Introduction
Pornography is defined as an overt representation of literature or films which are expressive of sexual activities. On-line pornography therefore refers to overt representation of sexual activities through the use of internet. Pornography in all of its forms is meant to stimulate erotic feelings as opposed to emotions. Pornography is mostly targeted at men more than it is to women. It is not a crime that those who commit do not inflict bodily harm nor does it cause any serious form of loss. The criminality of pornography is legally defined differently by different states. Some countries like Muslim nations do not encourage pornography for all their citizens; to them it is perverted and erodes the moral fabrics of the society. However, in some nations it is prohibited for persons under a legally spelt age. In most, if not all, countries pornography is prohibited and should not be shown to children; the countries also have illegalized use of children in acting pornographic films and such crimes are severely punishable and attract long jail terms.
Distinguishing Characteristics of On-line pornography
One of the elements of on-line pornography is that it is very addictive and it is hard to escape from, most the sites are accessed free of charge and in some cases appear as pop ups when one is surfing the internet. It is said that pornography lets women to be seen as simple physical entities and mainly place more focus on their breasts and sex organs than the rest of the body. Pornography does not portray women’s attractiveness in terms of character, intelligence and even humor; it shows that the relationship between a man and a woman is only pegged on sex. Most importantly, it does not support long term commitment in love and does not produce a long term love and sexual relationships. Pornography is said to be a victimless crime and those who watch do so at will. On-line pornography comes in form of photos which are sexually suggestive in nature; these may include women with bare breast, women whose thighs are left open up to the level where their pants show and even totally naked women and men who are in the act of the crime. It is also important to note that pornography has been designed to include animals in the use of pornography (Ivory, 2006). Nude human photos are shown alongside certain animals and in sexually suggestive postures. Some of it also come as encrypted email messages and are sent to unsuspecting people as advertisements. As for child pornography online, the crime may be tailored in the form of games which are easy to access by children. When the children become addicted to the games, they are likely to start browsing suggestive photos.
On-line pornography is full of vulgar contents which make them easy to identify, sometimes it may not involve nude people but they are also represented in a way that stimulates one’s erotic feelings. Most online pornographic pictures and literatures have their own exclusive sites where they can be accessed (Ivory, 2006). The sites are updated with all types of pornographic photos to attract lots of attentions. The most striking feature of on-line pornography is that it contains photos of carefully and critically selected beautiful women who are used commercially to attract the attention of potential customers. This may also end up being accessed by people it is not intended to.
Methods of Preventing On-line Pornography
Before the invention of the internet it was very easy to prevent children from viewing pornographic materials from either publications or films. This was because pornographic materials were kept in safe places and mostly behind counters where one could only be granted access if he/she requested. Access was only granted to specific age groups and not to children. With the discovery of the internet it has become very difficult to prevent children from viewing pornographic materials or inappropriate publications. Pornography is available everywhere and can be accessed by any one at any time. It is the work of the parent to ensure that children get the right information from the websites. This can be done through taking a thorough preview of the websites that are to be viewed by kids. A parent can take his/her time to preview the websites that are friendly to the kids then encourage the kids to view them. This will reduce the chances of the kid viewing pornographic content because kid friendly sites rarely show pornographic content (Thompson, 2007).
Another method of preventing kids from pornography is the use of search engines that are friendly to the kids and have less chances of being used by pornographic advertisers. An example of such a search engines is “Ask” which is designed specifically for kids. Parental control and guidance is necessary when kids are viewing on the internet.
The government has a role to play in prevention of on-line pornography. One of way that the government can employ in its fight with on-line pornography is the development of partnerships between the government and law enforcement agents. The government should pay attention to detection and investigation of the illegal advertisers and they should be prosecuted.
Public safety education should be provided to all age groups to provide them with the necessary information that will help them recognize and prevent such crimes. Most of the individuals involved in pornography do it out of pleasure and they do not know the negative effects associated with it. Proper information should therefore be provided.
Methods of detecting and prosecuting online pornography
On-line pornography can be detected by use of an “internet merchant Acquisition and monitoring the best practices that is distributed by the federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)”. This is aimed at preventing commercial child pornography. The best practices share method has been used to detect child pornography and prevent the coalition members from setting up or maintaining merchants’ accounts. This makes it difficult for the traders to benefit from online pornography (Thompson, 2007).
There is a US based “Cyberangels” with about 40 members whose work is to report suspicious sites. Other countries have formed foundations between the police and internet providers which run hotlines where anyone can report cases of any potentially prohibited materials. Databases have been formed to enable police to identify victims and perpetrators.
In most countries pornographic perpetrators are never prosecuted and those who prosecute impose light penalties. In Holland if one happens to take materials that are legal in that country but are obscene in other countries one can be arrested by the police and penalties imposed on him/her. These penalties vary according to age of the prosecuted, intention one had while dealing with the crime and the damage caused as a result of the crime.
Conclusion
On-line pornography can be defined as the overt representation of literature, films or photos that has erotic stimulation effects on individuals who get into contact with them through the internet. Pornography in all of its forms is meant to stimulate erotic feelings as opposed to emotions. The distinguishing characteristics of pornography include amongst others the fact that it never portrays women’s attractiveness in terms of intelligence, humor, and character. Some governments and parents have attempted to prevent access to the pornographic materials via online. These are done through certain measures including but not limited to people employed or volunteers who report on online pornography.
Reference List
Ivory, V. (2006). How to Be Forever Free from O.P.P.: Online Pornography Permanently. Outskirts Press.
Thompson, S L (2007). Preventing and Detecting Child Pornography. Best Practices from the Financial Coalition against Child Pornography. Financial Institution letter. Web.