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Posts with tag porn

Apple Yanks Porno iPhone Screensaver That Snuck Onto App Store

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Nov 25th 2008 at 6:47PM

Pornographic App Slips Passed Apple
Clearly something is wrong at the Apple App Store. Applications keep slipping through the cracks, only to be removed later. Whether there is some bleary-eyed approval monkey arbitrarily clicking "approve" and "reject," or if a certain amount of the process has been automated, we're not sure, but clearly something needs to be fixed.

This past weekend, an application that blatantly peddles porn (a violation of Apple's Terms of Service) made it passed the screening system, only to be yanked down hours later. The app, 'Wallpaper Universe,' allowed you do decorate your home screen with images of scantily (or un) clad women. One glance at the screen-shot provided by the developer should have been able to clue anyone in to the nature of they app, yet somehow it got by.

Apple has a strict screening process in place to keep out inappropriate, illegal, and malicious content. Seeing how often that system has failed of late makes us worry that the next time something slips through, it won't be so harmless. [From: ReadWriteWeb]

New Software Detects Porn on Workplace Computers

by Dan Reilly, posted Nov 10th 2008 at 6:01PM


If you're one of those people who enjoy erotica at the office, you'd better watch out. Software maker Parabem has built a forensic program that analyzes files stored on office computers and networks to identify pornographic images. Apparently, some employers out there worry that checking out smut at work wastes time and productivity and could lead to lawsuits. Shocking.

The program scans and grades images based on specific "sophisticated" parameters to identify the offending files. It works in real-time to alert administrators that porn is being downloaded and scours offline files to hunt down culprits. Costing $17,000 to watch 500 computers, the program cannot specifically spot child pornography or scan phones and PDAs, so there are some drawbacks.

Now it's up to business to figure out the cost effectiveness of weeding out a few pervs versus spending the money on the program. We can't wait to see that PowerPoint presentation. Actually, scratch that. We can definitely wait. [From: CNET]

Does Too Much Time on Porn Sites Lead to Depression?

by Lee Bains, posted Oct 29th 2008 at 7:35PM




Citing a study conducted by researchers at Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, Australia, the India Times reported yesterday that heavy use of sex Web sites may lead to depression, high stress, and anxiety.

According to the study, which surveyed 1,325 men in the United States and Australia, men that regularly view porn and Web swinging sites have a 27-percent chance of having moderate to severe depression, a 30-percent chance of anxiety and a 35-percent chance of moderate to severe stress. A spokesperson for the study added that the more a subject was involved in these types of sites, the more intense his depression and anxiety would be.

Although we don't take argument with the study's statistics, we do think that the causal relationship they posit is a tad simplistic. Isn't it likely that a man who looks for intimacy on his bedroom computer, instead of out in the real world, is at least a little anxious to begin with? After all, Facebook sex-hunters aren't exactly beacons of emotional health, and those folks are at least looking for the real thing. [From: The India Times]

Priest Caught Surfing Porn in Rectory

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Oct 21st 2008 at 7:31PM



We suppose this is a step in the right direction, but still, a little more discretion could have been used.

A Swedish clergyman is in some serious trouble, and thankfully, it didn't involve altar boys. No, the preacher decided to quell his Earthly desires with a little online filth. The only problem is his excursions on the Web mucked up the entire parish's computer network. The priest's boatload of porn carried with it a destructive computer virus that took out the church's computers, leading to the discovery of the cache of photos and video.

The clergyman has handed in his resignation to the parish, but it's not known yet if the church is going to strip him of his priestly status. Next time, maybe he'll give Chrome's or IE's porn private mode a try. [From: CrunchGear]

Playboy Cutting Back, Focusing on Digital Content

by Andrew McKinnon, posted Oct 20th 2008 at 2:54PM



Playboy is reducing annual costs by $12 Million dollars, and closing down its DVD division in order to return to profitability by 2009. In reducing costs, Playboy will lay off approximately 80 positions and significantly reduce travel, entertainment and overtime as well as forgo profit-sharing payments. The business has taken its biggest hit from the downturn in print advertising sales as well as the easy access to limitless "blue" photos on the internet.

In a company-wide letter dated October 15th, Christie Hefner, Chairman and CEO of Playboy Enterprises, laid out the plan for how Playboy will do business and serve their customers in the future with a little nod to social responsibility: The company will install energy-efficient light bulbs in its offices and change to a lighter weight of magazine paper. The key focus will be on the management and delivery of Playboy's digital assets (Web sites and mobile phone services ) over the Internet.

Playboy is a brand that is most closely associated with its 82-year-old founder Hugh Hefner, who is putt-putting around his Bel-Air Mansion with women one-quarter his age. The two new arrivals at the Playboy Mansion are 19-year-old twins. Maybe Christie should, along with installing new light bulbs, quietly turn the lights off in the Playboy Mansion and take Hef to a smaller place. Or, is it time for all those at the Playboy Mansion to frolic in the dark? They could always use that blurry night vision setting on camcorders if video-making is necessary. And what about installing an energy-producing-disco-dance-floor and getting that gaggle of barely legal bunnies to cut a rug on it? We can see a market for videos of that kind of action!

