Although the prevalence of pornography and other obscenity is quite daunting, citizens can assist themselves and the government in fighting this problem in several ways:

Protect children online

The Justice Department supports the development and use of appropriate tools to allow parents and children to choose what they do and do not view online. A variety of commercially available software "filter" programs can be used to restrict access to World Wide Web sites containing pornographic or otherwise offensive content. In addition, the Administration has strongly encouraged the software industry and others in the online community to continue to develop content ratings systems, ratings-compatible Web browser programs, and other technical solutions such as software that can clean a computer of any inappropriate material that may have slipped by the filter - click here to see an example of such a program. These methods promote individual choice and simplify the task of parents and others who wish to screen out offensive material.

Some online resources for protecting your children include:
FBI Parent's Guide to Internet Safety: http://www.fbi.gov/publications/pguide/pguide.htm
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, NetSmartz workshop: http://www.netsmartz.org/flash/index.html
Guide to Internet safety by Enough is Enough (non-profit organization): http://www.protectkids.com/parentsafety/