In the case of US VS Williams 553 US 285 (2008), it was found that Michael Williams was guilty of pandering – this is the promotion of material that actually depicts child pornography or causes the audience to think that it is child pornography. This case illustrated that the law – through the Protect Act – was trying to prohibit artwork that led to the growth of the child pornographic industry, even if the images involved were virtually manipulated ones.
The internet is viral and it is quite difficult to assess whether child pornography will actually come to an end. In fact, the figures show that this is more likely going to be a negative experience rather than a positive one. Child pornographic websites often advertise their services through a series of banner ads on various websites. They often get to unsuspecting web users who may be lured into those websites unknowingly. In fact, some may intend to find something else online and may simply be redirected using the tricks of these child pornography websites. Additionally, the number of people using the internet has skyrocketed and it is too complicated to monitor all the millions of transmissions that occur across the internet at any one time. This is a big loophole that makes it relatively easy for the concerned individuals to thrive. Child pornography promoters often hijack a certain legitimate and nonpornographic website to advertise or redirect users. However, this can be put to an end if notification systems are put in place such that Internet service providers themselves can be told about these hijacks. It is likely that this can reduce instances of such cases but it may not necessarily eradicate them (Taylor and Quayle, 2003).
Additionally, the other strategies that have been put in place to curb child pornography have simply been too slow or too small to actually deter the criminals. For instance, private organizations for child protection have been set up in order to allow the public to report instances of child pornography on the internet. These reports are then handed over to the federal government. The only major challenge is that resources do not exist for following through on each and every report. Furthermore, it is difficult to figure out which reports need to be given higher priority than others. Nonetheless, anti-child pornography experts have experience in the field and are in a position to look into some of the legitimate concerns. If the Federal Bureau of investigation can work hand in hand with such organizations then it can be freed up from having to handle each report on its own and it can also be spared from wasting resources on less serious issues (Taylor and Quayle, 2003).
Some individuals have asserted that the adult movie industry is not heartless in itself. Even adherents have a conscience and rarely consider themselves as predators or deviants. Those who watch child pornography themselves know that they are doing something wrong. Additionally, viewers of adult pornography often despise child pornography lovers. Therefore, creating a code of ethics could be a plausible way of self-regulating the pornography industry. When members of the fraternity come up with their own rules then it is likely that child pornography will become less common. Additionally, individuals have the option of setting up best practice rules for dating sites, search engines, and other adult-related sites. This would provide an internal mechanism for preventing unexpected occurrences of defilement. Such a strategy may not be one hundred percent effective but it will provide a head start for the prevention of such problems in the future.
References
Taylor, M. & Quayle, E. (2009). Child pornography: an internet crime. NY: Psychology press