The Duck & Cover Website Obscenity Series

The full series includes:

• Am I the Dog in the Dogfight? All about the FBI, Websites and the Whole Obscenity Problem.
• Guidelines for Making your Website less Obscene
• Who's working on your behalf and what you can do to help
• Why Should You Care?
• Resources and Links in the Fight for Freedom of Speech
  

About this Series
In September of 2005, the FBI formed an anti-obscenity task force to crack down on pornography. Any website that has content containing "sadistic and masochistic behavior" can be shut down. Not only can the FBI shut down your website, but they can initiate a criminal prosecution for obscenity, which is a felony and is punishable by jail time. It is this criminal charge that is the most challenging problem for any website owner, because once you are charged by the FBI with the federal offence of obscenity, you are pretty much screwed because the legal costs of defending yourself create an untenable situation. While the first amendment protects free speech, it does not include all speech, such as, for example, yelling "fire" in a crowded auditorium.