I'll repeat what I posted on the legal corner.  

DA's and police have enough work, and they're not looking for more.  The Courts in Massachusetts are so overworked and understaffed that employees, including judges, were asked to take time off without pay last year.  It is unlikely that this hobby will attract undue attention under Ashcroft or anyone else.

Of course, police and prosecutors must act in response to a complaint.  Similarly, they don't like to be embarrassed.  So avoid disputes, be discreet and continue life as always.

As for the comment that the DA can indict a ham sandwich.  Boston already has a grand jury looking at sex crimes -- the Father Shanley mess.

I don't think anything will change here.

We are under a terrorist alert! The nightly news scares the crap out of us, dirty bombs and cargo containers!!  But what is the governemnt up to, busting an escort message board site on the internet.  Oh yeah, beware that two people might meet and have some consenual sex.  I see where my tax dollars go, right into the fray of right wing politcal wacos who think they are saving us from sin so someday an almightly will judge us in a fictional afterlife!  You know,I'm so mad, so upset.  Study after study shows a direct correlation between the crackdown of prostitution then an increase in rape(check your sociology 101 texts from college).  Also, girls who will no longer be able to communicate, will be once again working the streets and bars endagering themselves greater than using a reliable free information service on customers to avoid and places to be aware.  I'm livid and mad.  Terrorist are about to strike but instead lets fight a fairly victimless business that doesn't adhere to religous constituants although they rape little boys after Sunday morning mass.

If you read the press release from LE and look at the charges you will note that it appears that the people who run TBD were engaging in basic solicitation and got caught.  That happens everyday. These people just happen to also run TBD. So, LE connects the dots back to TBD.  That is the illegal link.  

If they had avoided the old fashion solicitation aspect, LE would have no more claim against them than they would against the Boston Pheonix (sp?) or the yellow pages.  

People who post should be protected by the first amendemnt.  Plus, even assuming that LE would try to bust posters, it would be almost impossible to link the post to the person.  No, don't claim that a credit card is enough.  Wrong.  If you buy a car and a cop sees someone speed by in your car, the officer is out of luck unless he can ID you.  Your plate or even you registration is not enough.  I can almost guarantee you that no prosecutor or smart officer is likely to try and take the TBD issue to the lower levels.  It is very hard to convict someone of a crime in this country.

Lastly, I note that the release says two-year investigation here.  Two years means that the existence of the site was worthless for legal purposes.  They needed the old fashion solicitation.

This is how many Cyberspace issues go. It is mainly just a high tech newspaper/tv.  Sorry computer people.

No proofing.  A.

couldnt all this hard
work by the coppers have been better used at the
fu*%ing flight school in tampa florida where the
mother fu*%ing terrorists were being trained at the
exact time these doofus cops were playing games with
peoples lives?

TBD lives

RC