https://c4osl.org/pornography-harm-and-the-limits-of-the-law/
"Mick Moran, chief executive of the Irish Internet Hotline and a board member
of INHOPE, the international association of internet reporting hotlines, argued
recently in the
Irish Examiner that “‘ordinary’ porn is now a gateway to
child sex abuse material”. Recommendation systems, he writes, feed an appetite
for novelty and taboo until some viewers cross from adult pornography into
recordings of children being abused.
What Moran wants restricted is pornography that sexualises youth, and the
algorithms he believes drive viewers towards it. He stops well short of calling
for a general ban. But once the argument is on the table, it is hard to see
where it stops. If pornography that is otherwise lawful can be prohibited
because some of its viewers might later go looking for abuse material, then
neither the consent of the performers nor the absence of any abuse in its
making is enough to protect it.
The United Kingdom has already run with that logic. Alongside measures aimed at
depictions of strangulation, commonly called choking, the government announced
in April that it would restrict incest-themed pornography and ageplay, meaning
adults role-playing as children. The announced penalties run to five years in
prison for publication and three for possession.
Measures like these are sold as protection for women and children. But among
the first people to feel their weight are women who write erotic fiction and
queer filmmakers, whose work is already being criminalised or quietly
withdrawn. Their experience shows how easily child protection policy turns into
the regulation of sexual expression between adults."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
