Online pornography: ISPs' liability and related legal problems

Since the late 1990s, the Internet has experienced phenomenal growth, and pornography has grown exponentially along with it causing concern over the exposure of children to this type of material. The advent of the Internet has also caused an increase in the range, volume and accessibility of child pornography. This situation has led to the question of the liability of Internet service providers with regard to that material insofar as these service providers enable users to access the Internet and therefore have an important role to play in the enforcement of pornographic content regulation on the Internet. The liability of Internet service providers in this book is envisaged at two levels: liability for possession or distribution of child pornography and liability for enabling minors to access legal adult pornography and related legal problems. A comparative analysis is conducted in that regard in three main jurisdictions: the United States, the United Kingdom and South Africa. Issues addressed in this book should benefit not only internet services providers and policymakers, but also law enforcement officers, researchers, lawyers, judges and parents.