{From PaidContent and Times Online]

Which Airlines Allow Online Porn?

by Tim Stevens, posted Oct 17th 2008 at 12:02PM

Not All Airlines to Filter Online Content
We've been eagerly awaiting the arrival of in-flight Wi-Fi here in the U.S., and just when it was starting to get to the point where we could finally expect to get our surfing on at 30,000 feet, a whole new controversy springs up that has everyone wanting to shut the tech off again. The issue is people surfing questionable (a.k.a. porn) content while flying the friendly skies, and different airlines are reacting in different ways.

Right now it breaks down like this: Southwest, American, and Delta will all be relying on content filters to restrict what travelers can access. Meanwhile, Virgin, Air Canada, Alaska Airlines, and US Air will all let surfers go wherever they like -- though some will be asking stewards and stewardesses to keep their eyes open. Who is in the right? We're inclined to say people are making a bigger deal out of this than it really is. There are far more important things to worry about, like prohibitive fees for checked baggage! [From: MSNBC]

American Airlines to Filter Porn on In-Flight Wi-Fi

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Oct 8th 2008 at 12:16PM

American Airlines To Filter Content on In-Flight Wi-Fi
If you're David Duchovny and can't resist watching some online porn on your next flight from N.Y. to L.A. via in-flight Internet access, you may be out of luck. That's because American Airlines' (AA) yesterday announced plans to start filtering Internet content, including adult entertaiment sites on its flights.

AA said it hasn't received any complaints from passengers or flight attendants regarding people viewing inappropriate content on its trial jets, but said that filtering content was an appropriate measure to take to prevent putting its employees and customers in an uncomfortable situation.

We're all for it. The only thing worse than being stuck next to a sweaty guy too big to fit into his seat is sitting next to a guy too big to fit into his seat who is sweaty because of the contents of his browser. [From: USA Today]

Only One in Four Men Looks at Porn Online?

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Sep 30th 2008 at 3:41PM


There's no point in lying about it. We know you do it. In fact, if it weren't for your porn habit, the Internet probably wouldn't have taken off the way it did.

According to a new survey, one in four men views pornography online, and we've gotta believe that is a vast underestimation. What's worrisome to many, though, is that unlike the stash of magazines in your underwear drawer, Internet pornography leaves behind difficult-to-hide traces such as auto-complete entries (those helpful windows that pop-up when you begin typing in search boxes and address bars), not too mention irritating pop-ups and spyware.

There are even anecdotal tales about online pornography ruining relationships. For example, take Sarah from Cornwall who left her husband Greg after finding a disturbingly long list of pornographic sites in his browser history, or Christine who decided to stay with her husband Peter and instead extracted her revenge by pouring superglue into his modem. Just remember, if you're honest about it (everyone knows you're doing it anyway), and make sure ads for nasty videos don't pop up while your daughter is playing her 'Dora the Explorer' game, you should be okay. [From: Guardian]

Porn No Longer the Most Popular Activity Online

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Sep 16th 2008 at 7:12PM



Porn is no longer the number one activity on the Internet. It may be hard to believe, but according to a recent study of the surfing habits of 10 million people by Bill Tancer, a researcher at Hitwise (an Internet tracking company), time spent on social-networking sites has surpassed time spent 'browsing' adult entertainment pages. Searches for pornography have dropped to account for 10-percent of Web searches, down from 20-percent a decade ago.

Some other interesting tidbits from the study, which have also been compiled into Tancer's new book Click: What Millions of People Are Doing Online and Why It Matters:
It's nice to see that people are doing things online besides gazing at porno, but we still think time wasted on a social networking site would be better utilized by socializing in, you know, the real world. [From: Reuters/AOL News]

Remember, you can always find out the latest on what people are looking for at AOL Hot Searches, and if you want to read the first chapter of the book, check out USA Today's excerpt here.

Online Porn On Planes? Not If Flight Attendants Can Help It

by Dan Reilly, posted Sep 15th 2008 at 1:15PMBreaking News


In addition to monitoring belligerent passengers and suspicious activity, attendants on flights with Wi-Fi are now worried they'll have to keep an eye out for passengers watching porn. If they have their say, airlines will employ filters to make sure nobody can view it. Not even for "educational purposes" or other excuses.

This all comes after American Airlines installed wireless Internet on 15 of its planes for a testing period a few weeks ago. Without citing any specific examples of travelers viewing smut or any other objectionable content -- but perhaps acting on a story that came out a few weeks ago about airlines not blocking in-flight Internet porn -- the Association of Professional Flight Attendants have contacted American's executives to voice their concerns. A union rep said they don't want to become "moral policemen" on board, but they also don't want to deal with the inevitable problems.

Naturally, the issue hinges on where to draw the line. The union cites the fact that passengers are barred from making Wi-Fi phone calls on planes and don't seem to have any qualms about it, so why not block porn and violence too? Others wonder whether to block sites or words, and if the airlines will even limit what DVDs a passenger watches. The one point nobody seems to be making is that you can still buy skin mags in the airport lounge. Shouldn't that have been addressed already? [Source: Bloomberg via Wired]

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