But computers -- and the Internet -- come with inherent dangers and serious risks, as last week's arrest of Mark Gary Bedford of Kingston revealed.
Bedford allegedly preyed on as many as 100 vulnerable teen and pre-teen girls across Canada and in England by posing as their friend in Internet chat rooms.
Once he had gained the girls' confidence, he allegedly convinced them to expose themselves on a webcam, according to police statements following Bedford's arrest.
The girls ranged in age from nine to 15 and were from such far-flung locations as Edmonton, Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., Kingston, Ottawa and Kent, England. Police say it may yet become one of the largest child pornography investigations in the world.
Exploiting children sexually, then distributing the images, is one of the most repugnant and disgusting abuses of the instant and anonymous nature of the Internet.
It has created a whole new class of criminal, who can only be tracked through cyberspace via highly sophisticated, labour-intensive police work. By its very nature, the Internet is a tough crime scene to effectively police.
Parents need to be aware that the Internet can be a very dangerous place for children to travel alone, much like a dark alley in a bad part of town.
This week, parents across the country were chilled by the news of a massive manhunt -- which ended yesterday on a farm in Saskatchewan -- for convicted pedophile Peter Whitmore, suspected of abducting two young boys.
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