I was given this article and thought I would pass it along to you all, to let you know of the more dangers that are out there.
Apple's newly launched iTunes podcasts raise questions about risque audio shows
By Vauhini Vara
The Wall Street Journal
Now available for download through iTunes: raunchy sex banter, erotic storytelling sessions and reviews of pornographic Web sites.
Last month, Apple Computer's online music store launched a directory of podcasts -- audio shows that can be downloaded free from the Internet and usually feature amateurs discussing mainstream topics such as cars, sports and independent music. At the same time, it also opened its doors to a racier genre of audio files that some are calling "porncasts."
With names like "Fetish Flame" and "Open Source Sex," the adult podcasts are often created by self-proclaimed sex experts who have cheap recording software, a bit of free time and little or no professional radio experience. Many of the rambling audio shows focus on the creators' sex lives.
As podcasting reaches a more mainstream audience, the more risque audio shows -- and Apple's role in distributing them -- could come under greater scrutiny. Apple declined to say whether any of its users have complained about the adult podcasts, which can be downloaded by anyone regardless of age. The company said it could potentially pull programs that it deems too explicit but declined to say whether it has done so yet.
Apple allows podcasters to submit their own audio shows for inclusion in iTunes. Those who discuss adult material are asked to mark their podcasts as "explicit" by checking a box. Apple spokeswoman Natalie Kerris said the service has no specific guidelines as to what constitutes explicit content.
She said Apple tries to review as many submissions as it can for "really obvious" adult content. Listeners can click on a button marked "Report a Concern" to protest a podcast.
"If for some reason we miss it, customers usually catch it," Kerris said.
Ted Schadler, an analyst at Forrester Research who covers consumer technology and the music industry, says there are risks in Apple's willingness to accept content from amateur users.
"Apple needs to be careful to protect its brand here," he said. Apple declined to comment.
Podcasts are named after Apple's popular iPod music player, but they can be played on almost any portable music player, or on a computer. Apple doesn't host the broadcasts on its Web site, but it allows users to link to them through its software.
Although Apple doesn't generate revenue from the podcasts, it has other motivations to promote them. In addition to promoting iPods, the company hopes the free directory will encourage greater use of its iTunes software, which is closely linked to its music store. The company said it has already handled 5 million podcast subscriptions for its users.
As for those behind the adult broadcasts, there are also distinct draws.
Because they are transmitted through the Internet, podcasts are free of the Federal Communication Commission's indecency rules that govern traditional radio broadcasts. The FCC's restrictions on profanity and explicit sex talk played a role in Howard Stern's decision last year to move his show to the unrestricted Sirius Satellite Radio.
One of the most popular podcasts tagged as "explicit" on iTunes is "Open Source Sex," an audio show hosted by a woman called Violet Blue, who has written several sex books. A frequent guest on radio talk shows, Blue is often gently reminded before going on the air to keep her language G-rated and anatomy discussions vague.
On her podcast, meanwhile, nearly anything goes. In one episode, she read a story called "The Last Deduction," by erotica writer Alison Tyler, about an encounter between a novelist and her tax auditor.
While the distribution of adult material is big business on the Internet, many of the people behind the racy podcasts are often seeking little more than fame. There are no fees for listening to the broadcasts, though some have hooked up with sponsors to generate revenue.
On her weekly "MXL Podcast" -- the name stands for "maximum libido" -- Virginia Bytheway breathily reads erotic fiction and answers questions e-mailed by listeners about various racy acts, often using eyebrow-raising language.
Bytheway, a 48-year-old former phone-sex operator, records her podcasts using her computer at her Montreal home. She then sends them to Didier Sicaud, a psychologist who produces the podcasts.
Bytheway isn't paid for her work, but Sicaud uses her podcast to drive traffic to a Web site that advertises his sex-therapy services. In April, meanwhile, SSL International PLC paid Dawn Miceli and her husband, Drew Domkus -- the pair behind a popular, and raunchy, podcast called "The Dawn and Drew Show" -- to talk about its Durex condoms and lubricants over 10 episodes.
It is difficult to say just how popular the steamy broadcasts are. ITunes recently listed "Open Source Sex" as the 21st most popular of the 6,000 podcasts in its directory -- ahead of podcasts from Newsweek, ESPN and ABC News.
Of the 100 top podcasts, 13 were recently marked as explicit, though some earned that label largely for using profanity.
In a June interview with ABC News, Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs said of the iTunes podcast directory, "We're not allowing any pornography."
Kerris declined to say how Apple defines audio porn, but she said Apple has removed podcasts that contain copyrighted material or were otherwise inappropriate.
Other technology companies have run into trouble over distribution of user-created content. In June, Google launched a video service that allows people to submit their own clips, but it has removed pornography and other adult content. Earlier that month, Yahoo closed all its user-created chat rooms after advocacy groups blamed it for allowing chats that promoted sex with minors.
Podcasters argue that by labeling their shows as "explicit," they should be free to say whatever they want.
"I don't have to censor my language or anyone else's language," said Blue of "Open Source Sex." "It's like the dog is off the leash."
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