Georgia General Assembly
Unannotated Code
16-12-100.html
16-12-100.2.
(a) This Code section shall be known and may be cited
as the 'Computer Pornography and Child Exploitation Prevention Act of 1999.'
(b) As used in this Code section, the term:
(1) 'Child' means any person under the age of 16
years.
(2) 'Identifiable child' means a person:
(A) Who was a child at the time the visual depiction
was created, adapted, or modified or whose image as a child was used in
creating, adapting, or modifying the visual depiction;
and
(B) Who is recognizable as an actual person by the
person´s
face, likeness, or other distinguishing characteristic, such as a unique
birthmark or other recognizable feature or by electronic or scientific means as
may be available.
The term shall not be construed to
require proof of the actual identity of the child.
(3)
'Sadomasochistic abuse' has the same meaning as provided in Code Section
16-12-100.1.
(4) 'Sexual conduct' has the same
meaning as provided in Code Section 16-12-100.1.
(5)
'Sexual excitement' has the same meaning as provided in Code Section
16-12-100.1.
(6) 'Sexually explicit nudity' has the
same meaning as provided in Code Section 16-12-102.
(7) 'Visual depiction' means any image and includes
undeveloped film and video tape and data stored on computer disk or by
electronic means which is capable of conversion into a visual image or which has
been created, adapted, or modified to show an identifiable child engaged in
sexually explicit conduct.
(c)(1) A person commits
the offense of computer pornography if such person intentionally or willfully:
(A) Compiles, enters into, or transmits by means of
computer;
(B) Makes, prints, publishes, or reproduces
by other computerized means;
(C) Causes or allows to
be entered into or transmitted by means of computer;
or
(D) Buys, sells, receives, exchanges, or
disseminates
any notice, statement, or advertisement,
or any
child´s
name, telephone number, place of residence, physical characteristics, or other
descriptive or identifying information for the purpose of offering or soliciting
sexual conduct of or with an identifiable child or the visual depiction of such
conduct.
(2) Any person convicted of violating
paragraph (1) of this subsection shall be punished by a fine of not more than
$10,000.00 and by imprisonment for not less than one nor more than 20 years.
(d)(1) It shall be unlawful for any person
intentionally or willfully to utilize a computer on-line service or Internet
service, including but not limited to a local bulletin board service, Internet
chat room, e-mail, or on-line messaging service to seduce, solicit, lure, or
entice, or attempt to seduce, solicit, lure, or entice a child or another person
believed by such person to be a child to commit any illegal act described in
Code Section 16-6-2, relating to the offense of sodomy or aggravated sodomy;
Code Section 16-6-4, relating to the offense of child molestation or aggravated
child molestation; Code Section 16-6-5, relating to the offense of enticing a
child for indecent purposes; or Code Section 16-6-8, relating to the offense of
public indecency or to engage in any conduct that by its nature is an unlawful
sexual offense against a child.
(2) Any person who
violates paragraph (1) of this subsection shall be guilty of a felony and, upon
conviction thereof, shall be punished by imprisonment for not less than one nor
more than 20 years and by a fine of not more than $25,000.00; provided, however,
that, if at the time of the offense the victim was 14 or 15 years of age and the
defendant was no more than three years older than the victim, then the defendant
shall be guilty of a misdemeanor of a high and aggravated nature.
(e)(1) A person commits the offense of obscene
Internet contact with a child if he or she has contact with someone he or she
knows to be a child or with someone he or she believes to be a child via a
computer on-line service or Internet service, including but not limited to a
local bulletin board service, Internet chat room, e-mail, or on-line messaging
service, and the contact involves any matter containing explicit verbal
descriptions or narrative accounts of sexually explicit nudity, sexual conduct,
sexual excitement, or sadomasochistic abuse that is intended to arouse or
satisfy the sexual desire of either the child or the person, provided that no
conviction shall be had for a violation of this subsection on the unsupported
testimony of a child.
(2) Any person who violates
paragraph (1) of this subsection shall be guilty of a felony and, upon
conviction thereof, shall be punished by imprisonment for not less than one nor
more than ten years or by a fine of not more than $10,000.00; provided, however,
that, if at the time of the offense the victim was 14 or 15 years of age and the
defendant was no more than three years older than the victim, then the defendant
shall be guilty of a misdemeanor of a high and aggravated nature.
(f)(1) It shall be unlawful for any owner or operator
of a computer on-line service, Internet service, or local bulletin board service
intentionally or willfully to permit a subscriber to utilize the service to
commit a violation of this Code section, knowing that such person intended to
utilize such service to violate this Code section. No owner or operator of a
public computer on-line service, Internet service, or local bulletin board
service shall be held liable on account of any action taken in good faith in
providing the aforementioned services.
(2) Any person
who violates paragraph (1) of this subsection shall be guilty of a misdemeanor
of a high and aggravated nature.
(g) The sole fact
that an undercover operative or law enforcement officer was involved in the
detection and investigation of an offense under this Code section shall not
constitute a defense to prosecution under this Code section.
(h) A person is subject to prosecution in this state
pursuant to Code Section 17-2-1, relating to jurisdiction over crimes and
persons charged with commission of crimes generally, for any conduct made
unlawful by this Code section which the person engages in while either within or
outside of this state if, by such conduct, the person commits a violation of
this Code section which involves a child who resides in this state or another
person believed by such person to be a child residing in this state.
(i) Any violation of this Code section shall
constitute a separate offense.