CANADA BIDS TO OUTLAW KID-PORN ‘NET SURFING

Canada's government introduced a bill to make it a crime to surf for child pornography on the Internet.  Accessing child pornography would carry a penalty of up to five years in prison.  The bill is not meant to catch people who inadvertently open e-mail attachments or Web pages that have child pornography but those who knowingly cause child pornography to be viewed.  According to the New York Post, the legislation would create new criminal offenses of transmitting child porn, for example by e-mail; of providing child-porn Web addresses; and of exporting it from Canada.  Each would be punishable by up to 10 years in prison.  Importing child porn is already illegal.

(Ottawa)