Leading pornographer lecturing Google & Yahoo about cleaning up online porn

by on February 15, 2008 · 9 comments

So here we have one of the world’s leading pornographers lecturing Google & Yahoo about doing more to protect kids for online porn. Just bizarre. Next thing you know, Larry Flynt and Hugh Hefner will be lecturing pay TV operators for not doing enough to stop people from viewing adult VOD channels!

But before Mr. Hirsch makes silly statements like “None of the search engines and portals, but particularly Yahoo and Google, has taken any significant steps” to keep children from viewing online pornography, perhaps he should click on the “Safe Search” buttons on each of those sites to see what each search provider already offers. As I pointed out in my book on “Parental Controls & Online Child Protection,” those safe search tools are surprisingly effective in rooting out most of that porn that Mr. Hirsch and his colleagues produce.

Update: Harold Feld and I often clash on issues, but he’s an incredibly gifted writer and it shows in this absolutely hilarious response to the Hirsch episode. The first paragraph is just priceless:

Every now and then, hypocrisy reaches a level of such cognitive dissonance that it approaches the level of art — or perhaps really low humor. Such is the case of Vivid Entertainment co-founder Steven Hirsch, who recently expressed his deep concern that Google, Yahoo! and other search engines may expose children to porn. Hirsch called on search engines to “erect strong barriers” to children finding pornography. No doubt he also offered to “increase the size of their filtering package” so that their defenses against “naked porn stars and exxxplicit sex acts” could be “rock hard.” Sadly, his personal emails to Eric Schmidt and Jerry Yang on the subject keep getting caught in their spam filters.

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About Adam Thierer

Adam Thierer is a senior research fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. He previously served as President of The Progress & Freedom Foundation, as Director of Telecommunications Studies at the Cato Institute, and as a Fellow in Economic Policy at the Heritage Foundation. He is the author or editor of six books on technology and media policy and also writes a weekly column for Forbes called "Technologies of Freedom." Thierer earned his bachelor's degree in political science and journalism at Indiana University and received his master's degree in international business management and trade theory at the University of Maryland. His passions in life (besides technology and liberty, of course) are fast cars, fine cigars, and good beer.

Read more articles by Adam Thierer.

  • http://www2.blogger.com/profile/14380731108416527657 Steve R.

    Mr. Hirsch comments reflect one of the things wrong with our society, it is always someone else’s responsibly to solve your concerns. Over at TechDirt, I wrote: “1. We have an endless stream of “demands” by persons/corporations that some third party must do “something” to stop the “public” from doing something “bad”. This is absurd. There is absolutely no logical rationale for EntityA to demand that EntityB stop EntityC from doing an activity that EntityA does not like! Due process anyone.

    1. Security for websites is in some regards unobtainable. How is the website to know if the user is some 13 year old, someone who is 46, or even a pedophile? There is no way to really know.”
  • http://www2.blogger.com/profile/14380731108416527657 Steve R.

    Mr. Hirsch comments reflect one of the things wrong with our society, it is always someone else’s responsibly to solve your concerns. Over at TechDirt, I wrote:
    “1. We have an endless stream of “demands” by persons/corporations that some third party must do “something” to stop the “public” from doing something “bad”. This is absurd. There is absolutely no logical rationale for EntityA to demand that EntityB stop EntityC from doing an activity that EntityA does not like! Due process anyone.

    2. Security for websites is in some regards unobtainable. How is the website to know if the user is some 13 year old, someone who is 46, or even a pedophile? There is no way to really know.”

  • http://enigmafoundry.wordpress.com/ enigma_foundry

    Of course, this is all so silly. Do parents have a responsibility? Who let’s their children have access to a computer without filters?

    An interest phenomena that I had noted is that there is also the reverse of what Adam describes. So not only do we have pornographers asking for stronger protection from their content, but there is also the interesting process of conservative so-called “pro-family” groups distributing information (and photos!) of a major S&M event. How weird is that?

    “Apparently, in a rather weird twist of events, a group of ultra-conservative Catholics and an organization known as the “American Family Association” (AFA) are both upset because one of the largest leather events, the Folsom Street Fair, isn’t getting enough publicity. So, like the good conservatives they are, they go and spread the news of the Folsom Street Fair, so it will get as much publicity as possible. They even post pictures of the event on their website (”for verification purposes only” of course!) You can’t make this stuff up!”

    More at: Warning links to pronographic websites run by conservative pro-family groups

  • http://enigmafoundry.wordpress.com eee_eff

    Of course, this is all so silly. Do parents have a responsibility? Who let’s their children have access to a computer without filters?

    An interest phenomena that I had noted is that there is also the reverse of what Adam describes. So not only do we have pornographers asking for stronger protection from their content, but there is also the interesting process of conservative so-called “pro-family” groups distributing information (and photos!) of a major S&M; event. How weird is that?

    “Apparently, in a rather weird twist of events, a group of ultra-conservative Catholics and an organization known as the “American Family Association” (AFA) are both upset because one of the largest leather events, the Folsom Street Fair, isn’t getting enough publicity. So, like the good conservatives they are, they go and spread the news of the Folsom Street Fair, so it will get as much publicity as possible. They even post pictures of the event on their website (”for verification purposes only” of course!) You can’t make this stuff up!”

    More at: Warning links to pronographic websites run by conservative pro-family groups

  • http://progressivevisualarts.com Michael Godey

    There has always been a limit to the freedom of expression. Yahoo violates that limit. Sexual acts in public (which spaming is)are one. Child abuse is another. While we have the right to freely express our views of the universe and political views, yes even if socialist or communist we are not “free” to to to allow what yahoo promotes. I do not agree selling porn or the political or religious views of the American Family Assoc. I do know they have a right to them, but when it comes to what yahoo promotes in sex and children like other dangerious crimes they need to be stopped. A free society will only be reached when men have the ethics to act freely.

  • http://progressivevisualarts.com Michael Godey

    There has always been a limit to the freedom of expression. Yahoo violates that limit. Sexual acts in public (which spaming is)are one. Child abuse is another. While we have the right to freely express our views of the universe and political views, yes even if socialist or communist we are not “free” to to to allow what yahoo promotes. I do not agree selling porn or the political or religious views of the American Family Assoc. I do know they have a right to them, but when it comes to what yahoo promotes in sex and children like other dangerious crimes they need to be stopped. A free society will only be reached when men have the ethics to act freely.

  • http://milwaukeeclean.com Milwaukee Carpet Cleaners

    It's like Blackwater being critical of using hired mercenaries in foreign wars.

  • http://milwaukeeclean.com Milwaukee Carpet Cleaners

    It's like Blackwater being critical of using hired mercenaries in foreign wars.

  • http://milwaukeeclean.com Milwaukee Carpet Cleaners

    It's like Blackwater being critical of using hired mercenaries in foreign wars.

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