By Alok Ganguly
Managing Editor
Everyone uses the internet, it’s a simple fact. Technology is now a prominent part of everyday life, and most people, especially youth, are attached to technology at the palm. Despite this growing dependence, not everyone is aware of the dangers of inappropriate use of technology.
Recently, sexting has been a hot topic at Westford Academy, and those who have participated in such actions may not be aware of the multitude of possible punishments that they could receive, and the many misconceptions surrounding the issue that students have about the internet and their privacy make the act all the more dangerous.
Misconception 1: Age doesn’t matter for high-schoolers.
Students at WA do not normally see age; if a student has an 18 year old friend, they don’t think of them as an 18 year old, but as another student who is around the same age as them. Age is an important factor as far as punishments are concerned. For example, if an 18 year old student possesses a naked picture of a student that is under the age of 18, they can be charged with Possession of Child Pornography, a federal crime that, if someone is a first offender, can land them in jail for a minimum of 15 years and a maximum of 30 years. If someone is a repeat offender, they would face even harsher punishments.
What if someone received explicit pictures from someone over 18 years of age? According to Massachusetts State Laws, if the recipient of the pictures is under 18, then the sender would be charged with Sexual Harassment of a Minor. If the recipient is younger than 16, then punishments are even more severe and the offenses pile on. Sending naked pictures or sexting across legal age lines is extremely dangerous for all parties involved.
Misconception 2: Deleting images off your phone gets rid of your pictures.
There are some people that believe that they can save themselves from punishments by deleting all of the pictures that they possess, and that if their phone or computer is wiped, they cannot be charged with any sort of crime, but they are completely wrong.
Whenever an image or video is recorded or sent to a phone or computer, even through apps like Snapchat, the phone saves the image, or a smaller version of the image (also known as a thumbnail) into several locations on the device’s memory. It is a backup function so that if someone accidentally deletes an important picture, they can still retrieve it later with some special tools.
Police use forensic tools that are specifically designed to find all of those hidden copies of images, so that they can retrieve deleted phone calls, images, and videos to solve a variety of cases. They can even retrieve data from a phone that has been smashed or broken in some way. Companies like Cellebrite have created forensic tools for this specific purpose, and law enforcement can use retrieved files as incriminating evidence in court.
Once someone receives an indecent picture, they are tied to that image forever, it is located on their phone forever, it is on the internet forever, and anyone with the correct tools can find it, whether or not they are affiliated with law enforcement.
Misconception 3: No one can look through your phone or bag at school without your permission.
While students have some privacy rights, if a school official sees some concerning photos on a student’s phone, or has a suspicion that the student has some sort of illicit substance in their bag, the official has the right to seize the student’s belongings and search through them. This is possible because the WA Student Handbook, which every student at WA signs, contains a rule that allows administrators to look through a student’s possessions if it poses some sort of threat or contains explicit material.
There are thousands more dangers to sexting and the sending of explicit photos from one person to another; the punishments for such actions are infinite. However, the only surefire way to remain safe on the internet is to not participate in illicit activity at all.
