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Contents | YOUTH, PORNOGRAPHY, AND THE INTERNET | Dick Thornburgh and Herbert S. Lin, Editors | Committee to Study Tools and Strategies for Protecting Kids from Pornography and Their Applicability to Other Inappropriate Internet Content | Computer Science and Telecommunications Board | National Research Council


Dick Thornburgh and Herbert S. Lin, Editors

Committee to Study Tools and Strategies for Protecting Kids from Pornography and Their Applicability to Other Inappropriate Internet Content

Computer Science and Telecommunications Board

National Research Council



Contents


Title Page and Notice i
National Academies Statement iii
Committee iv
Preface vii
Acknowledgment of Reviewers xix

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1

PART I

1 INTRODUCTION 17
  1.1 The Internet: Source of Promise, Source of Concern 17
  1.2 A Critical Definitional Issue--What Is "Pornography"? 20
  1.3 Other Types of Inappropriate Material and Experiences 22
  1.4 A Broad Spectrum of Opinion and Views 25
  1.5 Focus and Structure of This Report 28

2 TECHNOLOGY 31
  2.1 An Orientation to Cyberspace and the Internet 31
    2.1.1 Characteristics of Digital Information 31
    2.1.2 The Nature of the Internet Medium and a Comparison to Other Media Types 32
    2.1.3 Internet Access Devices 35
    2.1.4 Connecting to the Internet 36
    2.1.5 Identifying Devices on the Internet: The Role of Addressing 38
    2.1.6 Functionality of the Internet 39
    2.1.7 Cost and Economics of the Internet 47
    2.1.8 A Global Internet 47
    2.1.9 The Relative Newness of the Internet 48
  2.2 Technologies of Information Retrieval 49
  2.3 Technologies Related to Access Control and Policy Enforcement 51
    2.3.1 Filtering Technologies 51
    2.3.2 Technologies for Authentication and Age Verification 59
    2.3.3 Encryption (and End-to-End Opacity) 65
    2.3.4 Anonymizers 66
    2.3.5 Location Verification 66
  2.4 What the Future May Bring 68

3 THE ADULT ONLINE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY 71
  3.1 The Structure and Scale of the Online Adult Entertainment Industry 72
  3.2 The Generation of Revenue 74
  3.3 Practices Related to Minors 78
  3.4 What the Future May Hold 79
    3.4.1 The Structural Evolution of the Industry 79
    3.4.2 Increased Regulation 79
    3.4.3 Future Products and Services 81
  3.5 Industry Structure, Product Differentiation, and Aggressive Promotion 82

4 LEGAL AND REGULATORY ISSUES 84
  4.1 The First Amendment 84
    4.1.1 First Principles 84
    4.1.2 The First Amendment, Pornography, and Obscenity 86
    4.1.3 The First Amendment and Protecting Children from Exposure to Sexually Explicit Material 89
    4.1.4 The First Amendment Rights of Minors 92
    4.1.5 The First Amendment and Child Pornography 93
    4.1.6 The First Amendment in Public Libraries 94
    4.1.7 The First Amendment in Public Schools 95
    4.1.8 The First Amendment and the Commercial Advertising of Sexually Explicit Material 96
  4.2 Relevant Statutes and Common Law 96
    4.2.1 Federal Obscenity Statutes 96
    4.2.2 Child Pornography Statutes 97
    4.2.3 The Communications Decency Act 99
    4.2.4 The Child Online Protection Act 101
    4.2.5 The Children's Internet Protection Act 103
    4.2.6 The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act 104
    4.2.7 State Statutes 107
    4.2.8 Regulatory Efforts 107
    4.2.9 International Dimensions 112
  4.3 Law Enforcement, Training, and Education 112

5 CHILDREN, MEDIA, AND EXPOSURE TO SEXUALLY EXPLICIT MATERIAL 115
  5.1 Children and How They Use Media 115
  5.2 Sexuality in Culture 120
  5.3 The Role of Media in Providing Information on Sexuality to Youth 123
  5.4 Dimensions of Exposure and Access to the Internet 127
    5.4.1 Venues of Access 127
    5.4.2 Sources and Channels of Exposure 128
    5.4.3 Extent of Exposure 132
  5.5 Internet Exposure to Sexually Explicit Material, Solicitations,and Harassment 136
    5.5.1 Deliberate Search for Sexually Explicit Material 138
    5.5.2 Inadvertent Exposure to or Intrusion of Sexually Explicit Material 138
    5.5.3 Sexual Solicitations and Approaches 141
    5.5.4 Harassment 142

