Child Pornography
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n this paper, I would try to determine the nature, extent, and impact of pornography in the United States, and to find some recommendations concerning more effective ways in which the spread of pornography could be contained, consistent with constitutional guarantees. The dimension of pornography is very broad, since the evidence on the relationship between exposure to pornographic materials and antisocial behavior is narrow, unless we looked in a larger context at the entire phenomenon of pornography. I have tried to examine carefully the nature of the industry, the social, moral, political, and scientific concerns relating to the regulation of that industry, the relationship between law enforcement and other methods of social control, and a host of other topics that are inextricably linked with law enforcement issues. It is the mission of the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) Crimes Against Children (CAC) Program to provide a quick and effective response to all incidences of crimes against children. Making this a priority increases the number of victimized children safely recovered and reduces the level of crime in which children are targets.
WHAT IS PORNOGRAPHY?
Generally, child pornography (sometimes referred to as CP, child porn, KP, or kiddie porn) is an illegal form of pornography, featuring minors. The term “child” is defined for this purpose by each countrys child pornography laws. In the United States, child pornography is prohibited under both federal and state laws with some state laws including more or less restrictive definitions compared with federal law. Under federal law, child pornography is defined as visual depiction of minors (i.e. under 18) engaged in a sex act such as intercourse, oral sex, or masturbation as well as the lascivious depictions of the genitals. Various federal courts in the 1980s and 1990s have concluded that “lewd” or “lascivious” depiction of the genitals does not require the genitals to be uncovered. Thus, for example, a video of underage teenage girls dancing erotically, with multiple close-up shots of their covered genitals, can be considered child porn. Various other terms have been vituperative used to describe some or all sexually explicit materials. Such terms are smut, filth, x-rated and hard core. Unlike pornographic images of adults, the First Amendment does not protect the possession or distribution of child pornography. Content that depicts children engaged in sexual conduct is “a category of material outside the protection of the First Amendment.” New York v. Ferber, 458 U.S. 747 1982. The First Amendment does protect some material that could be considered child pornography, for example images in a medical textbook that show a childs genitalia. Although the possession or distribution of such images might be protected by the First Amendment when used in a pediatric context, the same images would probably not be protected if they were displayed on an adult website.
PORNOGRAPHY IN THE WEB
All you need to indulge anonymously in the “XXX” world is your trusty personal computer, a good connection to the internet, some furtive visits to seedy websites and the fear of being outed as some perverted purchaser of porn. The development of the Internet can be considered one of the most prominent new media technologies brought to life in recent years. One of the biggest things to come from the internet, both economically and in terms of social impact has been the boom of the online porn industry. Sex sells, and where better than online? The growth of the internet has nurtured online porn into an enormous billion dollar industry. Pornography is responsible for 25% of websites, over 8% of emails and 25% of search engine requests. Many issues need to be looked at when addressing this topic. Firstly, the history of the pornographic industry before the internet became a primary source for pornography and before online censorship technology was made available at large. Secondly, the current state of the online child pornography industry must be critically analyzed to determine current threats and opportunities, in specific relation to the issue of access, such as how minors gain access to illicit content. Also, potential future controversies and trends in the porn industry must be looked at, based on current and historic evidence presented. A major impact of the immense amount of pornographic content online is the social implications of children being exposed to graphic sexual content online at an early age. This is a major focus and basis of the argument for censorship. This type of exposure has many negative social ramifications in later life such as the degradation of partners and the disassociation of sex with intimacy. Many anti-porn advocates believe regulation is the key to protecting our children.
A principle problem faced by those who are trying to enforce censorship regulations is due to international boundaries the lack of a regulating authority, and the lack of clear definitions such as “who is responsible”. The internet is near impossible to monitor. The answers to these questions must be more clearly defined before any regulation can be enforced. It is also necessary to take into account the difference between harmful material, such as sexually explicit nudity, and illegal material, such as child pornography, and acknowledge that with regards to regulation they are two separate issues. Recently the US Supreme Court blocked a law intended to protect children from Internet pornography. Justice Anthony Kenny stated that the reason for this is “There are many less restrictive ways to protect children without sacrificing communication intended for adults.” Thus it is necessary to explore alternative avenues to protect minors. For example, the applications of newly developed image content filtering technology. Pornography revenue is larger than all combined revenues of all professional football, baseball and basketball franchises. US pornography revenue exceeds the combined revenues of ABC, CBS, and NBC (6.2 billion) Child pornography generates $3 billion annually
CONSERVATIVE / LIBERALS ARGUMENTS ABOUT CENSORSHIP
Can a government legitimately prohibit citizens from publishing or viewing pornography, or would this be an unjustified violation of basic freedoms? This question lies at the heart of a debate that raises fundamental issues about just when, and on what grounds, the state is justified in using its coercive powers to limit the freedom of individuals. Traditionally, liberals defended the freedom of consenting adults to publish and consume pornography in private from moral and religious conservatives who wanted pornography