Computer Porn

COMPUTERIZED "BULLETIN BOARDS" HAVE PROVED to be a handy resource for hackers wishing to exchange information and keep up with trends in the computer industry. But now, according to the U.S. Customs Service, these bulletin boards are becoming increasingly popular conduits for child pornographers, who use them to acquire subscribers to a worldwide pornographic picture ring. Last week, in what authorities dubbed "Operation Longarm," federal Customs agents carried out raids in 18 different states on suspects whose names were taken from one of these bulletin boards. According to a Customs Service spokesman, computerized transmission of illegal pornography among pedophiles is rapidly becoming more popular than smutty magazines. The ring, based in Denmark, charged its members about $80 a year and used computers and telephone lines to transmit explicit photos of children ages 5 to 12. Customs officials say this is the first time a high-tech porn ring of this kind has been broken.