6 THE RESEARCH BASE ON THE IMPACT OF EXPOSURE TO SEXUALLY EXPLICIT MATERIAL: WHAT THEORY AND EMPIRICAL STUDIES OFFER 143
  6.1 Theoretical Considerations 143
  6.2 Empirical Work 149
    6.2.1 Violence 149
    6.2.2 Sexually Violent Material 152
    6.2.3 Exposure to Non-violent Sexual Material 153
    6.2.4 Caveats and Cautions 155
  6.3 Factors Affecting the Impact on Minors of Exposure to Sexually Explicit Material 157
    6.3.1 Impact 157
    6.3.2 Minors 157
    6.3.3 Gender 158
    6.3.4 Special Needs 159
    6.3.5 Exposure 159
    6.3.6 The Type of Sexually Explicit Material 160

7 BEYOND THE SCIENCE: PERSPECTIVES ON IMPACT AND THE PUBLIC DEBATE 161
  7.1 Challenges to Parents 161
  7.2 Speculations and Other Perspectives on Possible Impact 166
  7.3 Rhetorical Concerns and Issues of Public Debate 172
  7.4 Judgments in the Absence of a Reliable Research Base 175
  7.5 Concluding Observations 178

PART II

8 APPROACHES TO PROTECTION FROM INAPPROPRIATE MATERIAL 183
  8.1 The Identification of Inappropriate Material 183
    8.1.1 In Principle 183
    8.1.2 In Practice 186
  8.2 Dimensions of "Protection," 188
  8.3 The Time Line of Protective Actions 190
  8.4 Differing Institutional Missions of Schools and Libraries 191
  8.5 The Politics of Protection and Inappropriate Material--Who and When? 192
  8.6 Techniques of Protection 194
  8.7 Approaches to Protection 196

9 LEGAL AND REGULATORY TOOLS 201
  9.1 Vigorous Prosecutions of Obscene Material 201
  9.2 Civil Liability for Presenting Obscene Material on the Internet 205
  9.3 Options for Dealing with Material That Is Obscene for Minors 205
    9.3.1 Age Verification 206
    9.3.2 Plain Brown Wrappers and Age Verification 208
    9.3.3 Labeling of Material That Is Obscene for Minors 209
    9.3.4 Prohibiting Spam That Is Obscene for Minors 209
    9.3.5 Prohibiting the Practice of Mousetrapping to Web Sites Containing Material That Is Obscene for Minors 212
  9.4 Enforcement of Record-Keeping Requirements 213
  9.5 Streamlining the Process of Handling Violations 214
  9.6 Self-Regulatory Approaches 215
  9.7 General Observations 216

10 SOCIAL AND EDUCATIONAL STRATEGIES TO DEVELOP PERSONAL AND COMMUNITY RESPONSIBILITY 218
  10.1 Foundations of Responsible Choice 218
  10.2 Definition of a Social or Educational Strategy 221
  10.3 Contextual Issues for Social and Educational Strategies 222
  10.4 Parental Involvement and Supervision 225
  10.5 Peer Assistance 233
  10.6 Acceptable Use Policies 235
  10.7 After-the-Fact Strategies 240
  10.8 Education 242
    10.8.1 Internet Safety Education 242
    10.8.2 Information and Media Literacy 245
    10.8.3 Collateral Issues 249
  10.9 Compelling and Safe Content 250
  10.10 Public Service Announcements and Media Campaigns 254
  10.11 Findings and Observations About Social and Educational Strategies 256

11 A PERSPECTIVE ON TECHNOLOGY-BASED TOOLS 258
  11.1 Technology-Based Tools 258
  11.2 Contextual Issues for Technology-Based Tools 261
  11.3 The Questions to Be Asked of Each Tool 265

12 TECHNOLOGY-BASED TOOLS FOR USERS 267
  12.1 Filtering and Content-Limited Access 267
    12.1.1 What Is Filtering and Content-Limited Access? 267
    12.1.2 How Well Does Filtering Work? 275
    12.1.3 Who Decides What Is Inappropriate? 286
    12.1.4 How Flexible and Usable Is the Product? 289
    12.1.5 What Are the Costs of and the Infrastructure Required for Filtering? 292
    12.1.6 What Does the Future Hold for Filtering? 298
    12.1.7 What Are the Implications of Filtering Use? 301
    12.1.8 Findings on Filters 303
  12.2 Monitoring 304
    12.2.1 What Is Monitoring? 305
    12.2.2 How Well Does Monitoring Work? 307
    12.2.3 Who Decides What Is Inappropriate? 309
    12.2.4 How Flexible and Usable Are Products for Monitoring? 310
    12.2.5 What Are the Costs and Infrastructure Required for Monitoring? 311
    12.2.6 What Does the Future Hold for Monitoring? 314
    12.2.7 What Are the Implications of Using Monitoring? 315
    12.2.8 Findings on Monitoring 316
  12.3 Tools for Controlling or Limiting "Spam," 317
    12.3.1 What Are Technologies for Controlling Spam? 318
    12.3.2 How Well Do Spam-Controlling Technologies Work? 319
    12.3.3 Who Decides What Is Spam? 320
    12.3.4 How Flexible and Usable Are Products for Controlling Spam? 320
    12.3.5 What Are the Costs and Infrastructure Required for Using Spam-Control Products? 320
    12.3.6 What Does the Future Hold for Spam-Controlling Systems? 321
    12.3.7 What are the Implications of Using Spam-Controlling Systems? 321
    12.3.8 Findings on Spam-Controlling Technologies 321
  12.4 Instant Help 322
    12.4.1 What Is Instant Help? 322
    12.4.2 How Well Might Instant Help Work? 324
    12.4.3 Who Decides What Is Inappropriate? 324
    12.4.4 How Flexible and Usable Is Instant Help? 324
    12.4.5 What Are the Costs and Infrastructure Required for Instant Help? 325
    12.4.6 What Does the Future Hold for Instant Help? 325
    12.4.7 What Are the Implications of Using Instant Help? 326
    12.4.8 Findings on Instant Help 326

