# Facebook faces another privacy vs freedom of speech problem- pedofile wins £20,000 damages **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [February 20, 2015, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-faces-another-privacy-vs-freedom-of-speech-problem-pedofile-wins-20-000-damages/713215 "2015-02-20T19:35:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Pjen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Pjen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pjen)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2015, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-faces-another-privacy-vs-freedom-of-speech-problem-pedofile-wins-20-000-damages/713215/101 "2015-02-21T23:47:28Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > Common sense. “Common sense” is frequently synonymous with “my personal prejudices.” ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2015, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-faces-another-privacy-vs-freedom-of-speech-problem-pedofile-wins-20-000-damages/713215/102 "2015-02-21T23:47:51Z")
> [@Pjen](#): > > In the USA that may be the case. elsewhere there is a more nuanced response. Pjen, do you start these kinds of threads for the sole purpose of clubbing Americans over the head with them? ---
**Author:** ![Pjen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Pjen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pjen)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2015, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-faces-another-privacy-vs-freedom-of-speech-problem-pedofile-wins-20-000-damages/713215/103 "2015-02-21T23:49:25Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > \*\*Pjen \*\*- is your purpose in this thread to defend British privacy laws, or to defend pedophilia? Neither. It is to discuss the conundrums surrounding the subjects of treatment of people guilty of sex crimes and discord on privacy rights between different jurisdictions. When did you stop beating your wife… ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2015, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-faces-another-privacy-vs-freedom-of-speech-problem-pedofile-wins-20-000-damages/713215/104 "2015-02-21T23:51:03Z")
So you’re unwilling to defend British privacy laws? Interesting. ---
**Author:** ![Pjen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Pjen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pjen)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2015, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-faces-another-privacy-vs-freedom-of-speech-problem-pedofile-wins-20-000-damages/713215/105 "2015-02-21T23:52:01Z")
> [@Odesio](#): > > Pjen, do you start these kinds of threads for the sole purpose of clubbing Americans over the head with them? The rule with some people seems to be that any comparison of ethical responses in different countries is only acceptable if discussed in terms of the overall correctness of the American system, despite the US being regularly an outlier among modern democracies. ---
**Author:** ![Pjen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Pjen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pjen)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2015, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-faces-another-privacy-vs-freedom-of-speech-problem-pedofile-wins-20-000-damages/713215/106 "2015-02-21T23:55:39Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > So you’re unwilling to defend British privacy laws? Interesting. You really must stop making posts that beg the question by assuming an incorrect answer. I am interested in the conflict between different jurisdictions. In some I tend to the US system (libel and the free press) and in others I tend towards the European (privacy and protection from harassment.) Neither system is perfect but we can learn from the differences. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2015, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-faces-another-privacy-vs-freedom-of-speech-problem-pedofile-wins-20-000-damages/713215/107 "2015-02-21T23:56:07Z")
> [@Pjen](#): > > The rule with some people seems to be that any comparison of ethical responses in different countries is only acceptable if discussed in terms of the overall correctness of the American system, despite the US being regularly an outlier among modern democracies. So, yes? ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2015, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-faces-another-privacy-vs-freedom-of-speech-problem-pedofile-wins-20-000-damages/713215/108 "2015-02-22T00:10:33Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#): > > The Justice Department under Janet Reno. You can look it up. > **[Home](https://bjs.ojp.gov)** > > The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) is the United States' primary source for criminal justice statistics that cover a wide range of topics. Table 34 notes that the percentage of people rearrested for sexual crime on a child within 3 years of release is 2.2%. That’s from 1994. There is a caution that they may be undercounted but confident its under 5%. I’ll let you look up anything further. ---
**Author:** ![Pjen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Pjen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pjen)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2015, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-faces-another-privacy-vs-freedom-of-speech-problem-pedofile-wins-20-000-damages/713215/109 "2015-02-22T00:21:59Z")
> [@Odesio](#): > > So, yes? So, no. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2015, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-faces-another-privacy-vs-freedom-of-speech-problem-pedofile-wins-20-000-damages/713215/110 "2015-02-22T00:36:18Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > [Home | Bureau of Justice Statistics](http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/rsorp94.pdf) > > Table 34 notes that the percentage of people rearrested for sexual crime on a child within 3 years of release is 2.2%. That’s from 1994. There is a caution that they may be undercounted but confident its under 5%. I’ll let you look up anything further. > **[163390.pdf](https://www.ojp.gov/pdffiles/163390.pdf)** > > 220.68 KB ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2015, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-faces-another-privacy-vs-freedom-of-speech-problem-pedofile-wins-20-000-damages/713215/111 "2015-02-22T00:40:14Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#): > > Wouldn’t you want to know if you were living next to an allegedly rehabilitated axe murderer? > > 32% of child molesters reoffend. That is a large percentage, given what’s at risk. What I would like to know are: 1. Direct answers to my questions, and 2. A link to where you got that dubious statistic. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2015, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-faces-another-privacy-vs-freedom-of-speech-problem-pedofile-wins-20-000-damages/713215/112 "2015-02-22T00:47:23Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#): > > [https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles/163390.pdf](https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles/163390.pdf) Would you mind quoting the part that supports what you claim? