Congressmen tell kids how to find P2P porn

[Subcommander Bob]

http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20010727/tc/online_pornography_2.html

Friday July 27 11:08 AM ET

                Congressmen Warn About Online Porn

                By D. IAN HOPPER, AP Technology Writer

                WASHINGTON (AP) - The same technology that allowed
Internet users to swap music can be used
                by children to locate hard-core pornography, and two
congressmen are providing parents with some
                tips to keep it from happening.

                The programs, which have become popular since the
legally embattled Napster (news - web sites)
                began its decline and was finally knocked offline, can
transfer much more than the music files that
                Napster was famous for. They can help users share any
type of file, including pornographic movies.

                Reps. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., and Steve Largent,
R-Okla., released a report Friday alerting
                parents.

                ``It's not a question of gratuitous violence or bad
language or bad taste,'' Waxman said. ``It's an
                explosion of the most demeaning and dehumanizing
exhibitions imaginable, and it can appear on our
                children's computer screens whether they ask for it or
not.''

                Waxman and Largent aren't yet calling for legislation,
but want parents to be aware of the programs
                and realize that most Internet filtering software
doesn't stop them. Internet filters are designed to block
                Web pages, but most can't scan movies or block sharing
programs.

                The design of sharing networks like BearShare, Aimster
and LimeWire complicates the matter further.
                Unlike Napster, the individual users contact directly,
instead of using a central computer. This is also a
                headache for copyright holders including the music and
movie industries, which can't file suit to close
                down the network because in many cases no company exists
to sue.

                Since Napster's fall, the upstart decentralized
file-sharing networks have flourished. They are some of
                the most downloaded programs on the Internet, dwarfing
Napster's popularity during its heyday.

                The lawmakers said parents shouldn't rely on the
effectiveness of filters and should talk frequently with
                their children about how they use the computer. Putting
the children's computer in a common room
                may also help, they said.

                The report, prepared by a House committee, says
pornography is both popular and prevalent on the
                networks, and that children may accidentally stumble
upon it when looking for something else.

                The search term ``porn'' ranks second only to a word for
pirated movies on the Gnutella (news - web
                sites) network, and various other adult terms dominate
the Top 30 list.

                Even if children search for other popular downloads,
like typing in the names of pop stars Britney
                Spears or Christina Aguilera, they can find surprising
results.

                ``When the Special Investigations Division used the
popular file-sharing program Aimster to search for
                videos of Britney Spears, over 70 percent of the results
were pornographic files,'' the report states.