Don’t share vile viral videos

Of all the disturbing things a parent could see on social media, child porn is one that could stir up many emotions, especially if one of the parents had themselves fallen victim to such atrocities in their own childhood,

In February, such an event caught me off-guard when I was screening my messenger correspondence and priding myself in keeping my friends respectable.

One mother thought that sending a video of a man engaging in a sexual act with a 3-year-old going viral would satisfy her sense of duty to the child being exploited.

She was totally unaware of the crime she was committing and the possibility she was putting herself in jeopardy of being labeled a person of interest for spreading child porn. Being unaware of the law is not a crime, but ignorance is not bliss when you spread a vile video to other unsuspecting friends in your social media group to see how many likes you can get.

Facebook has been under fire and after reading through materials posted on their website, a media user will find that some things viewed as obscene by one person may not be viewed in the same manner by others. According to Facebook, it is the user’s responsibility to report obscenities to their local police authorities.

The question still looms, who is responsible for removing things that are against the law, especially the exploitation of a minor? Facebook has a User Operations Manager who alerts the safety team. According to the safety team, there is a new PhotoDNA created by Microsoft and Dartmouth computer science professor Harry Farid. Supposedly, PhotoDNA can proactively detect child exploitation material on the site and can, in most cases, prevent them from being uploaded.

The PhotoDNA failed miserably and still to this date, the video is being circulated.

The good news is the male perpetrator has been apprehended and jailed. News sources reported that the minor was “safe.”

With the backlash Facebook has endured over the past year alone, it is clear this site is no longer a favorite of a once loyal participant. It is a difficult decision to make because of family members and high school friends who have not migrated to popular sites like Instagram, Twitter or Snapchat, but it’s time to consider cutting`the cord.