Child Pornography Prevention Act

The Child Pornography Prevention Act (CPPA) of 1996 was a United States federal law that aimed to prohibit the production, distribution, and possession of child pornography, including computer-generated or altered images that appeared to depict minors in sexually explicit situations. This law was enacted in response to advancements in digital technology that allowed for the creation of realistic, yet artificial, images of children.

However, in the 2002 case of Ashcroft v. Free Speech Coalition, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down key provisions of the CPPA. The Court found that the law's broad definitions were unconstitutionally vague and overbroad, violating the First Amendment protection of free speech. The ruling distinguished between actual child pornography, which involves real children and is illegal, and "virtual" child pornography, which does not create victims through its production. Congress later revised the relevant statutes to address the Court's concerns.