[Air-l] Taxonomy of Content on the Internet

[Michele Sohn]

> 
> William Bain wrote:
> > Bob Rehak wrote: "Taking the question in a slightly different
> > direction, I'm curious as to what percentage of internet "content" is
> > pornographic --
> >

> So porn is clearly a tiny part of the internet.  But if you
> want to find porn, that's easy.

I am not sure that I agree with porn being a tiny part of the net.

To rephrase the question: 
I'm curious as to what percentage of internet "revenue" is pornographic.

I suspect that while it may be a small part in terms of volume of traffic,
it certainly is a large part is terms of volumes of cash spent.

I completely agree that the big problem with this is the measurability
factor.
Many companies trading in, or associated with, pornographic content do not
publish their turnover (as unlisted companies they are not obliged to).
Hearsay, but an integrated e-commerce / net site which uses mobile
technology for pay-per-view billing is said to net around 1 million pounds a
month. That's a lot of airline tickets.

I think that it is almost as if the 'underground internet' - porn, cracks,
warez and other not so legal or 'worksafe' activities exist in another space
completely. It is possible to spend your whole life online and never stumble
into this other dimension.

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