pre-charge phase or have already been charged, please call us for a free case review. The free consultation will last about 30 minutes and one of our defense attorneys will give you their professional opinion with your case.

Fraud Law from 1980’s creates dangerous situation for employees

In the 1980’s computer hacking was something that most Americans only heard about in Science Fiction. The few people who had a computer at their home did not have an Internet connection and there was no online shopping. However Congress still needed to pass some sort of fraud law that allowed it to prosecute criminal hackers, more appropriately labeled crackers. So they passed the US Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. Unfortunately they were a little vague in their wording and many analysts feel have left open a wide interpretation of the law where it says it is illegal to “intentionally access a computer without authorization or exceed authorized access.”

This line could be used to prosecute workers using a company computer to buy things on Ebay, it is argued. Experts think that this will probably end up in the Supreme Court of the United States after the 9th Circuit threw out a case. In this case the defendant was charged after he asked colleagues to download client names from a recruiting firm. He argues that he did not break any law as he had permission to access the database.

Computer Fraud and Abuse Act: The 1980s-Era Hacking Law Out Of Step With Today’s Internet, Analysts Say

Reuters | By Grant McCool
Posted: 07/29/2012 10:43 am Updated: 07/30/2012 9:23 am

NEW YORK (Reuters) – A 1984 U.S. anti-hacking law passed when computer crime was in its infancy is under fire for potentially going too far in criminalizing the actions of employees who violate workplace policies.





































(Editing by Martha Graybow, Edward Tobin and Leslie Gevirtz)

Child Pornography Cases and Computer Forensics

Today David Michael Cantor, a Sex Crime Defense Lawyer, based in Phoenix, AZ, discusses Child Pornography Cases and Computer Forensics.

As David mentioned in last years video post about Limewire closing down, more people are finding themselves on the wrong end of the law because of various file sharing programs. Almost immediately after Limewire closed the network was shifted over to Frostwire allowing people to continue to download files from other users computers easily and with unforeseen dangers. As David explains again, but in more detail in this video, when you download files from other peoples computers it is very easy to unknowingly download child pornography and other files that can result in decades of prison time.

In this video David goes into further technical detail about how various files end up on your computer. Even when you delete a file from your computer there can still be parts of the file on your computer that can be used as evidence against you.

If you do find yourself or someone you know in trouble for this type of activity it is important that you get competent and experienced legal representation. It is also critical that a computer forensics expert be involved as well.

Tami Loehrs: Computer Forensics Expert (520) 219-6807

Kim Hart: False Allegation of Abuse Trial Consultant (419) 868-6016

Click Here for Free ConsultationComparison Questions to Ask when Hiring a Lawyer
