Not necessarily saying what they did was right, but I think there's a strong utilitarian argument to be made that what they did in that case was, in fact, the best way to keep children safe.

What's more dangerous? CSAM on the internet? Or actual child predators running loose?

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cucumber3732842 5 hours ago | parent [-]

That stuff spreads and re-spreads just like anything else people download off the internet. There's a pretty strong argument for shutting it down right away. IIRC most users were outside jurisdiction.

	▲	integralid 4 hours ago \| parent [-]
		Even if one more person was prosecuted it was worth it. If you shut down an illegal website a new one will show up a month later, with the same people involved, and you achieved nothing.