NCJ Number
198730
Date Published
2001
Length
269 pages
Annotation
This book reports on the myths and realities of child pornography and the difficulties of stamping out criminal activity on the Web.
Abstract
This book delves into a matter that is so abhorrent that it receives very little attention or study in general. Child pornographers have taken advantage of this lack of response and awareness to successfully use electronic media to exchange their pornography without detection or significant sanction. The implications of this threat for free speech and a free exchange of ideas on the Internet are discussed. The question of how to stop an activity that even laissez-faire civil libertarians find repugnant and about which so little is known is discussed. The story of how the business of child pornography got started online is the subject of this book and how the advent of the Internet created an opportunity for a deviant subculture to become a highly organized and global business. This trade operates from Singapore to Budapest to the United States and is difficult to eradicate though easy to catch glimpses of. The author notes that the most sophisticated transactions are done by means of a proxy address, rendering the host computer and participants almost completely unidentifiable. These Internet sites exist for only a few minutes or hours, allowing pornographers to stay one step ahead the law. The debates over trade regulation, users' privacy, and individual rights are discussed. This book contains essential information about a criminal community, human behavior, and the law for those interested in media and new technology. This globalized criminal network challenges both international and U.S. law. Chapter notes and index