Merrimack Valley Legal Blog

You might think that you can look at whatever you want when you are on the internet. While there are many things that you can legally view while you are online, some are actually illegal despite their presence. This is the case for child pornography. It is fully illegal to view, possess or take lewd pictures of people who are under 18 years old. These activities are covered under federal and state laws.

Some people have argued that it is a First Amendment right to possess these types of images. The United States Supreme Court ruled that sexually explicit pictures of minors aren't protected by freedom of speech rights. Besides the precedent set in 1982 by that court, there have been many other rulings that uphold and expand upon what is legal and illegal under the child porn umbrella.

Employment anti-discrimination laws are written to protect workers, but they can also be valuable to employers as well. Businesses function more productively when everyone (employees and management) understands the rules and expectations around hiring, firing and management of workers.

Unfortunately, employment laws in the United States are not always as clear as they should be. This leads to issues of interpretation, and eventually, litigation. As just one example, consider the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, or ADEA. Under the law, employees age 40 and older are protected against disparate treatment based on their age. They are also protected from policies that create a "disparate impact" on older workers, even if age is not a specifically stated reason for a given policy.

People who surf the internet sometimes think that they are hidden behind a cloak of secrecy. The same is sometimes true for people who enjoy texting. Not having to see a person face-to-face seems to make people say or do things they wouldn't otherwise. One thing that might occur is that individuals will exchange selfies or sexts. As innocent as this seems, there are times when this can cause serious problems.

One thing that you have to be especially careful about is who is receiving your pictures and who you are receiving them from. You can face criminal charges if you exchange explicit pictures with a person who isn't an adult. Verifying age is a good idea, but might not be possible in all cases. Being cautious is always a good idea.