a timeline of Pete Townshend and the Internet:: part II

[Ken in MD <seahawkman2001@xxxxxxxxx>]

::1998::
It likely was in 1997 or 1998 that Pete encountered
the shocking picture of child abuse that he discussed
in A Different Bomb.  He accidentally found it after
he searched the Internet for information on Russian
orphans, having seen a documentary on the topic
directed by Ethan Silverman.  This film, entitled The
Waiting Children, came out in 1997 and was shown at
various film festivals in 1998. On the advice of an
attorney Pete did not download anything and did not
report the incident.  [note: In a statement to The Sun
newspaper on 01/11/03 Pete recalled the events as
occurring the winter of 1996/1997]

March: Gary Glitter was questioned again by police and
charged with fifty counts of downloading and
possessing child pornography between January and
November 1997.

Sept - Nov: Glitters trial began on September 10th.
On November 12th he was found guilty of possessing and
making child pornography and was sentenced to four
months in prison. His sentence started immediately and
he was released for good behavior after two months.

With the massive publicity of the Glitter trial, Pete
realized that he had to be cautious about sharing his
alarm about what he had found. It became clear very
quickly that some people I spoke to were skeptical of
me. Very few people were aware of or willing to hear
about the issue.

::1999::
In 1999 Pete and his team focused on preparing the
Lifehouse radio play and the CD box set Lifehouse
Chronicles. This revisited his 1971 project about
people struggling to connect with one another in a
future world where authorities held sway by offering
experiences via a sensory-supply Grid.  

In interviews throughout the year Pete drew parallels
from the compressed life experiences sought on the
Grid by characters in Lifehouse to the increasingly
real experiences available on the Internet.  He also
pointed to activities far more disturbing than
anything he had previously imagined.  He told the BBC
that any child innocently entering naughty words
into a search engine could quickly be exposed to
hardcore pornography.  The Internet, he warned, is a
terrifyingly unpoliced medium where your ten year old
child, in my case - my ten year old child, could quite
easily switch on and be subjected to the pornographic
machinations of the Russian Mafia.

September: Officers from the Dallas police, the U.S.
Postal Inspection Service, and the Department of
Justice raided Landslide Productions, Inc, a portal
site in Texas that provided access to hundreds of
child abuse web sites, including many based in Russia
and Thailand. Landslide processed credit cards for
over 300,000 subscribers. Investigators launched a
follow-on investigation, named Operation Avalanche,
that operated undercover for the next two years.  Part
of its work entailed deciphering the encrypted credit
card files and assembling suspect lists of the
thousands who paid to enter the web site.  Petes
credit card information, along with thousands of other
UK citizens, was among those recovered and later sent
to authorities in London. 

Oct  Nov: The Who played several stunning concerts in
small venues, reviving old songs and raising over
$1,000,000 for childrens charities.  This is
something I need to do, Pete later wrote, to placate
my own uneasy soul.

November: Pete opened the first version of his
personal web site, including a chat room for fans.

December: The radio play of Lifehouse was broadcast on
BBC3 Radio early in the month.  On the 22d and 23d the
Who played to ecstatic fans at Shepherds Bush Empire.

Compiled by Ken Hawkins ) 2003 

This chronology records Pete Townshends statements
about the Internet and against the child pornography
widely available on it.  His statements are presented
along with the concurrent timelines of his music and
performances, the Whos activities, the Gary Glitter
case, and the investigations of U.S. and U.K.
authorities.  It is intended to shed light on the
when and what if not the how and why. 
Endnotes document the quotes and sources.  Corrections
or additions are welcome. 





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UNCONDITIONAL SUPPORT FOR PETE TOWNSHEND. 
NO 'What Ifs' NECESSARY.
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