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Internet pornography is pornography that is distributed via the Internet, primarily via websites, peer-to-peer file sharing, or Usenet newsgroups. While pornography had been traded over the Internet since the 1980s, it was the invention of the World Wide Web in 1991 as well as the opening of the Internet to the general public around the same time that led to an explosion in pornography over the Internet.
Like videotapes and DVDs, the Internet has proven popular for distributing pornography because it allows people to view pornography (relatively) anonymously in the comfort and privacy of their homes. It also allows access to pornography by people whose access is otherwise restricted for legal or social reasons.
History and methods of distribution
While pornography had seen limited distribution over the Internet in the 1980’s, it was not until the Internet became more accessible to the general public that Internet pornography became a widespread phenomenon. The earliest online distribution of pornography consisted mainly of Internet users uploading scanned photos from adult magazines to Usenet newsgroups. This type of distribution was generally free (apart from fees for Internet access), and provided a great deal of anonymity. The anonymity made it safe and easy to ignore copyright restrictions, as well as protecting the identity of uploaders and downloaders. Later, pornography was distributed via pornographic Bulletin Board Systems such as Rusty n Edie's. These BBSes could charge users for access, leading to the first commercial pornography on the Internet.
The invention of the World Wide Web spurred both commercial and non-commercial distribution of pornography. The rise of pornography websites offering photos, video clips and streaming media including live webcam access allowed greater access to pornography.
Free vs. commercial
On the Web, commercial pornography sites are far more common than free sites. The bandwidth usage of a pornography site is relatively high, and the income a free site can earn through advertising is rarely sufficient to cover the costs of that bandwidth. One recent entry into the free pornography website market are Thumbnail gallery post sites. These are free websites that post links to commercial sites, providing a sampling of the commercial site in the form of thumbnail images, or in the form of Free Hosted Galleries—samplings of full-sized content provided and hosted by the commercial sites to promote their site.Another free source of pornography on the Internet are the Usenet newsgroups that were the first home to such material. Newsgroups tend to be poorly organized and flooded with content that is off-topic or spam. Commercial software and websites are available that allow browsing the images or videos on newsgroups, sometimes with galleries of thumbnail images.
Peer-to-peer file sharing networks provide another form of free access to pornography. While such networks have been associated largely with the illegal sharing of copyrighted music and movies, the sharing of pornography has also been a popular use for file sharing.
Internet pornography formats
Image Files
Image files, particularly of the JPEG format, are one of the most common formats for distributing pornography. Images may be either scanned into the computer from photographs or magazines, produced with a digital camera, or a frame from a video.Video files and streaming video
Video files formats such as MPEG, WMV, and QuickTime have been used to distribute pornographic video clips. More recently VCD and DVD image files allow distribution of whole VCD’s and DVD’s. Many commercial porn sites exist that allow one to view pornographic streaming video including live video taken with a webcam. Recently (mid-2006), some Internet pornography sites have begun offering High Definition Video content in WMV HD format.Other formats
Other formats include text and audio files. While pornographic and erotic stories, distributed as text files, web pages, and via message boards and newsgroups, have been semi-popular, audio porn, via formats like MP3 and FLV, have seen only very limited distribution. Audio porn can include recordings of people having sex or reading erotic stories.Legal status
Since the Internet is an international network and there are currently no international laws regulating pornography, each country deals with Internet pornography differently. Generally, if the pornographic content is legal in the jurisdiction that it is being distributed from then the distributor of such content would not be in violation of the law regardless of whether it is accessible in countries where it is illegal. This does not apply to those who access the pornography, however, as they could still be prosecuted under local laws in their country. Due to enforcement problems in anti-pornography laws over the Internet, countries that prohibit or heavily restrict access to pornography have taken other approaches to limit access by their citizens, such as employing content filters.
Many activists and politicians have expressed concern over the easy availability of Internet pornography, especially by minors. This has led to a variety of attempts to restrict children's access to Internet pornography such as the 1996 Communications Decency Act in the United States. Some companies use an Adult Verification System to deny access to pornography by minors. However, most Adult Verification Systems charge fees that are substantially higher than the actual costs of any verification they do (for example, in excess of $10/month) and are really part of a revenue collection scheme where sites encourage users to sign up for an AVS system, and get a percentage of the proceeds in return.
Most employers have distinct policies against the accessing of any kind of online pornographic material from company computers, while others have installed comprehensive filters in their local computer networks. There have been numerous reports of employees being reprimanded or fired because of related policy violations.
One area of Internet pornography that has been the target of the strongest efforts at curtailment is child pornography. Because of this, most Internet pornography websites based in the U.S. have a notice on their front page that they comply with 18 USC Section 2257, which requires the keeping of records regarding the age of the people depicted in photographs.
See also
External links
- ObscenityCrimes.org Organization devoted to opposing illegal obscenity and pornography through legal action
- Straight Dope: How much of all Internet traffic is pornography?
- The End of Obscenity A review of the legal history and status of Internet pornography
- "Pornography on the Internet" From the United States National Academy of Sciences
- The Art and Politics of Netporn Conference, Amsterdam, October 2005.
"Internet pornography"