Utah group is working on porn legislation

Q & A

Matthew Yarro is vice president of marketing for The CP80 Foundation, a Utah-based nonprofit organization dedicated to creating a more responsible and manageable Internet. It is currently working on new legislation that would require all pornographic material on the Internet to use its own set of adult Internet channels (or ports). It also suggests the creation of private-cause-of-action laws that would allow citizens to sue pornographers who violate their rights.

QUESTION: Your organization, The CP80 Foundation, has developed an idea that you believe could protect kids from exposure to graphic content on the Internet. Could you outline how it would work?

ANSWER: The CP80 Foundation has developed several solutions to solve the Internet pornography problem. Some solutions are intended to help individuals and parents; others are intended to be implemented at the state level, federal level and even worldwide. The initiatives include zoning the Internet (Internet channel initiative), empowering worldwide Internet governance, IP address blocking, managing wireless networks, a family-friendly ISP seal of approval and other education programs. For more details on each, please check out our Web site at CP80.org.

QUESTION: Who would determine what content goes on the family port and what goes on the adult port? Where would your organization draw that line?

ANSWER: The CP80 Foundation would not be responsible for determining "the line."

There are several widely accepted social standards that the general public uses every day to determine whether content is appropriate for themselves and their families, including the movie, television, video-game and music-industry rating systems.

All these systems include a distinct line between content that is appropriate for minors and content that is not: the "R," "NC-17," "TV-MA," "Mature," "Adults-Only" and "Parental Advisory" ratings are all for content that is not appropriate for a minor.

QUESTION: Some critics of pornography, such as Dr. Judith Reisman, are critical of your approach because it would not stop people from distributing what most believe to be an addictive substance. Why not go after pornography instead of simply trying to isolate it?

ANSWER: It is outrageous that our society limits access to adult content in all other media but does not on the Internet. A child cannot enter a theater and watch an "R" or "NC-17" movie, purchase a "Mature" or "Adults-Only" video game, or rent a XXX hardcore porn video, but he can access the Internet and surf all the pornography he wants! It is a harmful and a ridiculous situation that needs to be addressed. If we could only apply these familiar social standards to the Internet today, it would become a safer and more productive environment overnight.

The CP80 Foundation is a strong supporter of free speech and individual rights. And although we believe that pornography is harmful, damaging and addictive to individuals, families, communities and nations, we also believe that individuals have the right to express themselves within the limits of the laws of their countries. Unfortunately, this freedom does allow some individuals to create, distribute and view legal pornography.

Eradicating pornography is an educational and organizational issue. An outright governmental ban will never be effective; however, when people realize the harm that Internet pornography can cause to themselves, their families and their communities -- and have the tools to properly manage it -- I think you will see a substantial reduction in the use of pornography.

QUESTION: The Utah Legislature this year passed a resolution urging Congress to get serious about protecting kids from unregulated pornography. To some, Congress has been dragging its feet on this issue. Do you agree? If so, why do you believe this is the case?

ANSWER: Internet pornography has become an epidemic. We refer to it as a porndemic. Due to a lack of leadership, accountability and understanding by some individuals in positions of responsibility, the problem continues to grow.

There are certainly those individuals who are hesitant to take action -- but there are also individuals who are truly interested in effecting change. As the number of people who are interested in taking appropriate action against Internet pornography increases, so will the pressure on legislators to do something, to take action. That is why it is so important for citizens to become active and voice their opinions. The CP80 Foundation hopes to create informed decision-makers and help them connect with their elected representatives.

QUESTION: The United States Supreme Court, in shooting down the Child Online Protection Act three years ago, said filters and not changes in law provide a "less restrictive" way to keep Internet porn out of kids' hands. Do filters work?

ANSWER: Currently, filters are not an effective solution for blocking Internet pornography. A filter works really well for an individual who is not looking for it; however, if an individual wants to find Internet pornography, if he is actively looking for it, a filter amounts to little less than a speed bump. Parents, spouses and business owners really need to understand the limitation of the filter they are deploying.

QUESTION: Does porn deserve First Amendment protection?

ANSWER: "Pornography" is a fairly broad term, encompassing everything from content that is merely sexually suggestive to truly dark, disturbing and illegal content. Some forms of pornography are currently "legal" and other forms are not.

I think what is important is creating safe and healthy families and communities that can appreciate the dangers of pornography and can uphold the types of moral standards that build a strong nation.

QUESTION: Earlier this year, Democrats Max Baucus of Montana and Mark Pryor of Arkansas introduced the Cyber Safety for Kids Act in Congress. The bill would compel adult sites to install an electronic filtering flag and compel these sites to ask visitors to enter a date of birth before entering. The bill would not, however, compel these sites to validate that date of birth. Would this be, as Baucus said, "a step in the right direction"?

ANSWER: We applaud them for raising the level of awareness concerning the problem. Unfortunately, solving the Internet pornography problem is far more complex than that solution would be capable of solving.

QUESTION: You said in an April 20, 2006, news release that pornography can ruin people's lives "and possibly even kill them." Could you elaborate?

ANSWER: Pornography can be lethal for a number of different reasons. The most obvious is due to a sexually related murder. Ted Bundy is an excellent example of this tragedy. He admitted that his deviant and deadly lifestyle all started with pornography abuse. And there are others examples of this type of tragedy:

Another unfortunate situation resulting in death that seems to occur frequently is an individual committing suicide once his addiction is exposed. This article, www.cbc.ca/world/story/2006/03/14

/landslide-porn060314.html, discusses an indirect and tragic result of using/associating with pornography, which eventually led to several suicides.

QUESTION: A host of recent research indicates that viewing pornographic images can have detrimental effects on viewers. Under your plan, these images would still be available. Would you advocate placing warning labels on this adult content similar to those on tobacco and alcoholic beverages?

ANSWER: One of the most effective and easiest steps an individual, family, community, state and nation can take to manage Internet pornography is to stop treating the Internet like it's family-friendly, because it's not. Today, the Internet is an adults-only playground. And people need to start treating it as they would any content or substance that is meant for a mature audience.

By changing our attitudes about the Internet, we can also change how cautious we are when we are using it.

Would you leave a hardcore porn DVD lying around your home for your children to use and view? If you have an open Internet connection in your home, that is basically what you are doing.