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How rampant is online child pornography?
20,000 new images are uploaded online each week.
How big a business is online child pornography?
There are 100,000 websites that offer child pornography.
The numbers are staggering.
20,000 NEW images each week. 100,000 plus websites.
Child pornography has exploded in the past two decades, due in large part to the Internet. Child pornography has found a welcome home on the Internet, and is in truth a multi-billion dollar online industry, and is one of the fastest growing online businesses. Indeed, the Internet has allowed child pornography to grow as an industry, as it helps to escalate an already troubling crime. To be sure, if one wants to find child pornography online, it is in truth, easily available and accessible. Not only is it easily accessible, the user can do so with a great deal of anonymity, and with little to no precautions.
With computer and online technology, pedophiles are able to gain access to a vast number of child pornography images, all from instantly clicking a button. Disturbingly, there are 116,000 Internet searches for child pornography each day. In addition, this access can be done in a secretive and private fashion, and can be directed to others in an inexpensive manner, through emails, social networking, websites, and downloading. Along with this, pictures, videos, images, and sounds of child pornography can be accessed online, with emails, chat rooms, and websites, and with even the potential of real-time and interactive experiences, with webcams, video chat rooms, and through social networking. As these images are delivered through digital means, the pictures and images do not deteriorate with time, and can be shared with others time and time again.
Indeed, with the lack of regulations, along with the difference in legislations across the globe, it is extremely difficult to monitor and even police online child pornography. Experienced computer users can navigate and maneuver online with little worry of being caught. Furthermore, child predators are able to target children online through a variety of means, luring them into a dark world of online activities, and eventually forming relationships with them, all in an attempt to exploit them. Whether it is through social media, chat rooms, email, or instant messaging, these online predators are often able to persuade their child victims to send naked and nude images of themselves, with the images eventually ending up online, for the entire world to see. Whatever form of communication they might use, these child predators are after your children, and their images.
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Photo credit: Getty Images
