Search history: Examining pornography on the Internet
Gender IT, Namita Malhotra
The author examines the phenomenon of pornography especially with respect to its burgeoning expansion on the Internet. She traces the development of pornography through the ages, and the fact that each new communication medium has provided newer challenges in the censorship and control of such information. Sexually explicit depiction of women has often had links with the rise of crimes against the gender, and the Internet has exacerbated the problem to a whole new dimension. The author emphasises the need for a detailed study of this problem, and a review of the archaic laws that still exist in this space. Draconian censorship is definitely not the answer and will lead to governments using this as a stick to beat the freedom of speech and expression. While women's groups have long led the campaign for regulation of pornography, they have to tread more carefully and come up with more wide-ranging ideas and involve people in a dialogue to address this grave issue.