BW Online | August 23, 2002 | The Web's Dark Side

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AUGUST 23, 2002

READER SURVEY

The Web's Dark Side

Has the illicit activity that's so easy to do online touched you? What do you think should be done about it?

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Anyone with an e-mail address knows the Web is loaded with sleaze, from peddlers of porn to purveyors of get-rich schemes to sites that sell illegal drugs or host online gambling. BusinessWeek's Sept. 2, 2002, cover story, "The Underground Web," finds that such sites will bring in an estimated $36.5 billion this year.

Has the Web's capacity to widely distribute unwholesome material touched you? What, if anything, should be done in response? Those are some of the issues we raise in this Reader Survey, which as always is unscientific since anyone who wishes to can participate.

How often do you visit Web sites that an average person would consider unwholesome?

	Daily
	Several times a week
	Once a week
	Once a month
	Seldom
	Never

When you do visit such sites, is it because:

	You seek them out
	You receive an e-mail with a link to them
	Both
	I don't visit such sites

Have you ever bought prescription drugs via the Web wthout a prescription?

	Yes
	No

Have you ever bought illegal drugs over the Web?

	Yes
	No

Have you ever visited a porn site on the Web? (Please choose either A or B if you're a man, C or D if you're a woman):

	A-Yes
	B-No
	C-Yes
	D-No

Do you gamble over the Web?

	Yes
	No

From your experience using the Web, do you believe that the ease with which it can distribute information makes it:

	More morally corrupting than any other medium
	As corrupting but no more so than TV, radio, movies, books, and magazines
	Less corrupting than TV, radio, movies, books, and magazines
	Don't know

The Web should be policed for illegal activity by:

	Existing law-enforcement agencies
	A new, Web-only law enforcement agency
	It shouldn't be policed
	Don't know

Those who violate the law using the Internet should:

	Suffer the same punishment as those who violate the law offine
	Suffer more severe punishment, since the Web is such an efficient tool for wrongdoing
	Don't know

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