Ethical Dilemmas in Internet Pornography

Scott Newton

IFSM 304

Professor Robert Pomietto

Table of Contents

Introduction3

Discussion4

Tools to Safeguard Youth from Porn4

Legislative Action4

Difference in Opinion5

Conclusion6

References7

Ethical Dilemmas in Internet Pornography

Introduction

I chose this topic because of the prevalence of pornography on the internet. Suggestions of pornographic material can show up in almost every topical search entered into a search engine, whether it be Nursing, Soccer balls, or Clothes. I am interested in researching the ways and means of protecting our children from accessing these sites, as well as the legislation involved which gives or takes away personal liberties at being able to utilize/view pornographic information, such as the Communications Decency Act which is aimed at protecting children from pornography.

Adolescent's fascination about sex is a normal and balanced element of human progression. For many generations of younger American, sex-related exploration included such watching glimpses of the images of naked indigenous communities in National Geographic Channel or perusing the lingerie ads in the Sears collection.

Today, however, the world is very different. The Internet and satellite TV have brought in an age of unprecedented access to serious adult images, and youngsters are getting in head first for the trip. Once youth had to work to discover pornography (often from the garbage or a buddy's father), but today children with general computer skills can find thousands of x-rated images with a couple of clicks of their mouse, and many younger generation are subsequently being overloaded with sex-related issues and images before they have the developing potential to include the content into their balanced sex-related identification progression (Benedek & Brown, 1999).

Discussion

Tools to Safeguard Youth from Porn

A reaction to this confrontation of principles was of technical nature. Concerned people have demanded to manage what is being delivered in their houses, schools and librarie; and of course different enterprises have offered many web barriers and filters application. With labels like NetNanny, CyberSitter and KinderGuard, these objects market themselves in the industry as practical possibilities to hold children and youngsters away from porn (Westfall).

However, all such application have not prevented perfectly the web pages at least a part of the time. The problem is with the choice. Topical research results with SurfWatch, a filter application that prevents websites and is respected as belonging to the best, as technology permits to look in graphic arts, sex websites. Both mistakes are presumably prevented by word or string word issues. Some services, like SurfWatch and KinderGuard, use both kinds of blockage to give individuals a better service and prevent the web pages independently of each other and under use of concepts and draft contribution too narrowly web page workers were not evaluated. This mixture seems to be an excellent strategy only. Nevertheless, it is not worth it, look after the problems with both methods, but only the option of entry reduces access to undesirable websites, with concurrent improvement somewhat of the boundlessness of the web (Westfall).

Legislative Action

A quick reaction of the community to the lack of prevention methods was the legislature. In the USA there was town and state statutory ...