18 U.S.C. § 2252C — Misleading words or digital images on the Internet
submitted 20 years ago by Pub. L. 109-248 to r/title-18-CRIMES-AND-CRIMINAL-PROCEDURE · 194 words · no verdicts yet
This section prohibits knowingly hiding misleading words or digital images in website source code to deceive a person about obscene material or to deceive a minor about material harmful to minors. The maximum prison terms are 10 years and 20 years, and the section defines how its construction and source-code rules work.
(a) General rule. A person who knowingly embeds words or digital images in a website's source code intending to deceive a person into viewing material constituting "obscenity" may be fined under title 18 and imprisoned for not more than 10 years. This section does not define "obscenity".
(b) Minors. A person who knowingly embeds words or digital images in a website's source code intending to deceive a minor into viewing material "harmful to minors" on the Internet may be fined under title 18 and imprisoned for not more than 20 years.
(c) Construction. A word or digital image that clearly indicates the site's sexual content, such as "sex" or "porn", is not misleading under this section.
(d) Definitions. (1) "Material that is harmful to minors" and "sex" have the meanings given to them in section 2252B. (2) "Source code" means the combination of text and other characters that makes up the viewable and nonviewable content of a web page. This includes website publishing languages, programming languages, protocols, functional content, and successor languages or protocols.
Whoever knowingly embeds words or digital images into the source code of a website with the intent to deceive a person into viewing material constituting obscenity shall be fined under this title and imprisoned for not more than 10 years.
Whoever knowingly embeds words or digital images into the source code of a website with the intent to deceive a minor into viewing material harmful to minors on the Internet shall be fined under this title and imprisoned for not more than 20 years.
For the purposes of this section, a word or digital image that clearly indicates the sexual content of the site, such as “sex” or “porn”, is not misleading.
As used in this section—
the terms “material that is harmful to minors” and “sex” have the meaning given such terms in section 2252B; and
the term “source code” means the combination of text and other characters comprising the content, both viewable and nonviewable, of a web page, including any website publishing language, programming language, protocol or functional content, as well as any successor languages or protocols.
Source credit: (Added Pub. L. 109–248, title VII, § 703(a), July 27, 2006, 120 Stat. 648.)
- 2006Enacted · Pub. L. 109-248 · 120 Stat. 648
A history note hasn’t been published yet. The record shows enactment by Pub. L. 109-248 on 2006-07-27.
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