An Oklahoma City-based anti-pornography group today is petitioning Cox Communications to halt its distribution of Usenet newsgroups through its High Speed Internet service
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“Cox is distributing newsgroups that are generally known to carry child pornography and other obscene images,” stated Paul Cardin, President of the Alliance for a Safer Internet. “It’s been going on for years and it’s time Cox put an end to it.”
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Usenet is one of the oldest computer network communications systems still in widespread use. Established in 1980, Usenet has today lost its importance compared to mailing lists and weblogs. Usenet doesn’t require personal registration with the group concerned, thereby making hundreds of pornographic image collections available to the children of Internet subscribers.
“The material carried in some of these newsgroups is absolutely horrific,” Cardin said. “And beyond the obviously illegal newsgroups, there are hundreds of other image newsgroups dedicated to every kind of pornography imaginable. We don’t think Cox should be in the pornography business at all and we’re asking them to discontinue offering all newsgroups, just like AOL did a few months ago.
“Cox has been a good neighbor in the communities it serves. But it needs to be a better neighbor than this,” Cardin said.
On Friday, August 5, the Alliance notified Cox officials that they were distributing probably illegal material. Appropriate law enforcement agencies were notified on Monday, August 8.
Cox Communications serves about 7 million customers in 22 states, including Rhode island.
