What Citizens Can Do About Obscenity?

Although the prevalence of obscenity is daunting, citizens can assist themselves and the government in fighting obscenity in several ways:

• Protect children online
  
  The Justice Department supports the development and use of appropriate tools to allow parents and children choice in what they view and not view online. A variety of commercially available software "filter" programs can be used to prevent access to World Wide Web sites containing pornographic or otherwise offensive content. In addition, the Administration has strongly encouraged the software industry and others in the online community to continue to develop content ratings systems, ratings-compatible Web browser programs, and other technical solutions. These methods promote individual choice and simplify the task of parents and others who wish to screen out offensive material.
  
  Some online resources for protecting your children:
  
  
  • FBI Parent's Guide to Internet Safety: http://www.fbi.gov/publications/pguide/pguide.htm
    
    
  • National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, NetSmartz workshop: http://www.netsmartz.org/flash/index.html
    
    
  • Guide to Internet safety by Enough is Enough (non-profit organization): http://www.protectkids.com/parentsafety/
    
    
    
• Report obscenity
  
  • Online obscenity
    
    The nonprofit organization, Morality In Media, operates a website, www.obscenitycrimes.org, which provides an online form that can be used to report obscenity encountered either on a website or in an e-mail. This form can also be used to report the use of a misleading domain name to trick Internet users to visit an obscene website.
    
    
  • Broadcast obscenity
    
    The Federal Communication Commission regulates both obscene and indecent programming broadcast over radio and television (including cable television). Citizens can report complaints about obscenity and indecency to the FCC directly: http://www.fcc.gov/eb/broadcast/obscind.html.
    
    
  • Obscenity sent through the United States Postal Service
    To stop delivery of unsolicited sexually oriented advertising in the U.S. Mails, you may contact your local post office, or for more information, click onto the U.S. Postal Inspection Service website at http://www.usps.com/postalinspectors/.
    

• More information on: Obscenity Background
• More information on: Federal Child Obscenity Statutes
• More information on: Obsenity on the Internet

U.S. Department of Justice, Criminal Division ° Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS)
1400 New York Avenue, 6th Floor ° Washington, D.C. 20530

Legal Policies | Privacy Policy | Criminal Division Home Page | DOJ Home Page