I see a guy looking at illegal sites in a web cafe; what should I do?

[luckyjimm]

I was playing poker in a crowded Internet cafe last night right in the centre of town. There are around 100 computers, back to back, with very little space between them. I am sat near the back, facing towards the door. When I look up, I can see the screens of the row in front. I see that a youngish guy is looking at porno websites. He is flicking between a text page and then, when no-one's looking, back to these sites. He keeps on doing this and I notice the word "L0lita" and "Virgin". To my amazement I realise that he is looking at very, very illegal underage sites; there are pictures of nude minors. He is flicking between sites rapidly and not looking at photosets and not logging on, so my impression is he is not inside the member's areas / hasn't signed up.

I really didn't know what to do. I couldn't believe it; I felt repulsed, but hoped someone else would notice. He wasn't being very discreet, all things considered. At one point a guy who was on his way out was standing putting his coat on behind him, and I had hoped would see this guy's screen but didn't.

I did nothing. I kept on playing poker. Eventually the guy stood up - without deleting the browsing history - and left. Actually he stood up for a while and looked around before he left; very shifty. He had shades on, and was carrying a black bag; obviously he had come with one intention.

I could have walked over and told the people running the place, and they'd have called the cops. This guy would have been arrested, charged, his life ruined. Frankly he deserved it, both for what he was doing and his incredible stupidity at doing this in such a public, crowded place. But I didn't have the guts to pull the trigger on him. If he took this risk once, he will keep on doing it, and he will get caught.

I don't know how I square this with my conscience; I just didn't want to get involved.

What would you have done here? Am I a coward?

[guids]

very cowardly. at the VERY least alert the store owners. Id get a camera phone record the guy at the computer, what time, etc, call the cops, and let them deal with it.

[Inso0]

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Am I a coward?

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Yes.

[Cream Soda]

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I don't know how I square this with my conscience; I just didn't want to get involved.

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Sounds like you summed it up pretty well here.
This is why so many awful things go down. For the most part people are extremely disappointing because they just look on and refuse to do a thing out of fear.
When someone does do something, then the rest of the sheep grow a pair of [censored] and follow turning into a giant chaotic mob...interesting to say the least.

At the very least I probably would have beat this punk down in an alley somewhere.

[miajag]

[luckyjimm]

I was losing $800 so I did briefly consider asking him for a quiet word and suggesting we go to the nearest cashpoint...

[Howard Beale]

I doubt cops do much. No possession and a million excuses. If you tell shop owners maybe they bar him so he goes somewhere else. You're not going to fix the world by yourself.

[solids]

Snitches get stiches....


Kidding. I would probably tell management and let them deal with the situation.

[Brent.]

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Haha, I have a copy of that DVD laying around here somewhere. Never watched more than the first couple minutes though. "Stop [censored] snitching" ...Bodymore, Murderland represent!

[pergesu]

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You're not going to fix the world by yourself.

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At the same time, if everyone does a little bit then stuff does change.