Porn Company Exec Blames Google & Yahoo For Kids Accessing Porn
from the now-that's-impressive dept
We've seen all sorts of ridiculous things get blamed on Google and Yahoo, but I never thought I'd see this. An executive at an adult entertainment company is now blaming Google and Yahoo for not doing enough to stop kids from seeing porn. He claims that it's all for the sake of protecting the children. Fascinating. If he's so concerned about children accessing porn perhaps he should, I don't know... stop making it? Just a thought.
Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
Reader Comments
Subscribe: RSS
View by: Time | Thread
Probably Different Than a Google Job Interview
From the article:
"I do interview all of the Vivid Girls personally before we sign them to exclusive contracts,"
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Misplaced blame... but not where you think
But Mike, so too is blaming the porn-maker.
That sounds awful close to censorship. Now, I'm not saying that if this guy decides "hey, my stuff is hurting kids, I should stop", that it would be a bad thing. But insisting that he does is censorship.
As always, this blame and responsibility should be placed back to those who truly are responsible for the raising of children (and all things that go with it)... the parents.
But that's been beaten to death around here, so I'll digress. I just wanted to voice the opinion that shifting blame to the porn-maker is just as invalid and wrong as blaming Google or Yahoo.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Misplaced blame... but not where you think
So, Gabriel, googled "sarcasm" lately? Might explain what Mike was saying here.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Misplaced blame... but not where you think
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Misplaced blame... but not where you think
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Misplaced blame... but not where you think
Ah... but the porn-maker is not making the porn for the children. He's making it for adults... well, in theory, at least. Honestly, he's making it for anyone who'll pay for it. He's only going to admit to making it for adults.
My point is that the porn is filling a demand. It's only in more strict and conservative cultures that porn carries the stigma it does here in the US. There is a legitimate market for this. So if we (as a single part of a larger community) decide that we don't want our kids to have access to it, should we be able to make the moral decision that no one should have access to it? That it shouldn't exist at all?
If you like gangster rap, how would you feel if I made and enforced the decision that you can't have it just because I don't like the idea of kids hearing it? After all, it's "for the kids" that you're being denied the choice of whether or not you listen to it. Same with porn.
So why should this porn-maker have to decide to not provide this product (that has legitimate demand) just because a small part of the market doesn't like it?
BUT... to the point of the article: we already have laws that restrict the distribution of porn to minors. The question becomes 'who's the distributor here'. Google/Yahoo, or the site that posts the content? And that's for the courts to decide. Personally, I think Google/Yahoo have no obligation to limit information. It's up to us as responsible and enlightened people (sic) to decide what information to allow our children to access, and to help them on interpret it.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: Misplaced blame... but not where you t
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Misplaced blame... but not where you think
I'm not insisting it at all. I'm just saying that if he's so concerned about it, why is he making it?
I have no problem with him making pornography, if that's what he wants to do. But it seems a little silly for him to make it and then complain about people seeing it.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Always Someone's Elses Responsiblity
1. We have an endless stream of "demands" by persons/corporations that some third party must do "something" to stop the "public" from doing something "bad". This is absurd. There is absolutely no logical rationale for EntityA to demand that EntityB stop EntityC from doing an activity that EntityA does not like! Due process anyone.
2. Security for websites is in some regards unobtainable. How is the website to know if the user is some 13 year old, someone who is 46, or even a pedophile? There is no way to really know.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Misplaced blame...
I thought it was obvious that porn-maker-man is not doing this out of concern for children. He is concerned that he will be held liable for children accessing his product. And this is a weak attempt to shift the blame.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Hmmm...
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Hmmm...
Taking it seriously is completely off the charts then.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
bringbacktheporn.com
That said, of course its rediculous to blame Google and Yahoo -- they even have a Safe Search option to avoid accidentally bringing up flagged material.
We should just legislate it so that porn has to be government sanctioned ... maybe even make it so that ISPs can be filtered by a governmental committee to make sure that people only need to see porn if they really want. Hmm, come to think of it, why don't we just take the internet away from everyone, its obviously too dangerous for us ... and since we can't control ourselves, what hope is there for the children?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Sex is and always will be a human interest. I have a 13 and 11 year old... When they get interested in sex.. porn... etc... I will personally have whatever conversions I need to have with them to explain what its all about, the pros & the cons. The real stuff. Until then and even afterwards, I keep a close watch on what they see on the Internet, TV, wherever. Porn is only a problem when parents don't talk to their kids before the kids discover it on their own.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
Bill Cosby
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Stop making Pron?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Stop making Pron?
