MADISON, Wis. (AP) — An appeals court says internet service providers’ child pornography tips are reliable enough to justify search warrants.
The case stems from a tip Tumbler.com gave the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in 2015. Tumbler reported it had detected photos of child pornography that the center traced to Samuel Silverstein of Glendale.
Police obtained a search warrant for Silverstein’s house and found videos of child pornography. Silverstein said he posted photos from the videos to Tumbler.
He argued the Tumbler tip was unreliable because it didn’t identify the informant and therefore required police corroboration.
The 1st District Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday that tips from internet providers are essentially tips from identified citizen informants.
Silverstein’s attorney, Matthew Pinix, says he may appeal to the state Supreme Court.
