Are we sure "mike18" is indeed 18 years old?
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I am just wondering if am the only one who things the boys in mike18 videos look underage? e.g. https://www.gaytor.rent/details.php?id=5d40757644e7053c41ccee3ef710e8f169bb16706c28d96784fde0bf36d7c38e
I note there is no such website as mike18.com. I can't help but feel if CP enforcement officers found mike on my computer I'd be in trouble.
Thoughts? -
@whiteDwarf-0 Personally I avoid those files like the plague. The very fact that they used to be on the banned lists of several torrent sites has embedded itself in my brain, and even if he himself is older now you have to ask yourself if their other performers are above board given past suspicions. I do find myself wondering the same thing about quite a few OF performers, but given that sites like OF and JFF have age verification policies in place I would hope that everything you see on those sites is compliant with the law.
It does make you wonder though about how culpable an individual might be if they were to be found with questionable files downloaded from one of those sites. Could you, for example say that as the site has policies in place to ensure that all performers are of legal age you should not be held accountable? Clearly it is impossible for viewers to check a performer's ID, so should there be something akin to the UK's "Challenge 25" policy? (For the foreigners here, the Challenge 25 policy is meant to prevent underage people from buying alcohol. It means staff should check IDs for anyone who looks like they might be under 25, saving a lot of problems at the till when 18 or 19 year olds used to get offended at being asked for ID.) Of course, such a move would completely eliminate all twink porn.
It's an interesting question, probably much debated in the past when Brent Corrigan's real age was discovered after shooting some scenes for Cobra. After all, how is a viewer meant to know if someone is 17 or 18? You would think that should the police decide to try to get a conviction the onus would be on them to prove the performer was underage. When you hear in the news about underage pornography I think we all associate it with children who could never be mistaken for an adult, but it becomes much harder to discern the legality of the issue when talking about performers at the 18+ threshold.
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There's a lot that can be (and has been) said, but @frostycab's admonition to avoid this stuff like the plague is very good advice.
Rather than write a long essay here (which is always my temptation), let me propose a few factoids:
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A website's certification that "all our models are 18+" isn't reliable. Websites are in the business of selling content, and these statements can be nothing more than marketing devices.
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mike18.com can be found on the internet archive "wayback machine," with listings starting in 2005 and ending last year. I don't have any information on why the website disappeared, but if "Mike" was 18 in 2005, he'd be 36 now, and not likely to be featured in that site's content.
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If one's computer is searched by law enforcement, and questionable material is found, it is not a defence to claim that one relied on a website's certification. While it is not possible to determine whether a model is 18 or 16 simply by looking at a photograph or video, police officers tend to be cautious and do an arrest if they have "probable cause" to believe that some material might feature under-age models.
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While the maxim of the law in first-world western countries is that a person is presumed innocent of criminal charge until found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law, in practice it doesn't work that way for child abuse, child pornography, or drink-driving. In those kinds of cases, even well-intentioned and well-informed jurors will presume guilt unless there is a proof of innocence. It isn't supposed to work that way, but this is what tends to happen.
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It is ultimately each person's responsibility to curate their own porn collection to eliminate the possibility of under-age material. There is material on this site--and many others--that I would not be comfortable keeping on my computer. That is not a criticism of this site--it's just a different perspective. Other torrent and tube sites have a variety of approaches to this topic. One torrent that I know site will only list material from Very Big Studios that have too much money at stake to risk using under-age models. I also recall a tube site hosting material, mostly home-made, that is often very questionable. I don't know where they're located or how they stay afloat.
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The bottom line, though, is not, "how do I stay out of jail?" Our concern should be "how do I not exploit young boys/men?" A 15-year-old who is paid a few dollars/pounds/euros to wank on camera might look like he is giving consent to the act, but he isn't able, at that age, to fully appreciate the consequences of his actions. He is being exploited for profit and/or gratification. Even though we might not be holding the camera or paying money to view that performance, we are still participating in the exploitation.
OK, I confess to having written a long essay despite my stated intention otherwise. But these are important issues that need our careful attention.
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@eobox91103 said in Are we sure "mike18" is indeed 18 years old?:
The bottom line, though, is not, "how do I stay out of jail?" Our concern should be "how do I not exploit young boys/men?"
Nailed it
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Awesome vid, thanks for the link