"If he's so concerned about children accessing porn perhaps he should, I don't know... stop making it? Just a thought."
he's just playing to the bible thumpers in this country. You know the kind of people that think the idea of kids knowing about sex is wrong, and they shouldn't know about it till they hit 18. Even ModMan is thinking clearly. It's talking about it, and educating young ones about it that is the key. If you look at TV and media all over the world we are the only country the censors that kind of thing, but we still let our children watch day/evening TV that has 95% more violnece then other countries. In Europe nudity is perfectly fine for someone to look at at what ever age, but they do not have as much violence on broadcasted TV as we do.
I am under the personal belief that putting way to many rules on something will make them want to do it that much more cause its something that will give them a thrill to try and not get caught. Our child are desensatized to violence, but sex its self they aren't so they try to see it every chance they get. The more they see it the more they will be less likely to be drawn to see it sinces its there. Newtons Law = everything has an equal and oposite reaction. You stop kids all you want, but the kids will always find a way to see it. simple as that.
Think about it.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: WTFudge
Back on topic, Google definitely helps me get porn. If they wanted to implement some optional filtering features... if they could do it correctly, I wouldn't be opposed, but any solution I can envision right now would probably involve the excessive restriction of free information, and that's not cool.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: WTFudge
How can they see the difference between reality and fantasy violence? Could it be because they were expose to it so early as children? Wouldn't having their parents freak out over this make the taboo more appealing and harder to differentiate fantasy and reality?
I'm sorry, but I think WTFudge is right, I have a child, hoping to have more and I would rather find out he's watching pron than finding out is watching violent contents or recipes for bombs or heinous sites. I was a teen once, and finding x tapes or magazine were awsome days :P, never got the urge to rape anybody afterward. Although I never had the urge to kill someone after a good Kubrik either.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
In other news...
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
First, the guy didn't "blame" anyone. He suggested that Google and Yahoo could do a better job in this area. That seems reasonable to me. Sure, Hirsch could have made concrete suggestions and come across better, but his basic proposition that search engines are not innovating in this area that many people think is important seems fair.
Second, the cheesy "...then he shouldn't make it" argument is so far beneath the quality of thought I expect on Techdirt that I'm not sure where to start. Google and Yahoo are in the content indexing and distribution business (just look at images.google.com? If a content producer is concerned that a distributor isn't doing a great job, is the answer really to stop producing the content? Should drug manufacturers who want pharmacies to put their products in child safe containers just stop making drugs if some pharmacies fail to do so?
Really, this is terribly weak article that sits at the border of cluelessness, dishonesty, and knee-jerk "for the children" demogaugery.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Random Thought
It is the same principle as it being the parent's responsibility prevent there kids from playing mature video games, watching R rated movies, and listening to music with explicit lyrics.
It's called parental responsibilty, maybe people should try it and quit blaming other people there shortcomings as parents.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Kids & Porn
The computer needs to be in the same room with mommy and daddy so that little Willie can not wank to shemale porn.
Mommy and daddy are the ones that are responsible for little Willies well being.
The purveyors of fine filth need not tell anyone how to run there lives.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
porn and children
it comes back to parental-control.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Exessive Porn Would Do The Trick.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Exessive Porn Would Do The Trick.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Shelter Them From The World
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
regulate your children
end of discussion
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Another stupid fix for a complicated problem
Do we really think this guy cares about kids? er I mean "future stars"? Puhleez.
As far as parental control goes; in theory great, in practice...well? The bottom line is that the majority of parents control their kids about as much as they control themselves; can you spell OBESITY? No? have a snack and think about it.
Wouldn't it be great if filtering software worked?
Wouldn't it be great if there was a way to ensure that all children would be kept out of harms way in every area?
I love the whole freedom of speech "don't censor me" angle. I'm sure George Washington would have thought it less than average not to have some requirement, say like a credit card, to view porn. If that is censorship then let the anarchy begin..uh I mean continue.
Let's be honest the society that we live in today doesn't care enough to act and doesn't have the resources to fight one of the most lucrative business sectors in the world.
Short of disconnecting from the society as a whole the nations kids will be exposed to the ways of the world.
If your counting on Congress and the President and the Court, take luck and care.
Light into the darkness if you really must know... ;)
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Not Just Porn.
Even worse though, how about those fanatical religous sites like Christian Catholic or Protestant sites or those evil Mormons which can brain wash kids. Awful!
(It's the parents who need to set controls on the PC if they want to bubble wrap their kids from the real world.)
