Child pornography

The term child pornography (sometimes referred to as kiddie porn) generally refers to pornography featuring a child; however, the precise definition of "pornography" and "child" varies by region and country. It is widely prohibited by law, and faces the disapproval of most members of society.

Social perception

There is a strong negative stigma associated with child pornography; most people don't want to be perceived as defending it. At times, legal photographs and art have been attacked on the grounds that they might be child porn. Although the number of such incidents is small, they arguably have had a "chilling effect" on legal expression.

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In the late 1970s Jacqueline Livingston, a photography professor at Cornell University, was accused of child pornography. She wrote: "I was scorned by my friends, accused of child pornography and fired from my teaching job after exhibiting photographs of my son, my husband and my father in law in the nude." (14850 magazine, March 1994).

Related Topics:
Jacqueline Livingston - Cornell University - 14850 magazine

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A US couple were indicted for the production and possession of child pornography after a photo store clerk reported "suspicious" pictures containing images of the mother breast-feeding her child. http://dallasobserver.com/issues/2003-04-17/feature2.html/1/index.html A teenager, who made photos of herself (involving nudity and sexual activity) and sent them to people she met in chat rooms, was charged with sexual abuse of children, possession and dissemination of child pornography. http://www.post-gazette.com/breaking/20040329pornp6.asp.

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An anti-piracy hologram on the Windows 95 box had an animation of a baby sitting next to a computer and then pointing to the computer where the Windows 95 logo appeared. The model, who was the infant son of the photographer, wasn't wearing a shirt, which led some people to the belief that he wasn't wearing pants either, even though he was visible only from the waist up. After government complaints, Microsoft had to change the hologram to one that didn't feature "naked children". http://weblogs.asp.net/oldnewthing/archive/2003/08/25/54700.aspx

Related Topics:
Hologram - Windows 95

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An Australian local council in New South Wales decided to ban photography on certain council-owned property under the pretext that photographs of children at school events could "fall in to the wrong hands". Parents were advised that, in order for them to obtain photographs of their own children at such events, they would have to pay for official photographs. http://seven.com.au/todaytonight/story/?id=19185

Related Topics:
Australian - New South Wales

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