ACLU: Who are the watchers? At least 5,000 are alleged child pornographers, report finds

[Catherina]

28. I'm going to leave it with the original title but you bring up a different good point.

The 5000 were all federal employees from the DOD, NSA, CIA who registered on child porn websites using their government email addresses or APO and FPO zip codes. Out of about 1500 who downloaded child porn (in addition to viewing it), only about 200 of those were prosecuted and most of the charges were dropped. The several dozen you're pointing out were just from one case in California, not the larger operation.

I don't have the ACLU's resources or what other information they used but, based on just the information in the OP, I agree the title could use some work besides the numbers are unclear.

As you pointed out

"Because many important details are blacked out in the documents, it is impossible to determine precisely how many individuals with ties to the Pentagon were either charged with or suspected of receiving child pornography.

There's also this that explains that the 5000 paid money to access child porn websites operated overseas.

Many of those apprehended were swept up in a much broader probe initiated by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency in 2006. Operation Flicker identified an estimated 5,000 people who had paid money over the Internet to access websites operated overseas. But until now, it has not been disclosed that a sizable number of cases were referred to the Defense Department for investigation because they involved military personnel, intelligence officials, or defense contractors….

At least two of the cases were contractors with top secret clearances at the National Security Agency, which eavesdrops on foreign communications, according to the documents. When one of the contractors was indicted two years ago, he fled the country and is believed to be hiding in Libya, according to a summary of the investigation from last year. The other was sentenced in 2008 to more than five years in prison and lifetime probation….

"Some are in high-ranking positions, in positions of trust," said John Sheehan, executive director of the exploited child division at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which has been consulted on many of these cases and has reviewed 36 million images of alleged child pornography since 2002 at the request of law enforcement agencies. "There isn't a profile or stereotype, which makes it even more challenging for law enforcement."

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2010/07/23/pentagon_workers_tied_to_child_porn/

Out of those 5000, how many of them were "watchers"? I think that's where you have a point and the title messes up unless by watcher they mean more than people who work in surveillance.