NY Law Outlaws Viewing Child Pornography On Internet

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) -- Gov. Andrew Cuomo has signed a new law making it a crime in New York to intentionally access child pornography on the Internet.

The measure, approved by the Legislature, is intended to close a loophole in the state's 1996 prohibition on possessing child porn.

New York's top court ruled in May that the state law prohibiting possessing or procuring pornographic images of children applied to downloaded files, but did not apply to temporary files automatically stored from sites that were merely viewed.

The law that took effect Friday makes it a felony for anyone who "knowingly accesses, with intent to view" any performance of a sexual act by a child under age 16.

Offenders can face up to four years in prison.

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