Federal · Title 18 — Crimes and Criminal Procedure

18 U.S.C. § 2252C: Misleading words or digital images on the Internet

Felony

What this law says, in plain English

This statute criminalizes knowingly embedding hidden words or images in website source code to deceive someone into viewing obscene material (up to 10 years imprisonment) or deceiving a minor into viewing harmful material (up to 20 years imprisonment).

Read the full statutory text

Whoever knowingly embeds words or digital images into the source code of a website with the intent to deceive a person into viewing material constituting obscenity shall be fined under this title and imprisoned for not more than 10 years. Whoever knowingly embeds words or digital images into the source code of a website with the intent to deceive a minor into viewing material harmful to minors on the Internet shall be fined under this title and imprisoned for not more than 20 years. For the purposes of this section, a word or digital image that clearly indicates the sexual content of the site, such as “sex” or “porn”, is not misleading. the terms “material that is harmful to minors” and “sex” have the meaning given such terms in section 2252B; and the term “source code” means the combination of text and other characters comprising the content, both viewable and nonviewable, of a web page, including any website publishing language, programming language, protocol or functional content, as well as any successor languages or protocols.

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This page is legal information, not legal advice. Code text is sourced from official publications and may lag amendments — always confirm at the official source linked above. Plain-English summaries and relationship data are AI-derived and reviewed on an ongoing basis; verify with a licensed attorney before acting.