I would like to clue the members of the TFP in on what is happening right now. First, a little history.
In 2003,
a discussion took place on this forum about under-aged models and their exploited sexuality. An article was posted about an eight year old who models in clothes that make her just a little too sexy for her age. The resulting discussion reflected outrage from the TFP members, but there was very little else. That's not really why I'm posting this though.
The thread was indexed by Google and was available by search to anyone who was looking for this particular article. An advocate for the parties mentioned in the article happened to be searching for it, and found us. They are now in talks with our host, ServInt, to try and get the article removed.
The TFP and ServInt are protected by the Freedom of Information Act, which protects website owners and hosts from the content that users happen to post. There really is no contest, but that is still not what this discussion is about.
What I am getting at is... what happens when you try to erase something that has already been said?
I have extended an invitation to this advocate to come to the TFP and open a discussion about this topic that will shed some light on the truths surrounding the article that is causing so much grief for him. Rather than squelch false information, I would like to see opposing information posted beside it and have discussion take place.
The internet is a place where information is not always reliable. With today's social environment, if enough people insisted, 2 + 2 could equal 5. Its still important to have all sides of the story represented. If stories are suppressed, they will come back with ten times the publicity.
You can't control what is said on the internet. You can't make content go away. You can, however, make your own story heard. You can play the old game with the new rules.