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Not Just Porn.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Stop blaming others...
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Misplaced Blame
There are commands that can be embeded into the website to keep the spiders out. but every search engine has different commands to stop thier spiders.
The porn company can do more to stop the problem. but so can the search engines.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
But yet, I still managed to find a suitable collection of porn :O
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Porn? Oh no...stop me now.
Children want to see porn here because it is forbidden. Just like anything else we "forbid". There is more teenage drinking, and more teenage pregnancy in the United States then in most countries in Europe because it's considered taboo & forbidden practices. In Europe kids are allowed to drink wine once in a while with dinner, and they do see advertisements with naked people on a regular basis. Our laws are actually "hurting" children more, and what's worse - people's attitude change because of these stupid laws, and what they thought was "normal" is now "wrong. Argh. Europeans are not used to these ridiculous laws - read this:
In the United States, the teen pregnancy rate is more than nine times higher than that in the Netherlands, nearly four times higher than the rate in France, and nearly five times higher than that in Germany.
In the United States, the teen birth rate is nearly 11 times higher than that of the Netherlands, nearly five times higher than the rate in France, and nearly four times higher than that in Germany.
In the United States, the teen abortion rate is nearly eight times higher than the rate in Germany, nearly seven times higher than that in the Netherlands, and nearly three times higher than the rate in France.
Countries that have started to make these "no porn for kids", and severe punishments for underage alcohol abuse have seen their rates go up. For example UK is one of the highest in Europe - but it's still not as bad as the US. There are 13% more teenages in the US that are having sex under the age of 18 then UK.
The bottom line is. Get over it. The more of a big deal you make, the worse the problem actually is. It's just like when you have a baby and he/she falls down. If they see you reacting "oh my god, are you ok...", and worried they will start crying, but if you just pick them up and don't sound worried they will go on playing.
Change your attitude people!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Of course people could get around it and it wouldn't be perfect, but I should have the option.
Google or Yahoo doesn't need to know if it's an adult if it's a selectable option. Adults or children should be able to select areas (i.e. categories) they want searched or not searched. To restate my above post, if I want medical info on "breast" I shouldn't get porn sites or If want porn sites I shouldn't get medical sites. In the end the winning search engine will help me focus my search and remove content I don't want.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Parents
Quit having kids and not taking part in their lives or raising them. Start being involved instead of plopping them in front of the TV, when I was a kid, or the computer, now if you are a kid.
If you have the gumption to have a child. Do us all a favor and take care of the little child. Don't dump it in front of a piece of technology and decide that no one can have access to, or condem makers of entertainment for your own child's issues that were exacerbated by the parents lack of parenting.
The US is absolutely insane in this respect. Laws are re-written and bad feelings are given to supposed distasteful media makers when it is found a child watched or saw a naked person on television or the Internet. But NO ONE has the common sense to note or ask "WHERE WERE THE PARENTS?" or "WHY DIDN'T THE PARENTS ADVISE OR TEACH THEIR CHILDREN NOT TO GO TO CERTAIN PLACES?"
No it is easier to shift the blame elsewhere.
If you have a kid fess up to your responsibility for raising the child, instead of making society raise your child for you then complaining.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
PEOPLE, TAKE RESPONSABILIRT FOR YOUR OWN KIDS!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
That's the only issue and that is what the porn exec was saying. He is selling legal sex (as is Coke, Miller and every other business) and if Google and Yahoo would help, parents (or anyone for that matter) could filter out what they don't want to see.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
I think they are rather providing information about the content. "This site matches your search terms in this context, and it's located here."
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
The problem is not the technology, the problem is with adult responsibility, or lack thereof. If anybody here is to blame, it is the parents, and possibly the school teachers or other adults responsible for the children's well-being. The more technology rules our lives, the more we want to blame it or the people behind it for all our problems.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Never made sense to me....
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
If you do much with I.T. I'm sure you have seen WebSense or some other type of content filter. Why shouldn't a good search engine give me the same ability as a home users?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
I have three children...
I do not think that they should outlaw steak because a baby can't eat it. I like steak.
And I like the Internet, television, and radio equivalents to steak.
Just sayin' that it's MY job to protect my children. Not the FCCs job, or Google's job, or anyone else's except MINE.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Also...
People whom are offended by it should not attempt to curtail the freedom of others. They should lobby for things like the extensions mentioned above, to make it easier to filter your own Internet experience, without bothering anyone else.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
The porn industry is paying big bucks to find NEW customers. I believe that adding a filter will only make the porn creators find a way around it.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]