The business model of AMS and similar agencies (like Webe Web, Newstar, and TTL) relied on a dangerous legal gambit. Technically, the content did not feature nudity or overt sexual acts, which are the standard definitions of illegal child pornography in most jurisdictions. The agencies argued that because the children were clothed, the content was protected free speech or legitimate art.
The turning point came with the passage of the and subsequent Supreme Court rulings. Federal agencies began targeting the operators of these sites not just for obscenity, but for conspiracy to produce child pornography and money laundering. ams cherish