Why should anyone be concerned about pornography on the Internet? After all, this is a .
free country and everyone should have access to anything they want, right? This position would .
be true if only adults used the Internet; it can not be true when children also use the Internet. .
Most people would agree that children should not have access to Internet sites that are .
considered pornographic. Does that mean that children should not be allowed Internet access or .
that the Internet should not have pornographic sites? Of course it doesn't mean that! What it .
does mean is that the issues arising from the mixture of children and Internet should be dealt .
with and not ignored. .
This paper will attempt to intelligently discuss some of those issues. Areas covered will .
include what the Internet is, risks to children who are viewing the Internet, what pornography is, .
and laws concerning child pornography (in general and over the Internet). Additionally, the .
number, content, and accessibility of pornographic sites will be discussed. Lastly, this paper will .
discuss what measures can be taken to protect children from pornographic Internet sites. .
What exactly is the Internet? It is a global network of computers used to transmit all .
types of data between computers. Text, numbers, programs, illustrations, photographs, audio, .
animation, and video can all be transmitted over the Internet. Contrary to what some people may .
think, the Internet is not a single computer nor is it a single service. The Internet is not owned by .
or governed by anyone. It exists solely through the support of the companies and institutions that .
access it. .
Though the Internet seems relatively new, its roots actually start in the 1960s. In 1969, .
the Department of Defense started the "ARPANET" project. ARPANET was a decentralized .
computer network that was used to link military researchers at four universities. The Internet .
later evolved out of ARPANET.