13 TECHNOLOGY-BASED TOOLS AVAILABLE TO NON-END USERS 327
  13.1 A .xxx Top-Level Domain 327
    13.1.1 What Is a .xxx Top-level Domain? 327
    13.1.2 How Well Would a .xxx Top-Level Domain Work? 330
    13.1.3 Who Decides What Material Should Be Confined to .xxx Web Sites? 332
    13.1.4 How Flexible and Usable Are Schemes Based on a .xxx Top-Level Domain? 332
    13.1.5 What Are the Costs and Infrastructure Required for a .xxx Top-Level Domain? 332
    13.1.6 What Does the Future Hold for a .xxx Top-Level Domain? 333
    13.1.7 What Are the Implications of Using a .xxx Top-Level Domain? 334
    13.1.8 Findings on a .xxx Top-Level Domain 334
  13.2 A .kids Top-Level Domain 335
    13.2.1 What is a .kids Top-level Domain? 335
    13.2.2 How Well Would a .kids Top-Level Domain Work? 335
    13.2.3 Who Decides What Material Should Be Allowed in .kids Web Sites? 337
    13.2.4 How Flexible and Usable Are Schemes Based on a .kids Top-Level Domain? 337
    13.2.5 What Are the Costs and Infrastructure Required for a .kids Top-Level Domain? 338
    13.2.6 What Does the Future Hold for a .kids Top-Level Domain? 338
    13.2.7 What Are the Implications of Using a .kids Top-Level Domain? 338
    13.2.8 Findings on a .kids Top-Level Domain 339
  13.3 Age Verification Technologies 339
    13.3.1 What Are Age Verification Technologies? 340
    13.3.2 How Well Do Age Verification Technologies Work? 341
    13.3.3 Who Decides What Is Inappropriate? 343
    13.3.4 How Flexible and Usable Are Products for Verifying Age? 344
    13.3.5 What Are the Costs and Infrastructure Required for Age Verification? 344
    13.3.6 What Does the Future Hold for Age Verification Systems? 345
    13.3.7 What Are the Implications of Using Age Verification Systems? 347
    13.3.8 Findings on Age Verification Technologies 348
  13.4 Tools for Protecting Intellectual Property 349
    13.4.1 What Are Tools for Protecting Intellectual Property? 349
    13.4.2 How Well Do Tools for Protecting Intellectual Property Work? 349
    13.4.3 Who Decides What Is Inappropriate? 351
    13.4.4 How Flexible and Usable Are Products for Protecting Intellectual Property? 352
    13.4.5 What Are the Costs and Infrastructure Required for Protecting Intellectual Property? 352
    13.4.6 What Does the Future Hold for Tools for Protecting Intellectual Property? 352
    13.4.7 What Are the Implications of Tools for Protecting Intellectual Property? 353
    13.4.8 Findings on Tools for Protecting Intellectual Property 353

PART III

14 FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS, AND FUTURE NEEDS 357
  14.1 Framing the Issue 357
    14.1.1 Social Dimensions 357
    14.1.2 Developmental Dimensions 358
    14.1.3 Legal Dimensions 359
    14.1.4 Technical Dimensions 360
    14.1.5 Economic Dimensions 361
  14.2 On the Impact on Children of Exposure to Sexually Explicit Material and Experiences 362
  14.3 On Approaches to Protection 364
  14.4 Trade-offs and Complexity 368
    14.4.1 Social and Educational Trade-offs 370
    14.4.2 Technology Trade-offs 371
    14.4.3 Public Policy Trade-offs 373
  14.5 Take-Away Messages for Different Parties 374
    14.5.1 Parents 374
    14.5.2 Teachers and Librarians 378
    14.5.3 Industry 380
    14.5.4 Makers of Public Policy 383
  14.6 Research Needs 386
  14.7 Conclusion 387

APPENDIXES

A INFORMATION-GATHERING SESSIONS OF THE COMMITTEE 391

B GLOSSARY AND ACRONYMS 407

C SELECTED TECHNOLOGY ISSUES 418

D SITE VISIT SYNTHESIS 430

E BIOGRAPHIES 434

INDEX 445











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