- Related Stories
-
Anime meets iPod
November 14, 2005 -
iPod Nano now comes with case
November 11, 2005 -
New iPods make some add-ons yesterday's hits
October 24, 2005 -
Video iPod gets a little steamier
October 20, 2005 -
An iPod worth keeping an eye on
October 19, 2005 -
XXX, on a small screen near you
December 30, 2004 -
Playboy's free come-on turns iPod into iBod
December 17, 2004
Now, with new video capability on Apple Computer's iPods, pornography may push the envelope of video content available on digital content players. Of course, this development presents some issues.
It is tough enough already for parents to monitor the Internet viewing habits of their children. Many parents have home computers located in a central place, such as the living room, so that they can be sure that their children are accessing only age-appropriate content.
However, the ability of parents to monitor is seriously undermined if their children quickly can download adult content onto their iPods and then take it away from the home for easy viewing elsewhere.
Employers often undertake vigorous efforts to monitor and ensure that only work-related and otherwise appropriate content is viewed by employees in the workplace. Many employers insist that the only computers accessible in the workplace are those that belong to the employers precisely so the employers can monitor for proper content viewing.
Yet, iPods are becoming so ubiquitous and are so small, they are an easy vehicle for bringing pornography into the workplace. Employees discreetly could try to view pornography away from the watch of others. By engaging in such behavior, they often could be distracted from their true work functions, and problematically, they might contribute to an inappropriate and potentially hostile work environment to the extent the iPod porn is seen by others.
So, what are we to do?
As video makes its way onto iPods, parents can and should let their children know that they periodically will check their kids? iPods to see what video content has been downloaded. They also should check on filters that are being developed to prevent adult content from being downloaded onto iPods. Cybersitter, for example, reportedly is researching the process needed to filter pornography video content from iPods.
To the extent adult video content becomes a true iPod phenomenon, employers obviously should ban employees from viewing such content in the workplace. If that does not get the job done, employers should consider banning iPod video use in the workplace.
The Internet and handheld devices of various types bring all of us and all types of content closer together. Of course, this has many beneficial effects. Some may argue that viewing pornography on iPods is a positive development for interested adults. Without debating that issue, the truth remains that iPod porn must be dealt with at home and at the office.
Biography
See more CNET content tagged:
porn, employer, workplace, digital content, parent
As a systems administrator it pains me to know that I now have to deal with yet another venue by which inappropriate material can be brought into the workplace. This means more work for me.
So, in fact, Mr. Sinrod is not speculating.
paint iPod users as potential porno lovers. So next time, after
reading this idiosyncrasy, we see somebody with iPod at work
we will definately remember that arcticle and suspect him or her
as porno watcher. This is how human brains works. Than several
news outlets repeats it because of CNET populariry. Wonderful.
Why don't you mention that PocketPC with portable Windows is
PORNO viewer for yaers. Since you can watch Video on it.
The reputable news source like CNET should distance from this
kind of provoking News Day style opinions.
so backwards in thinking? Sex is bad but violence is good. Lets
pump our society with countless movies, TV shows, videos,
video games that have hard core violence and language in them
but sex, oh no, lets not show that. Two people doing the nasty
shoudln't be seen by our youth. We don't want them to get the
wrong impression or corrupt their minds.
In my opinion, its conditioning. Condition the people to accept
violence or numb them to the violence. In addition, take away
any sexual relief that they might need (we all need). What better
was to control people. Europe has a different approach, allow
the youth to engage in responsible sex and limit the amount of
violence they watch. So you either have an angry pissed off
society that can't get any relief or a lovemaking society that
doesn't have enough time to be violent.
Instead, parents all over the world need to retain the right to raise their parents the way they see fit. Any parent who buys their child an iPod or any other device capable of playing back digital media should realize that they are accepting new responsibility. They now have to monitor the content their child is collecting.
Only a parent should decide if their child is ready to deal with adult content. Laws exist for situations where the marjority agrees that content can be damaging... showing porn to a 5 year old, for example, would get you in hot water.
From an employer's perspective, rules are rules. If a company doesn't want porn they can ban it. If a company can't control digital devices, they can ban them. ITS JUST THAT SIMPLE.
This is a ridiculous article, in the same vein as "See what home
product you're using will kill you!" drama for the 11PM news.
The sad part of this joke comes when one considers how many Americans would applaud such a device if it actually existed...
Why, because you do not employ real reporters, or real writers. Did you actually pay for this?!
Your organization has historically pursued a complete smear campaign. It is DISGUSTING, DISHONEST, DISHONARABLE. iPods are security risks, iPods promote porn ... you keep stepping it up and we readers will do our own investigation of you and publish it.
broduct, they have decided to write novels. And CNET is behind
it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
to his perspective. In doing so, he has exposed his ignorance on
the subject and called into question his credibility.
While he mentions "digital content players" only once, he singles
out the iPod no less than twelve times. Should the iPod be
considered so "ubiquitous" that the word iPod can be substituted
for any type of digital content player? It seems this is the opinion
of Mr. Sinrod though Apple would likely take issue with this
brand-defacing view.
