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[sagi58]

Staff wrote:">Cliff Ford, Toronto dad, posed as preteen daughter to bust online predator

Like so many parents, Toronto dad Cliff Ford just wanted to keep his children safe online.

He had no idea that his efforts would eventually help U.S. authorities bust an online child exploitation ring based in Ohio.

It all started in January, when Ford’s daughter received an email from a stranger with the subject line, “Hey sexy.”

He saw it immediately, as her emails are forwarded to his cellphone — Ford requires his children to provide him with access to all of their email and social media accounts.

“If I need to, I can spot check and make sure they are safe,” he told CBC News.

Ford’s daughter had been innocently messaging with a stranger in an online chat room in the days before she received the unsettling email.

She told him about the conversations, and instead of cutting off the contact, Ford decided to pose as his daughter and see if he could get more information.

'I could feel my blood boiling'

Ford carried on the charade over three days, and managed to find out the mysterious messenger’s name and address — even what model car he drives.

Ford discovered that the emails were coming from 30-year-old Nicholas Bowers, who lives just outside Akron, Ohio.

Over their back-and-forth conversation, Bowers’s messages became increasingly sexual in nature.

Bowers’ wrote things like, “I want to hold you and kiss you,” and, “It turns me on a lot now knowing you are 12.”

One morning, Bowers sent an email with an attachment. It was a video, intended for Ford’s daughter, which showed Bowers masturbating.

“When he sent the attachment and I realized what it was, I had to shut it off because I could feel my blood boiling inside me knowing what this guy’s intentions were,” Ford said.

Ford decided to take the material he had gathered to police in Toronto, who carried on the rouse and continued communicating with Bowers.

Eventually Toronto police contacted local authorities and the FBI in Akron, and a joint investigation began on both sides of the border.

The FBI arrested Bowers on Jan. 14, finding USB keys, computers and CDs that contained child pornography. The investigation soon revealed that Bowers was a primary player in a local child pornography ring that traded pictures and videos of minors online.

20-year prison sentence

“I was just trying to protect my daughter,” Ford said. “I had no idea there would be other victims.”

Bowers was charged with a host of child pornography-related charges, including receiving, distributing and possessing visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, transferring obscene material to a juvenile and enticement.

Ford travelled to Ohio to testify against the man who tried to lure his daughter online.

Bowers later pleaded guilty, and last week was sentenced by a U.S. federal judge to more than 20 years in prison.

“Attentive parents and swift law enforcement action has ensured that Mr. Bowers will not be trolling for minors on the internet,”said FBI special agent Stephen Anthony, who helped investigate the case.

“This international collaborative law enforcement effort demonstrates that preying on our most precious commodity, our children, will not be tolerated.”

[sagi58]

I do believe that the Internet has some truly amazing advantages that we could never have imagined when I was a child.

Having said that, it also gives those who would take advantage of children an incredible amount of opportunities to do so.

This father is to be commended. More parents should worry less about giving their children the right to online privacy and worry more about the potential for danger, if they aren't watchful.

[sagi58]

With your indulgence, I'm going to post a few examples that I have personal knowledge of.

Example #1

Parent records a school event and posts it on YouTube, including name of school and city.
A father who, by law, has been denied access/contact with one of the classmates sees the clip.
Shows up at the school, unannounced and a huge scene ensues when mom comes to pick up the child.
The police are called, child services are involved, within the month, mom and child move away.

[sagi58]

Example #2

10-year-old has a social media account, as does older sister and mother.
All post pictures of themselves, some are less appropriate than others.
Sister has a crush on an older boy in high school, asks to be a friend,
boy refuses invite. Sister poses as her younger sibling and invites him.
He shows his mother, who knows the 10-year-old's aunt. Boy's mother
thinks it's inappropriate, tells aunt and shows her how easy it is to save
profile shots and manipulate/photoshop them. Aunt becomes concerned
warns the 10-year-old's mother what the older daughter has been up to.

No word on how that all ended up.

[sagi58]

Example #3

Final year of elementary school and a new girl moves into the neighbourhood.
Whilst chatting on MSN, tempers flare over a boy that two girls like and threats
are made, dare to fight it out is made. One parent reads conversation, prints
it out and takes it to the school's principal the next day. The fight is averted.

Unfortunately, it doesn't end there. A bad case of bullying starts and the girls
do end up fighting, with one pulling the other's hair to the point that she pulled
out a section of hair from the roots, causing a 3 cm sq bald spot that took years
to grow back. The police are involved and assault charges are laid.

[sagi58]

There are more; but, I'll stop, for the moment.

[Jabberwocky]

Don't most social media have a 13 year old plus rules on them. So if a parent lets a child use it they should be the ones who are culpable.

I don't have to problem with my kids using the internet at the moment as they are too young, i do like the idea of forwarding all the emails they receive on though.
Example 1... I think with facebook (supposed) privacy and most people using that instead of youtube (open to all)
Example 2... That is down to the mother not supervising her kids properly.
As for example 3, that would of happened if MSN was involved or not.

