Morality in Media Launches OBSCENITYCRIMES.ORG, A Tool For Citizens Who Want To Fight Back Against Harcore Pornography on the Internet

Morality in Media's new OBSCENITYCRIMES.ORG Web site lets people report possible violations of federal laws that prohibit the distribution of obscene materials ("hardcore pornography") on the Internet.

NEW YORK (PRWEB) August 1, 2002 -- Morality in Media has launched OBSCENITYCRIMES.ORG, a new Web site where people can report possible violations of federal laws that prohibit the distribution of obscene materials ("hardcore pornography") on the Internet.

MIM will forward such reports to the appropriate United States Attorney and to the Justice Department's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section in Washington for investigation and possible prosecution.

MIM President Robert Peters commented that, "The ObscenityCrimes.org Web site shortens the distance between citizens, whose homes and places of business have been invaded by Internet obscenity, and federal prosecutors, who have the responsibility to enforce federal Internet obscenity laws."

Visitors to the site begin the reporting process by clicking on the button "Make a Report," which takes them to the ObscenityCrimes.org Report Form. To complete the form, visitors must give their name, address and county of residence, and provide the Internet "address" (URL) of the offending site. They may describe the hardcore material by selecting words or phrases in a multiple-choice list provided by Morality in Media. They need not identify their United States Attorney; MIM adds that information. The Report Form does not accuse anyone of a crime. It simply asks the U.S. Attorney to investigate for possible violations of Internet obscenity laws.

Mr. Peters noted that, "With growing public concern about Internet pornography and an administration in Washington that supports obscenity law enforcement, the launch of the ObscenityCrimes.org Web site is timely. Every citizen concerned about the explosion of obscenity on the Internet should bookmark ObscenityCrimes.org on their Web browsers."

Visitors to Morality in Media's OBSCENITYCRIMES.ORG site who want to report child pornography or other sexual exploitation of children, rather than hardcore adult pornography, will be referred to the CyberTipline Web site operated by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Mr. Peters said that, "For almost ten years, there has been almost no enforcement of federal obscenity laws against commercial distributors of hardcore pornography. As a result, the Internet is now saturated with Web sites peddling this material. Frequently, it is even pushed into people's faces through 'porn spam' e-mails and so-called 'mouse-trapping.'

"Internet pornographers have created an environment where millions of Americans have been assaulted by hardcore pornography in their homes and at their jobs and are shocked to see how easy it is for even children to access these vile materials.

"Those who profit from the sale of obscene materials would have us believe that this material is - or should be - protected by the First Amendment, but as the Supreme Court said in the 1973 California v. Miller obscenity case:

   "This much has been categorically settled by the Court that obscene material is unprotected by the First Amendment...[T]o equate the free and robust exchange of ideas and political debate with commercial exploitation of obscene material demeans the grand conception of the First Amendment...It is a 'misuse of the great guarantees of free speech and free press.'"

Mr. Peters added, "Internet pornographers would also have us believe that because there is so much obscene material on the Internet, everyone must either be viewing it or be unconcerned about it. They overlook a number of things - including the fact that much if not most hardcore pornography is consumed by a small percentage of men addicted to it. Availability of hardcore pornography does not equate to community acceptance of it.

"In a national opinion poll conducted for Morality in Media in March by the Wirthlin Worldwide market research firm, 81% of Americans said they supported vigorous enforcement of federal laws against Internet obscenity. Now, citizens have a simple way to bring reports of possible violations of Internet obscenity laws to their U.S. Attorneys and to the Justice Department in Washington - ObscenityCrimes.org."

At OBSCENITYCRIMES.ORG, visitors also can:

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