A virtual world of sickos
A year ago, I set out to research
the state of sex and the Internet today. I discovered that not only is the much reported paedophile
use of the Net actually rather difficult to stumble across but,
as you might expect, the vast majority of Internet users
do whatever they can to stamp it out whenever it raises its ugly
head. Indeed, a number of paedophile rings have been
busted thanks to the co-operation of Internet users with the
police. The reality is that paedophiles will use whatever means
at their disposal to pursue their perversion. If the Internet
is useful, it will be used. There is a handful of paedophiles who contribute pictures to Usenet newsgroups dedicated to the abuse of children - many of these you will never see because Internet service providers refuse to make them available. Newsgroups that do openly discuss paedophilia, rather than distribute child pornography, are populated largely by people speaking out against it and making it as difficult as possible for the sickos to talk. And so, just as in the real world, paedophiles resort to covert activity, hiding behind innocent sounding group names, not publicising what they do, becoming more difficult to catch.
But it would be wrong to think that just because the media tell us that the Internet is full of child pornography then that's all there is to it.
As well as pornography and erotica covering every possible taste (or lack of it), the Net provides for the dissemination of legitimate sexual information. Discussion groups and Web pages offering support and advice on AIDS, safe sex, sexual abuse, rape and so on are flourishing. Advice of the type that often doesn't make it into wider circulation for "political" reasons can be found in such newsgroups as sci.med.aids. The Net also acts as an electronic agony aunt, a dating agency, and a place where sex and sexuality can be explored openly and safely. Gay and Lesbian culture is alive online; sometimes it seems there are more people "out" online than off.
