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the most common way early computer users shared information—
including pornographic images—was through electronic BBSs. A
BBS is a computer system that allows users to connect to a central
computer using a modem (a device that turns digital data into an
electrical signal so it can be transmitted over a telephone line or
other medium). BBSs became extremely popular with computer
hobbyists in the 1980s and early 1990s. Users who dialed in to a
BBS through their telephone lines could exchange messages, play
simple games, or upload and download text and image files.
Many BBSs contained libraries of pornographic images that
had been scanned from magazines or photographs by the BBSs’
owners and users, and collecting electronic pornographic images
became a popular pastime among computer hobbyists. However,
there were plenty of drawbacks to exchanging images in this way.
Because bandwidth was limited, it could take an hour or more to
download a small black-and-white image, and there was no way
to preview the image beforehand. In addition, dialing into a BBS
could be costly—long-distance fees charged by the phone com-
pany could amount to hundreds of dollars a month.
One of the largest BBSs was Rusty n Edie’s BBS. Founded in
1987 by computer hobbyists Russell and Edwina Hardenburgh,
Rusty n Edie’s was one of the first BBSs to streamline the process of
uploading and downloading files. Though the system contained a
wide variety of content, it quickly became a popular place to share
pornographic images. At its height in the early 1990s, Rusty n Edie’s
had more than fourteen thousand paying subscribers and boasted
forty thousand adult-oriented images available for download.
The Threat to Children
As computers became more popular among the general public,
society became concerned about the amount of pornography be-
ing shared over the Internet. In March 1993 the US Department
of Justice raided the homes of dozens of American citizens who
were downloading child pornography from two BBSs operating
in Denmark. Dubbed “Operation Long Arm,” the raids were the
largest child-pornography operation that had ever been conducted
in the United States.