[racechick]

I think there have always been dangers for children, with the Internet the dangers have changed. You can't Wrap children up in cotton wool and shield them from everything. The best you can do is educate them to the dangers and encourage them to always question things not just accept them. And to help them develop a strong self esteem and to be confident in themselves. That way they are best equipped to asses and deal with dangers they may come across.

[What's Burning?]

Before the internet, no kids were ever sexually molested or abused. Especially, not by their priest or family member or close family friend.

[CookinFlat6]

Not sure what this is about - sounds like parents that worry about thier kids online privacy (the gateway between virtual and real physical danger) are being advised by sagi to worry less about that and worry more about the dangers that existed before the internet?
And that instead of parents using their methods of teaching their kids how to have common sense they should instead have 24 hour monitoring of their kids activites online

The usual muddle headed (well meant) do-gooder routine that is reactive, and not thought through and ends up just making things worse. How you gonna monitor kids 24 hrs online and till what age? Why not spend the time teaching them to be sensible and how to spot perverts etc

Like each parent probably did before the internet - 'listen kids, when an old guy in a raincoat offers you free sweets etc or asks for yur address, then play along till you can kick him in the goonies, then in the head, then take his wallet and run to the nearest cops'

and maybe since the internet the same parents are saying - listen kids, when you are discussng on line and the other person somehow always turns everything into sexual innuendos or suggestions then you can be sure he aint 10 yrs old and doesnt have both hands on his keyboards and so you should tell him/her that your long lost relative left you a goldmine in Africa and you just needs a paypal payment of 2k to retrieve this money

I mean its hardly rocket science teaching kids to spot online perverts, but a few isolated cases means we should all stop worrying about privacy - preventing their name and address getting know by potential perves

[sagi58]

I did say dangers existed before. I am saying that the opportunities the internet has opened up is new.

Don't most social media have a 13 year old plus rules on them. So if a parent lets a child use it they should be the ones who are culpable...

Yes, it's true. Most do; but, not all children are supervised at all times, when on their computers.
It's not something new that children can/will lie. Some will click that they are of age, simply to
have access to social media their friends are members of.

Not all parents are technologically savvy enough to put parental controls on their computers.
Not all parents have the computer in view at all times, when their children are using them.
Not all parents know they can check the history of sites their children have accessed.
Even if they do, some children do know how to delete any temporary cookies left.

Are parents still culpable? Yes, I believe so.

...Example 1... I think with facebook (supposed) privacy and most people using that instead of youtube (open to all)...

Unfortunately, with Facebook, once you've uploaded to that site, it becomes their "property".
If you choose to delete your profile, apparently, it is stored and can be reactivated at any time.

Check this out: American family's web photo ends up as Czech advertisement

...Example 2... That is down to the mother not supervising her kids properly...

You're right, children need supervision, as well as needing to be educated about the dangers inherent in the social media.
Having said that, there are a growing number of households that are single-parent families today. Parents will rely on
older siblings to care for the younger children in the family. Oftentimes, the computer is used, as the television was used,
to baby-sit. Is that the right thing to do? No. Does it help with keeping children busy while the parent tries to get household
chores done? Unfortunately, it does.

...As for example 3, that would of happened if MSN was involved or not.

True!! Unfortunately, we're finding that social media tends to escalate the behaviours, especially when more than just the
two directly involved are chatting. Just as a mob gathers round, when there's a fight, the same sort of thing happens online.

[sagi58]

I think there have always been dangers for children, with the Internet the dangers have changed. You can't Wrap children up in cotton wool and shield them from everything. The best you can do is educate them to the dangers and encourage them to always question things not just accept them. And to help them develop a strong self esteem and to be confident in themselves. That way they are best equipped to asses and deal with dangers they may come across.

All great ideas! All plausible. Unfortunately, it's not so easy to do, for a number of reasons.
There seems to be more pressure to rush children into adulthood and a total independence
that some are just not emotionally / psychologically ready to accept.

We want children to grow up and take care of themselves, yet, we surround them with all sorts
of crutches so that we know where they are and what they are doing every minute of the day.
Start with the security systems that so many people have. Some even have the option to control
your home, when you're not present, with cameras to show you every room of the house and who
enters/exits from any door in the house. Then we have cell phones, for children who are still in
elementary schools, "just in case" they need to get in touch or just to "touch base"! Seriously?

Think back to when you were 19. Think of the 19-year-olds you know today. Isn't there a
difference between the responsibilities and expectations we had then and those today?
And, that's not to say that we're better people, or more intelligent, or even wiser!! Just
that there is a difference in maturity levels!

[sagi58]

Before the internet, no kids were ever sexually molested or abused. Especially, not by their priest or family member or close family friend.

Unfortunately, that priest, family member or close family friend is now trolling for children on the internet.
Children they may not know personally; but, children who also deserve to be safe.

[What's Burning?]

not worth it.

[Jabberwocky]

I think with ease of movement you don't know anymore. Going back 40 - 50 years everyone knew everyone in the village. So all the kids knew to avoid Uncle John with the wandering hands. However uncle John can now jump onto a motorway/highway and be 100 miles away where no one knows him in a an hour or so.