Did the dog really eat my homework?

I almost want to throw my computer away after learning about a couple of stories this week regarding computer viruses. 

Computer viruses can wipe out your hard drive, trash your data, steal your personal information, and take over your computer, but this virus might be the worst:  This virus can make you an unsuspecting collector of child pornography.  Viruses can store illegal  pictures and videos  by the malicious programs better known for stealing personal information. In this scenario, it's your reputation that's stolen.

Pedophiles are using virus-infected PCs to remotely store and view their collections without fear of being detected. These viruses can also cause your computer to surf illegal Web sites.  The result is that you get kiddie porn on your computer — and might not realize it until police knock at your door with a warrant.

An Associated Press investigation found cases in which innocent people have been branded as pedophiles after their co-workers or loved ones stumbled upon kiddie porn placed on a PC through a virus. This type of  defense has been tried with mixed results in the past and it is one which is viewed with skepticism by law enforcement.  It will costs potential victims hundreds of thousands of dollars to prove their innocence.

One case occurred when a victim's employer became suspicious after the Internet bill for his state-issued laptop showed that he used 4 1/2 times more data than his colleagues. A technician found pornographic images of children in the PC folder that stores images viewed online.  The victim was fired and charged with possession of child pornography, which has a potential of  sentence of up to five years in prison. He endured death threats, his car tires were slashed and he was shunned by friends.

The victim and his wife spent $250,000 on legal fees to fight the case . This required liquidating their savings, taking a second mortgage and selling their car. This also caused health problems from the stress they endured.

The defense conducted a forensic investigation that revealed the laptop was infected with a virus. The virus programmed the computer to visit as many as 40 child porn sites per minute — an inhuman feat. While the victim was away from home one night, someone logged on to the computer and porn flowed in for an hour and a half.

Prosecutors performed another test and confirmed the defense findings. The charge was dropped — 11 months after it was filed.

"It's an example of the old `dog ate my homework' excuse," says Phil Malone, director of the Cyberlaw Clinic at Harvard's Berkman Center for Internet and Society. "The problem is, sometimes the dog does eat your homework."