h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

http://www.h2g2.com/a470008

Not a moral debate - simple facts on how 2 get round the masses of crud out there. As in my entry on internet Dating (http://www.h2g2.com/A394463 and http://www.h2g2.com/A449705 NB 2 Scouts - These are still available 2 b reconmended) it has been writen by a male hetro-sexual - any contributions from other genders or orientations welcome.

Kadu

Hi, Its a good start! I'd agree with Trillian's child (here: http://www.h2g2.com/F57816?thread=87586 ), regarding a little more background about internet pornography - eg mentioning the huge amount of money that is sent to & fro, etc. o:-) - Adam

Good article. A couple of minor grammary things, but the subs will pick them up, so don't worry too much.

morality bit: I think you should rephrase this - not much point saying what you won't say. Instead you might have something like:

"internet porn is a growth industry with XXX billion dollars a year, ... many people use ... There is a continuing ethical debate over whether it is a good thing, which doesn't look like being resolved any time soon."

Which makes it clear that you don't want to touch the issue with a five foot pole, but is a little less defensive.

"forums - like the ones at h2g2" - I think you should emphasise that these forums *behave like* ours. Our 'sex fora' veer away from hardcore porn, in my view...

"hijacking" would seem to be a specialised case of trojan horses - and a link to "how to avoid internet viruses" would seem warranted - much of the same advice is relevant.

Other comments might be on use of shared computers, for those who share with their granny - clear history, cache, etc, etc.

OK the few small changes made, I tracked some figures down (financial) see reference - wonderful thing but no year when it was written.

I don't want to get 2 boged down in the trojan thing as I don't know much.

Cheers

Kadu

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Looks great to me

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"No moral debate - simple facts on how to get round the masses of crud out there"
?????????????????????
Sorry, but if somebody feels the need the to 'get round'the masses of crud, let them spend their time and money doing it.
A guide on how not to get ripped off and get the best from 'your internet porn experience' is something that I, personally, cannot condone.
Maybe I've missed the point of your piece. Maybe it should be more about how to AVOID the porn sites. That there are sick and unwholesome sites out there cannot be denied; that people have the 'right' to visit them if they so wish is also undeniable, but, although your piece is well written, I can't help but think that a 'guide' to getting around the sites is not exactly appropriate.
On a purely personal basis, I work with kids who have been horribly abused, both sexually and emotionally, and, from experience, know that the majority of them have, in one way or another, been the victims of people who are actively or passively involved with porn, whether it be paper copy or, more likely these days, internet orientated.
Not needed. Sorry, I'm not usually this this harsh in my appraisal of articles, but, in my honest opinion, it needs a severe rethink.
TheOkapi

Hmm, in my experience, the majority of people, all people, are 'actively or passively involved with porn'. Why do you blame porn?

I can't help but think those who abuse others don't abuse them *because* they have an interest in pornography. The abuse, and the interest in pornography are both symptoms of a separate cause. And as was pointed out, many people have an interest in pornography who are not abusers.

This entry does not provide any direct links (which would be uncondonable, and may well be prohibited in the TOS for H2G2). All it seems to do to is describe what is out there, how someone can protect themselves from the legal issues involved, and the inherent dangers of visiting the websites.

Can I thank those who have defended my entry in my absence, I'll add the following three points;

Firstly I do not believe this entry will encourage anyone who has never tried to find porn on the web to do so, you either are the sort of person to try this or you oppose it. As others have said there has never been a cause and effect link with porn ad abuse.

Secondly, if by having in my entry the link to a site dedicated to wiping out child porn, just one site is reported and removed from the web and the people behind it prosecuted then I think I have achieved something.

Lastly Okapi, as I am sure you are aware, numerous people of all ages are damaged one way or another by alcohol abuse, and yet the guide contains scores of edited entries on drink, where to get it, what to get, how to recover from the effects of drink. Would you like to see them removed. And then what about the entries on illegal drugs that are there?

H2G2 is an guide to earth and the society that inhabits it, like it or not my article reflects one aspect, an aspect that as you say everyone has the right to partake in.

Perhaps some other scouts may want to venture their opinion.

Kadu Flyer

I understand TheOkapi's point of view, but at the same time I am hoping that at least one other Scout with feel this topic is worthwhile. We can debate the merits of this particular entry's take on the subject, of course. But I feel it is inappropriate to refuse an entry based on its subject matter alone in a Guide that is supposed to be about 'everything.' To put it plainly, that's censorship.

