> while others say it has the opposite effect, that by allowing themselves the fake stuff they're more likely to move onto real images. I've no idea which argument is correct (or maybe both depending on the person?), or if there is any actual evidence other than opinions.
Well, the evidence is everybody else - saying that pedophiles will go from images of child porn to actually raping children is like saying that non-pedophiles will go from watching porn to raping people. I'm sure many, if not most people have experience with unfulfilled sexual fantasies (that celebrity? this classmate? the one that got away?).
> There's also a technical issue that some have predicted in terms of when computer images become too realistic, how do you tell whether it was computer generated or a real child in the video?
By uploading the source code/models to a police server that is then used to fingerprint videos to determine which are real and which are computer generated.
Most people with unfulfilled sexual fantasies are able to legitimately fulfill at least some of their fantasies - I may not be able to sleep with my favourite celebrity, but I can sleep with somebody I'm attracted to. Paedophiles (or at least exclusive paedophiles, i.e. those not also attracted to adults) don't have that opportunity without abusing children, so the logic is that it's better to try to kill the desire altogether (vs. the other side that non-real pornography gives them an outlet for that desire so as to avoid abusing children or looking at real images).
Personally I think you're right and that simulated images shouldn't be banned, but I also think I don't know nearly enough about psychology to know if I'm right.
edit to your edit about knowing real from fake images: Again, I'm no expert (this time regarding the technology rather than psychology), but there are more issues than your solution fixes. That would protect someone who was creating the images, but let's say you're a paedophile who wants to look at generated images but doesn't want to look at real images, how will you know wherever you're getting them from is telling the truth? You could be told "these are really realistic computer images" and actually be watching a real child get abused. And if the police investigate that viewing paedophile, without having models/etc uploaded (as he wouldn't have access to them) how do they know if they've discovered real or fake porn? Well I guess psychology does come into play here as I've no idea if there are paedophiles who would be willing to watch something realistic enough to not know the difference but wouldn't be willing to watch real images. Though I suspect there probably are.
Maybe you could have digitally-signed fake CP, signed by competent authorities. Any CP real or fake without the DRM would be illegal.
Only sickos who need crime pictures to get off and pennyless pedos would get in trouble with the law...
Not sure I would want to live in that world though. And I wonder how long it would take for all non-DRMed files to be illegal once such a precedent has been set.
Comparing to everybody else doesn't really work. Non-pedophiles have a third possibility between porn and rape: sex with consenting partners. Pedophiles don't have that alternative. For them, it's either keeping their entire sexual desire repressed, or becoming a molester.
> is like saying that non-pedophiles will go from watching porn to raping people.
To be fair (and legally pedantic), following through with a fantasy involving minors is, in most circumstances, going to be legally considered rape, regardless of whether it was consensual or non-consensual.
Well, the evidence is everybody else - saying that pedophiles will go from images of child porn to actually raping children is like saying that non-pedophiles will go from watching porn to raping people. I'm sure many, if not most people have experience with unfulfilled sexual fantasies (that celebrity? this classmate? the one that got away?).
> There's also a technical issue that some have predicted in terms of when computer images become too realistic, how do you tell whether it was computer generated or a real child in the video?
By uploading the source code/models to a police server that is then used to fingerprint videos to determine which are real and which are computer generated.