Recommended: Click here to run a Free driver update scan »
Prince was responding to a recent study forecasting $12.6 billion in revenue for theadult entertainment industry this year. "One of the porn industryÂ's major marketingtools for making that enormous profit is e-mail," noted Prince. "And many of thee-mails they send are hitting the in-boxes of children and teens."
Prince has already helped two states, Michigan and Utah, implement Child ProtectionRegistry laws that empower parents to block e-mail addresses their children accessfrom receiving adult-oriented emails. "
Since the laws went into effect in 2005, thousands of parents have registered e-mailaddresses they wish to be protected from pornography and adult materials. Scores ofpublic and private schools have also registered their school domains to block adultadvertisements from classrooms.
While many of the companies sending pornographic e-mails initially complied with thelaws in the two states, in mid-November the Free Speech Coalition, an organizationrepresenting the adult entertainment industry, filed suit in Utah challenging, inpart, that the stateÂ's Child Protection Registry law violates the ConstitutionÂ'sfree speech guarantee.
Prince said that argument is not likely to hold up in court. "The argument that thislaw is somehow infringing on the free speech rights of legitimate e-mail marketersis absurd," said Prince. "This is a reasonable effort to protect minors frommaterials society has always deemed harmful to kids. The senders are not barred fromsending their e-mails to adults -- just those addresses registered as accessible tochildren."
Prince noted that statistics show the problem of children accessing or receivingporn online is significant. "One study found that 80 percent of minors using e-mailregularly receive inappropriate e-mails," he said. "Another survey found thatbetween 20 and 30 percent of visitors to pornographic websites are under the age of18."
What do parents think about the problem? "Our own study found that 87 percent ofparents are concerned about their children receiving inappropriate e-mails," hesaid. "And an overwhelming 96 percent think they should have the ability to blocktheir childrenÂ's e-mail addresses from receiving pornographic content."
For more information on the Child Protection Registry laws in place in Utah andMichigan, visit www.UtahKidsRegistry.com and https://www.ProtectMIChild.com .
For more on UnspamÂ's efforts to help states implement Child Protection Registries,visit www.unspam.com.
To find out what the Free Speech Coalition is up to and how it representspornographers and others in the "adult entertainment industry," log on towww.freespeechcoalition.com .
