All too often, when law enforcement discovers or finds a computer that has child pornography on the computer, (What is Child Pornography?) the individual who possessed the computer is charged with the crime of Possessing Child Pornography, however there are numerous ways that such things can be on your computer without your knowledge.
First, if the computer or hard drive at issue is a work computer, it may have been used by other individuals before you received it. Those individuals who had the computer previously could have down loaded child pornography onto the computer. Check to see if there are any other user profiles on the computer. See also File Sharing and Child Pornography
Second, forensic computer experts have testified that in is common for people who use computers to not be aware of what’s on their computers. Certain files can only be found via a deep forensic search of the computer.
Third, check to see if there is evidence that the user of the computer actually went to known websites that have child pornography on them. Sometimes, the child pornography that is linked to a given computer isn’t even viewable. This is evidence that it wasn’t the user who went to find and download child pornography, but is instead evidence of a computer virus or trojan infecting the computer. Some viruses can be rogue applications that appear as a result of clicking on pop ups and these viruses download child pornography without the user’s knowledge. Some of these viruses and trojans allow outside user’s to hack into your computer and access child pornography without your knowledge.
The Possession of Child Pornography is an extremely serious crime in the state of Pennsylvania. Each count carries with it a maximum penalty of 7 years in state prison. If you are charged or being investigated for the crime of Child Pornography, make sure you hire an experienced Child Pornography Lawyer to represent you. Child Pornography Attorney
