Perverted-Justice
Perverted-Justice.com (also known as "PeeJ") is a website dedicated to catching Internet pedophiles while they attempt to meet up with underage children for sexual encounters. The website makes use of contributors who pose as young girls or boys, talk to older men who are interested in exchanging photos online, and then attempt to set up dates and times to meet. These contributors are actually usually grown men and women who bait such men into getting caught. Subsequently, they place information about these men on the website for anyone with Internet access to view.
History
The organization and web site were set up in 2002 by an individual who uses the pseudonym Xavier Von Erck, who, while roaming Portland, Oregon online chatrooms, had grown tired of males approaching younger, adolescent girls. Before August 2003, the web site was mostly dedicated to the Portland area. With the advent of national exposure, stemming from a link by Cruel.com, they refined their techniques in the area of phone verification and followup. As of 2004, 24 arrests have been made in the United States, with some men indicted thanks, in part, to the work of Perverted-Justice.com with police departments across the country. The website is also credited with the recovery of an abducted female in September of 2004.
Culture
The forums are where the real action takes place. Once an exchange between a presumed sexual predator and a faux child is posted, thousands of interested parties use every means at their disposal to fully identify and expose the message poster.
One controversial intra-community issue is the moderators' enforcement of Usenet-type etiquette on the forums. The people posting there are average people for the most part, not computer experts. If a post falls outside of the forum's rigid set of rules it will be moved, edited, or deleted. This is done to ensure that the forums run smoothly and without fighting or disputes.
Another issue involves the recent change in members' ability to access the private message system. As of October of 2004, only those with 30 posts can send or receive private messages. This was to stop people who have been identified as perverts from signing up for a account and sending unkind or disruptive private messages to forum users. Those who were using the private message system before but have less than 30 total posts cannot get to private messages that have been sent to them by members but continue to get notices e-mailed to them that they have messages waiting.
Some who wish to participate and help the cause are put off by these tactics and leave disappointed. Others feel that the rules and moderation create a more effective organization and are therefore willing to accept them in the course of furthering the web site's cause.
The forums have also established a Survivor's area, for those who have been sexual abuse victims to share tips, information and caring with other former victims.
Controversy
Some critics have expressed concern or opposition in regard to Perverted-Justice.com, with the administration of the web sites illustrating that most critics are outside the United States, and labeling them as defenders of pedophiles. They shrug off most concerns regarding the site by stating that they would rather be defending American children from would-be pedophiles than doing nothing at all.
Cons
At the heart of the protest of Perverted-Justice.com is a right to privacy issue — the fact that Perverted-Justice.com displays photos and lists names, addresses, telephone numbers, instant messenger usernames, email addresses, schools, and workplaces of the men that have been found trying to seduce or lure teenagers through the Internet, while keeping its own contributors anonymous. Critics of the site believe that the opportunity for someone to be innocently accused of being an Internet predator is large, especially since an individual could use a computer, online account, or any of the items listed above not actually belonging to him or her. The more well known critics of Perverted-Justice.com include Parry Aftab, Wiredsafety.org (formerly Cyberangels); Peter Carr, Chatmag.com; Katya Gifford, Cyberangels; Julie Posey, The Julie Posey Story; and Lee Tien, Electronic Frontier Foundation. Many law enforcement agencies have also stated that, while they appreciate the mission and support of the web site, they do not agree with some of its vigilante practices. The site's supporters argue that such critics are simply not acquainted with the organization or that protecting children online is more important than protecting the civil rights of alleged pedophiles.
Some legal scholars raise questions of entrapment or illegal activity on the part of Perverted-Justice.com's contributors, and in fact two of the site's contributors were sued in Minnesota for that reason. (However, Jonathan Zittrain, of Harvard Law School, has claimed in interviews with the Boston Globe and Court TV that the site is completely legal.) The site's supporters argue that critics are simply not acquainted with the organization or that protecting children online is more important than protecting the civil rights of alleged pedophiles.
Some critics contend that the site's methodology is flawed, citing its low success rate — six convictions versus over 700 "busts."
Pros
Supporters of the site argue that viewers are given the opportunity to read chat logs of the online encounters with the men and decide for themselves on their intents. Also, the site mentions whether each alleged potential victimizer was contacted by phone or seen at the location agreed upon, largely confirming their true intentions. Additionally, the site allows men with information posted about them the "right of reply" in defense of or apologetic admission of their wrongdoings, and it will also occasionally — though very seldom — remove information on certain men after they show positive, compelling reasons for such removal, such as receiving psychological counseling.
The administrators of the website make clear that they:
- Do not initiate the online contact with the men,
- Do not accept tips from Internet users, to eliminate the chance that someone use the site for vengeful purposes, and
- Allow discretionary first contact — submission of information to law enforcement — in accordance with the site's "Info First" police program.)
The site has been credited with assisting in obtaining six convictions since June of 2004, and was able to locate an abducted girl in September of 2004.