15 April
2006 Chatmag Editorial.
For the past two
years, Chatmag has maintained that the online volunteer group Perverted
Justice is a renegade vigilante organization. Serious questions were
raised regarding their methods, motivation and tactics. The
identity of the founder, Phillip Eide, came into question and was a hot
discussion topic on Wikipedia.
The need to apprehend
online predators by acceptable legal methods was overshadowed by the "by
any means necessary" emotional attitude of well-meaning volunteers to Perverted-Justice.com
The founder of
Perverted-Justice.com, rather than debate in a mature manner with the growing
list of people and organizations questioning Perverted-Justice.com, took
to posting rants and obscenities on his 'blog type site, Angrygerman.com
He also took potshots at the media, the very same media he was using to
further his cause.
Perverted-Justice.com
also maintains a public discussion forum, Corrupted-Justice.net, which
was inaugurated after the founding of Corrupted-Justice.com, a site devoted
to exposing Perverted-Justice.com and their flawed methods. Chatmag
has maintained that the "bust" information on Perverted-Justice.com is
not accurate.
A recent post
on Corrupted-Justice.net is a discussion thread regarding myself. Within
the post thread, a photograph is displayed, ostensibly of myself. It is
not, and this illustrates how Perverted-Justice.com posts questionable,
misleading and outright false information. Perverted-Justice posted the
photograph of a person who does not know their photograph is being used
in an inappropriate manner.
Until now, isolated
individuals and organizations have questioned Perverted-Justice.com.
The recent "bust" in Darke County, Ohio has garnered both NBC and Perverted-Justice.com
a growing public scrutiny, questioning the ethics of paying to manufacture
the news, rather than report the news.
NBC paid Perverted-Justice.com
what the Washington Post is reporting as over $100,000.00. In addition,
during the Darke County, Ohio bust, the Darke County Sheriff, Toby L. Spencer,
deputized several Perverted-Justice.com volunteers.
It is proper that
NBC be called into question regarding the payment of vigilantes. And, the
Darke County Sheriff should be investigated for what may be the unlawful
deputizing of untrained, not properly vetted vigilantes. The deputizing
of vigilantes puts into jeopardy each and every bust done by Darke County,
as the evidence gathered may be ruled inadmissible in court.
This is a turning
point for Perverted-Justice.com No longer will they be able to laugh off
their critics. And this is a wake up call for any media outlet contemplating
the use of Perverted-Justice.com. The use of vigilante groups does nothing
to protect children online, only to improve ratings. Online safety
is not a ratings game, but a serious undertaking, best left to professionals
and legitimate law enforcement.
Peter J. Carr
Owner/Publisher
Chatmag.com
External Links:
Corrupted-Justice.net
This Just In...Stop the press.
Corrupted-Justice.com
Wikipedia:
Talk: Perverted-Justice.com