Mr. Sinrod also provides some ill-advised parenting advice;
"...parents can and should let their children know that they
periodically will check their kids? iPods to see what video content
has been downloaded." A child deemed to be of the age and
level of maturity to handle the computer and digital content
player should have well established the limits and resources
required to make the choice to avoid such content. Policing the
content on the player is an exercise in futility, as a child
sufficiently clever to get the content on their player is likely
clever enough to hide it.
Mr. Sinrod further exposes his ignorance by failing to consider
the "ubiquity" of PDA's, which have been capable of displaying
the kind of digital content referenced in his perspective for
much longer than the iPod family of digital content players.
(Let's not forget photos...) Even more ubiquitous than PDA's or
iPods combined is the cell phone, most of which have been able
to display photos for years, and most now displaying video as
well.
Mr. Sinrod, as an attorney whose focus is at least partly devoted
to "information technology" it would greatly improve the
credibility of your perspective if you stopped using dirty lawyer
tricks to attract readers. Furthermore, allowing CENET to publish
your perspective on their news site is a serious credibility risk.
that nearly every computer user on the planet uses? As others
here have said, if anyone wants to transport porn, they can do it
a lot easier and cheaper than using an iPod. And draw a lot less
attention to themselves in the process. This is just another
attempt to piggyback on all the attention given the new iPods.
If parents are concerned about their children, they'd be better
off checking out their kids PSPs and XBoxes. Kids aren't stupid,
they know these devices can deliver much higher resolution
porn.
The web is littered with porn for the psp that you can download, put in a memory stick and watch on the psp.
Pocket Pcs and to some extent, palm pilots can also play videos, so they can also be used to view porn.
Modern cellphones also have video, so you can shoot your own amateur porn if you wished.
The fact is, there's so many ways to carry and watch porn, you'll never stop anyone that wants to really watch it. On top of that, why should you care?
In japan, it's normal to see just about anyone reading porn filled comic books.
I understand the need to control this. You don't want young kids to get the wrong idea about sex and you don't want every man, woman, and teenager ************ all over the place but I think it makes more sense to openly say, "Pornography is not allowed here." than to ban the technology that would be used to carry it.
Tell someone not to do something and that's the first thing you want to do.
(Stop thinking about having sex with Lindsay Lohan)
GOTCHA! Now you'll think of that for the rest of the day, enjoy! 8)
It's ok to show a girl in a school uniform gang-raped, tortured, and humiliated, but even the most tasteful Playboy photo must have the pubes airbrushed.
There's another country with some bizarre sexual hangups.
http://gaggedtruth.blogspot.com/
regarding the ipod porn
exists adult LISTENING content that can be 'enjoyed' in the privacy
of headphones. so, even and ipod w/out video capabilites can be
used to listen to pornographic/erotic content.
CNET. Quite an accomplishment, indeed.
Do you even have kids? Were you ever an adolescent teen?
You are naive if you don't think that teenagers have been sharing naked pictures for as long as photography has existed. And before that they probably drew on rocks or something.
here's what adolescent boys do: Before the iPod, there were Playboy magazines. Then there were VCR's. Then there was cable. Then there was the Internet. Then there was P2P and the Web.
The bottom line, kids find a way to see "porn" no matter what "safeguards" are put in place. I think you might want to try to focus on educating them rather than castigating them for doing what teenage boys tend to do anyway.
Leave the iPod out of your campaign against smut.
nuff said...
Instead, go ahead and highlight how videos are most popular on PocketPCs or PDAs - and how millions of people in companies have them, and are free to keep as much porn as they want.
And don't even talk about new phones, which at times are not only video capable, but can also be used to *Transmit* stuff wirelessly.
Heh, can you imagine a iTrip style video broadcaster, an ipod and porn?
If the kids are smart that to use anonymouse surfing or proxy surfing. There is no way to track your kids which site he/she has been in internet.
Please, let's back to basic, which is the core/root of the causes. MENTALITY
Just a penny of opinion.
Cheers
http://mindyou.xffer.com/
- nothing shocking here.....
- by mannix87 November 18, 2005 10:55 PM PST
- "Now, with new video capability on Apple Computer's iPods, pornography may push the envelope of video content available on digital content players"
- Like this Reply to this comment
-
Showing 1 of 2 pages (59 Comments)Of course they will and they have been doing that for some time already! but really now, this should be no cause for alarm. from where i am, mobile phones (from Nokia and Sony) have been video enabled for the last 3 yrs. My nokia 9500 (w/c i bought last year) can actually play a full length movie depending on the MMC i'm using. Same for mini DVD players (w/c has been aournd for 4yrs) simply put, the fears that you enumerated have not taken place and probably won't. the gadget-toting populace have not been transformed into a sex-starved and porn-salivating bunch. kids will be kids (same for the office pranskter) but your scenario will not be as widespread or as debilitating as you project.