See no evil

Jo Ann di Filippo's 'Pornography on the Web' discusses the birth and growth of the adult entertainment industry online. The topic of pornography is obviously fraught with tension and emotion, and I find myself identifying with so many different views on the subject.


It is very hard to look at a picture of a woman's body and not see it with the perception that her body is being exploited. - Andrea Dworkin, 1981

This school of thought emphasizes the danger and negative effects of pornography made for men. The notion of the 'male gaze' becoming truly ingrained into the fabric of our society is seen as oppressive and damaging. (Q. Pornography that depicts violence or degradation is somewhat 'easy' to classify as being exploitative, but what about when both parties are both fully aware, informed, consenting and equal?)

Pornography is part of a healthy free flow of information about sex. This is information our society badly needs. It is a freedom women need. A woman's body, a woman's right. - Wendy WcElroy, 1995

This approach emphasizes the need for freedom of speech, expression and sexual identity. More information and depictions about sex dispel the taboo and allow women to explore their sexual selves and sexual liberation. (Q. Pornography that depicts two aware, informed, consenting and equal partners may be somewhat 'easy' to classify as liberated or empowering, but what about pornography that depicts violence and degradation?)

(A. There is no answer. Both sides of the argument have very valid points, and I strongly agree with both, if thats possible!)

For me, as a law/media student, one of the most interesting (and horrifying) issues related to online pornography is the issue of invasion of privacy and exploitation through images or films produced without the subject's consent and/or knowledge. The recent spate of 'upskirt' photographs taken with mobile phone cameras, cameras hidden in toilet stalls, and the use of CCTV cameras to focus in on women's breasts are all examples of this new 'trend' (and all have happened in Brisbane in the last four years: at a football game; a Brisbane law firm and the Queen Street Mall respectively).
The truly horrifying part (other than the violation/invasion of privacy / embarassment / humiliation) is that these images and films can so easily be uploaded to a computer and quick-as-a-flash distributed to the world at large. So far, legislators have found it incredibly difficult to create effective laws, and even if they succeed, enforcing them will pose many problems. And really, once the offence is committed and your image is on the net, there can be no retraction - the damage is well and truly done.
This is admittedly a side issue of the internet-pornography discussion, however it does illustrate that the enormous potential of the internet can be used for 'bad' just as much as for 'good'. I hope that legislators do not turn a blind eye to this type of offence just because it may seem 'too hard' to enforce/police/monitor, and it will be interesting to see if the law can catch up with society. And the criminals.