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Joker\_and\_the\_Thief](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e79b87/32.png) [@The\_Joker\_and\_the\_Thief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Joker_and_the_Thief)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2015, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-faces-another-privacy-vs-freedom-of-speech-problem-pedofile-wins-20-000-damages/713215/113 "2015-02-22T00:53:19Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Would you mind quoting the part that supports what you claim? > [@](#): > > Of the 115 child molesters, 78 apparently received no new charges for a sexual offense during the study period. Of the remaining 37 offenders, 8 were charged but never convicted, 3 were convicted but not imprisoned, and 26 were convicted and imprisoned (see exhibit 5). The corresponding percentages, with failure rates in parentheses, were 32 percent (52 percent) for charges, 25 percent (41 percent) for convictions, and 23 percent (37 percent) for incarcerations. Underestimation of sexual reoffending, as a result of using the simple percentage, was similar for all three dispositional categories (38 percent for charges, 39 percent for convictions, and 38 percent for imprisonments). Page 20 in the PDF, which is labeled as page 12 in the document, contains the data in a easy-to-read chart as well. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2015, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-faces-another-privacy-vs-freedom-of-speech-problem-pedofile-wins-20-000-damages/713215/114 "2015-02-22T01:20:31Z")
I would not be surprised if there is a higher recidivism in a 20 year span but to nitpick some: that study covered 1960-84. I would like to think treatment and/or surveillance options have improved since 1960. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2015, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-faces-another-privacy-vs-freedom-of-speech-problem-pedofile-wins-20-000-damages/713215/115 "2015-02-22T01:21:51Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > … How long and how much should he pay for his crime above and beyond the given penalties he already had imposed? When it comes to pedophiles, _forever_ would be long enough as far as I’m concerned. ---
**Author:** ![Ibn\_Warraq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19b73/32.png) [@Ibn\_Warraq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibn_Warraq)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2015, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-faces-another-privacy-vs-freedom-of-speech-problem-pedofile-wins-20-000-damages/713215/116 "2015-02-22T01:46:30Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > I would not be surprised if there is a higher recidivism in a 20 year span but to nitpick some: that study covered 1960-84. I would like to think treatment and/or surveillance options have improved since 1960. In an earlier post I alluded to a study I remembered from college(early 90s) which found convicted sex offenders actually had lower recidivism rates than people convicted of armed robbery, assault, and a whole pile of other violent offenses which don’t require registration. For that matter, even convicted murderers don’t have to register with some government agency once they’ve served their sentence. ---
**Author:** ![Verily](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/e9a140/32.png) [@Verily](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Verily)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2015, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-faces-another-privacy-vs-freedom-of-speech-problem-pedofile-wins-20-000-damages/713215/117 "2015-02-22T01:56:21Z")
> [@Morgenstern](#): > > When it comes to pedophiles, _forever_ would be long enough as far as I’m concerned. If a given sex offender is judged not to be safe to return to society, then the solution is to keep them in prison. Not release them into society anyway and then let any potential landlord, neighbor, employer, love interest, or friend ensure they can never live a normal life, get a decent job, decent housing, and so on, so that they are driven underground where they no longer have the least incentive to even try to live by society’s rules. If the real goal is to keep children safe from predators, then denying sex offenders who have already served their time the opportunity to build even the semblance of a normal life is counterproductive. If the real goal is revenge against the predators, then just keep them in prison. But taking sex offenders who have served their time and subjecting them to a lifetime of vigilantism doesn’t help _anybody_. ---
**Author:** ![Ibn\_Warraq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19b73/32.png) [@Ibn\_Warraq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibn_Warraq)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2015, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-faces-another-privacy-vs-freedom-of-speech-problem-pedofile-wins-20-000-damages/713215/118 "2015-02-22T01:57:03Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#): > > Wouldn’t you want to know if you were living next to an allegedly rehabilitated axe murderer? This is an ironic choice since convicted murderers don’t have to register so you have no way of knowing if they are or aren’t living near you. ---
**Author:** ![Human\_Action](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@Human\_Action](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Human_Action)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2015, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-faces-another-privacy-vs-freedom-of-speech-problem-pedofile-wins-20-000-damages/713215/119 "2015-02-22T02:27:30Z")
> [@Pjen](#): > > I am suspicious of any figures about child abuse as so little valid research has been done. > > We have no accurate idea how many people feel attraction to pre-pubescent or pubescent children- opinion polls do not help. > > We have no idea about the majority of child abusers who do not come to the attention of health or criminal justice services. > > We can say that there are several motivations and different sexual attractions that overlap, but we really have no clear idea about numbers. > > Similarly we have limited information about reoffending rates across the spectrum. Is this meant to justify using “pedophile” in place of “child molester” or “child sex offender”, or…? Certainly, our knowledge of the subject is imperfect and evolving, but it’s not as though we know nothing. > [@Morgenstern](#): > > When it comes to pedophiles, _forever_ would be long enough as far as I’m concerned. :smack: Pedophilia isn’t a crime. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2015, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-faces-another-privacy-vs-freedom-of-speech-problem-pedofile-wins-20-000-damages/713215/120 "2015-02-22T02:32:46Z")
> [@Ibn\_Warraq](#): > > In an earlier post I alluded to a study I remembered from college(early 90s) which found convicted sex offenders actually had lower recidivism rates than people convicted of armed robbery, assault, and a whole pile of other violent offenses which don’t require registration. > > For that matter, even convicted murderers don’t have to register with some government agency once they’ve served their sentence. Well if you really look into this you see that it can be broken down into different types of assaults to determine chances of recidivism. The age of the victim, whether it was a family member, etc. That study D’Anconia linked I believe focused on non-family molestation which is one of the higher risk categories. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-faces-another-privacy-vs-freedom-of-speech-problem-pedofile-wins-20-000-damages/713215.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-faces-another-privacy-vs-freedom-of-speech-problem-pedofile-wins-20-000-damages/713215.md?page=7)