Tips On How To Report Internet Animal Abuse.

It is hard to believe that people are stupid enough to video themselves doing something illegal, but harming a living being, both human and animal, is ludicrous. There are ways you can report this abuse and remain anonymous. Why is it so important to report this type of crime? You may save an animal's life, and possibly, a humans life, if the abuser doesn't just abuse the animals. There is a huge correlation between the two. I had a guest column in the Herald Dispatch about it.

If you see animal cruelty on the Internet, contact the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). This is a partnership between the FBI and the National White Collar Crime Center at:
http://www.ic3.gov/

Remember, this website handles ALL Internet crimes! Have detailed information to give them when you contact them. This makes their job easier and they can get the bad people quickly. You can also notify the Internet Service Provider, and they may pull the website. To determine who hosts the site, go to: http://www.domaintools.com/ and enter the website URL in the "Whois Lookup"search box and click search.. Scroll down until you find the numerical Internet Protocol (IP) address assigned to that website.

Then go to: http://arin.net/ (American Registry for Internet Numbers), enter the IP address in the "Search WHOIS box and click search., you will then find the info about the ISP that hosts the website. If you do not get this, type: http://search.org/programs/hightech/isp .

Currently only a few federal laws address the issue directly. They are the Crush Act: Penalizes the acts of cruelty and sexual abuse of animals that is intended for interstate commerce. The Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act: Basically imposing federal charges on animal fighters. And, last but not least, Internet hunting: A pending federal bill called the Computer Assisted Remote Hunting Act. It seeks to prohibit knowingly making available a "computer-assisted remote hunt," (means using a computer or other device, equipment or software to control the aiming and discharge of a weapon to hunt)