Masha's courage may now assist lawmakers as they look for ways to combat the growing child-porn industry.Īuthorities say one in five children is now approached by online predators in what Congress calls a multibillion-dollar industry. Nine other people have been convicted in federal court for downloading Masha's pictures. There are dozens of notices of other pending cases, a number that does not begin to reflect the actual number of potential defendants in criminal and civil cases. In July, President Bush signed Masha's Law, which dramatically increases the fines and penalties for downloading kiddie porn.
It's part of a larger law called the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006, which requires convicted child molesters to be listed on a national Internet database and face a felony charge for failing to update their whereabouts.
