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by seanmcdirmid 7 days ago
CSAM laws in many jurisdictions include computer generated or hand crafted media that do not pre-require CSA at all. The idea is that deviance leads to CSA, and by cracking down on CSAM, we are preventing CSA.
2 comments

This is such a slippery slope. It amounts to thought police. You did not actually cause any harm, but thought of doing something. Where do we stop ? If I fantasize about my pretty coworker without her consent, am I a rapist now? What if I make a sketch of her naked? Is that a crime? What if I ask AI to remove her clothes from a real picture? Even if I just immediately delete it?? I guess that there’s different levels to each “offense”, and at one level it does become criminal, but it’s hard to unequivocally decide where.
I don’t agree or disagree. It is political suicide however, to argue for saner laws in this area even if you think that the current ones aren’t sane.
The US constitution should require proof of harm to a living thing as a prerequisite for criminal charges.