It is the fall of 2001 – do you know where your child
is on the Internet?
Parents may not be as sure of the answer as they once were.
It is the fall of 2001 – do you know where your child
is on the Internet?
Parents may not be as sure of the answer as they once were.
Indeed, a new front in the battle over online pornography has
opened, disabling some of the defenses used by parents to protect children from
such material, a new congressional report charges.
Internet file-sharing programs are enabling users to download
sexually explicit videos and photographs onto home computers, circumventing
much of the filtering software designed to block the reception of pornography
from the World Wide Web.
Hard-core adult pornography, child porn, sexual violence and
bestiality are accessible without charge to people of all ages through new file-sharing
programs such as Music City Morpheus, Aimster and BearShare. Users of such programs
can even be unintentionally exposed to pornography when searching for other
images.
That unsettling news for parents and others concerned about
the proliferation of pornography came in a report issued by a section of the
House of Representatives Government Reform Committee. Research was requested
by Reps. Henry Waxman, D.-Calif., and Steve Largent, R.-Okla.
“These new file-sharing systems are bringing a problem
into our homes that weve never had before,” Waxman said in a written
statement released with the report. “Its not a question of gratuitous
violence or bad language or bad taste. Its an explosion of the most demeaning
and dehumanizing exhibitions imaginable, and it can appear on our childrens
computer screens whether they ask for it or not.”
Waxman and Largent said they are not proposing legislation
to deal with the problem at this time. They said their purpose in issuing the
report was to inform parents of the problem and to suggest some steps they may
take to respond to it.
With file sharing, computer users are able to download the
software one time, then avoid using a Web browser or Web site to access the
files they are seeking. Although they have to go online, they can simply click
on the programs icon and become connected to a network with other users
from whom they can download files and with whom they can trade files.
The file-sharing program Napster popularized such technology
in recent years by making it possible for users to download MP3 audio files
of songs. At the height of its popularity, Napster said it had as many as 70
million users, many of those young people. However, Napster was crippled by
court action after a legal challenge by the recording industry for copyright
infringement.
Now, a new wave of file-sharing programs has filled the vacuum.
Unlike Napster, these new networks make it possible to download all types of
files, including videos and photographs, the committee report indicates. The
networks also do not use a central server, which Napster did. However, like
Napster, the content downloaded is free of charge.
The new file-sharing programs have achieved explosive popularity.
An Internet clearinghouse for software reported more than 3.1 million copies
of these file-sharing programs were downloaded in a recent week, the report
said. One of the programs, Music City Morpheus, reported 518,000 simultaneous
users on July 18, matching the popularity of Napster the previous year.
The committee investigation revealed nearly every form of pornography
available on the Web can be accessed through file sharing. A staff search for
“porn” on the file-sharing program BearShare produced 25,000 results,
including more than 10,000 video files. The investigation showed the pornography
files available encompass a wide range of sexual activities, including child
and violent pornography, as well as bestiality.
File-sharing users also can access pornography without attempting
to, the committee report explains. Staff searches for videos of singers such
as Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera – who are especially popular with
young teenagers – produced “significant numbers of pornographic
files,” the report said. A staff search for “Britney Spears”
videos using the file-sharing program Aimster found more than 70 percent of
the files returned were videos with pornographic titles.
Most filtering software is ineffective in blocking access to
pornography through file sharing, the report states. Indeed, committee staff
members examined seven leading versions of filtering software. Using the default
setting usually installed, the investigators found five of these versions failed
to block access to pornography through file-sharing programs.
In addition to the report, Waxman and Largent offered several
suggestions to parents seeking to deal with the problem. These may be found
with the committee report at www.house.gov/reform/min/porn.html. They include:
Know the risks
“One reason that the new file-sharing programs are such
a risk is that tech-savvy children know about these programs, but their parents
dont,” the parental suggestions note. “Parents need to know
about file-sharing programs and the unrestricted access to graphic content that
they provide. One way to learn more – and to open a dialogue – is
to ask your child what they know about the programs and whether they have ever
used them.”
Communicate
The cornerstone of any approach must be talking with children,
the representatives explain in their tips. “Parents should know how their
child is spending time on the computer and discuss what is and is not appropriate.
Look for opportunities raised in the news media, movies, or school events to
discuss Internet use.”
Reduce opportunities for misuse
The tips urge parents to strike a balance between a childs
privacy and parental oversight. “Consider strategies such as locating the
computer in a common area and having a rule against minimizing the screen when
parents enter the room,” the Internet suggestions note. “Many teenagers
will understand that reasonable parental oversight helps reduce the temptation
to use the computer to explore inappropriate content.”
Do not rely on parental filters
No fool-proof technological “fix” exists to address
all parental issues raised by the Internet, the tips note. In fact, most popular
filters do not block access to pornography on file-sharing programs at this
time.
Know the capabilities of filters
Parental filters do have a role to play, the parental tips
acknowledge. However, parents are urged to contact the technical support services
of their software to determine if adjustments can be made to limit or block
pornographic file sharing.
The tips offer a trio of Web sites that may provide some help to parents –
SafeKids.com (www.safekids.com); GetNetWise
(www.getnetwise.org); and NetSmartz
(www.netsmartz.org)