But here's the other side of my opinion. I also feel it is inappropriate to have an entry on Internet Porn that refuses to address the moral and social aspects of the topic. The issues are there, and must be taken into account. Otherwise, a reader may conclude that h2g2 is trying to sending the message that the moral issues are unimportant, or may wonder whether h2g's entry is meant to explicitly condone the viewing of internet porn.

Here's some input on those issues, and feel free to quote me on any of it.

***

Internet pornography has become so popular partly because it offers a level of anonymity never available before. While most people simply enjoy keeping their personal thoughts and interests private, others use this factor as a shield for dubious activities. A married man can reasonably keep his wife from discovering his dissatisfaction with their sex life; a pedophile can conceal his interest from family members and coworkers; and a teen can learn a great deal about the facts of life without her parents' knowledge simply by clicking a link saying she is older than she really is. What impact this ultimately has on society is a question for debate.

Internet porn is also available in much higher quantities than traditional porn and at a cheaper cost. For a few people, this can be a good case of having 'too much of a good thing.' Many psychologists believe it is possible to become addicted to online viewing of pornography. As with other addictions, this has the potential to cause problems in other aspects of life -- like one's career, family relations, friendships, and sense of self-esteem. Someone who feels they have become addicted to internet porn should seek professional help and/or couseling.

There are also those people who feel that all pornography is exploitative in nature. They argue that pornography teaches viewers to treat some people as mere objects of lust instead of as individuals with feelings and unique personalities. Some such theorists feel that this effect is increased as greater quantities of porn are consumed, so internet pornography represents an increased threat of social injustice in their minds.

Other people feel that internet pornography is not culpable in this fashion. They argue that the worriers have a misplaced sense of cause and effect, and that people with prejudicial and over-simplified views of their preferred 'sex objects' are already predisposed towards pornography. They claim that such people are a very small minority of online porn viewers, and that most consumers are well-adjusted citizens. They point to the fact that crimes like rape and domestic violence have not increased in any country at the same rate that internet pornography has grown.

For those who worry about the moral or social consequences of viewing internet pornography, there are software filters that help people and their families avoid porn sites. Examples include NetNanny, Cyber Patrol, and Surf Watch. Most such software is available for free download. Most can also be bypassed with a password, in cases where some members of the household are comfortable with internet porn and others are not.

However, even software filters are generally understood to be a flawed solution. The user surfing with the filter turned on can expect some loss of non-pornography sites. Frequently, the filters censor certain words, causing problems with topics that may contain those words, like gay rights, breast and testicular cancer, and family planning. Also, many filters will allow access to a small portion of porn sites in error -- particularly sites that avoid frequently censored words while maintaining extensive pornographic photo galleries.

Finally, children who have been forced to use filters frequently find ways around them. Some learn their parents' passwords to bypass the filters, while others develop or utilize renegade software that renders the filters useless. Because of this, parents are urged to discuss the possibility of viewing 'adult material' with their children before allowing them to surf the internet without supervision -- whether they have decided to employ a filter or not.

I read in the papers today (gosh, so it's relevant) That some company has developed a way of recognising, by computer, which pictures are 'naughty'. Previous methods apparently looked at the amount of skin tone, so the beach volleyball championships got slashed, while the picture of two people having sex who hadn't quite managed to get their jeans and T-shirts off would get through. But this one manages to rate lingerie models at a mere 26%, while the aforementioned quality-time lovers got 70%+.

The various postgrads who have spent a large proportion of the last four years looking at various pictures of naked women have unanimously taken to having sex only with the lights out in a bid to get some respite. Carrot sales in the area are said to have doubled. {ok, I made that last bit up, but it seems plausible...}

I read a similar article in wired.com (an American site about technology advances) several months ago. When the site tested the software, though, it was far less successful than advertised. It allowed users to view almost half of the pornographic pictures in the sample, and censored a good percentage of pictures that didn't even have people in them.

I'm afraid I don't remember the name of this fledgling software, and I couldn't find the article again using the site's rather awful search engine. Sorry. But when I read the article, none of the popular internet software filters felt comfortable using the technology. So it might be something on the horizon, but I don't think image filters are something you can reasonably get today. Did the article you read list anything more concrete on the horizon?

Nope. It was very much in the traditional "boffins have found that" mould...

{ok, ok, so I was reading the tabloids...}

Good stuff Fragilis the M - hopefully it should get either absorbed into the main article or used as an entry on its own.

To show solidarity I may (I only said MAY) join the Musicians Guild!