Illegal Subjects on the Web

The first amendment promised Americans freedom of speech decades ago.  However, our forefathers could have never fathomed a society as technologically advanced as the we are today.  Censorship laws were once a controversial issue but many have now been resolved.  Laws have been passed and enforced and citizens are aware of their rights and freedoms.  Then came the Internet and threw the stability into chaos once more.  Although there are hundreds of subjects under controversy, very few subjects on the Internet are actually prosecutable by law.   Child pornography is the largest illegal subject on the Internet today.  An estimated 100,000 Web sites still exist today that sell child pornography.  The Internet has given violators wider and easier access to market videotapes and pictures portraying child pornography.  It has increased the speed at which these products can be transferred as well as improved anonymity, making it even harder to track violators. 

One of the most recent child pornography busts, called 'Operation Blue Orchid,' went down in May of 2000.  The Blue Orchid Website, operated by two Russians, was involved in various types of child pornography.  A tip led to the confiscation of 400 videotapes, video duplication equipment, and sales and shipping records related to the creation and sale of child pornography.  The police linked the United States side of the operation to an Indiana man who was also later arrested.  Customers would wire cash and then email delivery instructions to the distributor.  Videotapes ran about $200-$300 per tape most of which were ordered from the United States. [2]

Other illegal sites include sites infringing copyright laws.  For example, advocating and contributing to software piracy, including music, are punishable by law.  Sites making death threats are also illegal in the United States.