the odds are very low if it was an honest one time (or very infrequent) mistake

If that were illegal they'd never be able to sell swimsuits at clothing chains.

It's illegal to have sex photos and in many cases, sexualized (though how it is interpreted varies) photos, that's all.

I like other people here have accidentally downloaded child pornography by either clicking misnamed files or getting some unwanted files that were caught when I do mass downloads at one time. It is something you cannot avoid unless you begin to practice more cautious downloading. Unfortunately, law enforcement just doesn't have the resources to catch most pedophiles online... but they are trying. My advice to anyone using Limewire or any other p2p program is to watch your downloads like a hawk and always be patient when clicking on the files you want. Sometimes the search will jump right when you're about to click on something and you end up downloading a file you didn't want and many times won't catch it until you go to play it. Your chances of being brought against the law by accidental downloads is very very slim so don't freak out if it's happened to you. Like I said, law enforcement just doesn't have the resources. Like many people have said on here, the ones being looked at by law enforcement are the people sharing the content wether it is any form of pornography or just simple mp3s. But even then, if it was an accident, just delete or clean the files like people suggest and be more careful from then on. I personally set my share folder to a different folder than my incoming folder that way I can make sure I am not contributing to the problem.

Bottom line is, if you are downloading mp3s, just go buy the cd. If you are downloading porn, keep a very watchful eye on what you're doing. Always have your spyware and virus protection up to date because getting in trouble with the law isnt the only risk you take by using p2p programs, especially when getting porn.

I don't think you'd be immune to the risk by practicing cautious dwnloading. This is why, after learning about this risk, I don't download files off of limewire anymore. Mainly I just go on to browse what other people have. Honestly, if you take a screenshot of the file names that pop up when you type in some words, it shows the obvious implied content.

I don't really see why law enforcement goes after purposeful downloads either, it's data, go after the people making the stuff.

Limewire or old taxreturns
 

Best way of making sure no data is recovered.
1. take hard drive out of computer
2. Lay it on a flat hard surface
3. Take hammer and smash it into dust.
4. then dump into salt water.
5. dump it's pieces in different places.
That and only that will make sure it is never found on your computer.
Data recovery is so far ahead of the game that no program will delete it. Don't think for a moment it is. I don't care what you want to delete old pictures or tax returns Never give a hard drive away with the computer, never think that hard drive is dead and put in the trash, make sure take apart a burn the disk in. Now for flash memory it is in old cell phone or camera same hold true. It can be recovered.

That sounds an awful lot like superstition. Superspies from the NSA are not going to
step in on every little case and save the day. People who download a single file by
accident are never going to warrant the huge expense of an attempt, and such
attempts frequently fail if secure deletion software is used.

Besides, people who collect illegal porn apparently collect a lot of it and don't delete
it, so the point is effectively moot. The guys who get caught always have a lot of it,
so imaginary super-CSI wizardry isn't necessary.

its NOT imaginary d00d...not at all...

take the time to pull out a vinyl disc and notice how you can hear 'cross talk' before the tune begins....think about it...then think about how one could (and it IS done) pull data off of the ridges of the disc...yep...that is how it is done...

if you choose the believe otherwise, then do so...but you are wrong...

It's different on magnetic media. A secure delete routine throws enough noise at it to clean up
the edges too, which is why they run so many passes. What you're talking about is roughly
analogous to having never tried a secure wipe at all, which on vinyl would be like scraping out
the grooves so that even the crosstalk is gone.

At that point maybe Ensign Kim could recover something with a tricorder and some Borg
technology but probably not, since he's out of town and the Borg stuff is really expensive.http://www3.telus.net/Aaron_Walkhouse/tongue3.gif

uh huh...well that was a simile to direct you to a thought process that obviously went over (or perhaps under) your head....why do you think military spy planes have self destruct devices on their data recorders???? again, believe whatever you will, but you are wrong...

Hard drive data
 

For the people that do collect illegal porn. They need help. For the people that make it they need to be hung. I don't care what it is you have on your hard drive If you don't want to be seen, tax returns or pictures of your wife. The only sure way is to smash it into dust. I don't care what software you buy The FBI can undo it.