ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the internet and digital technologies have had a significant role in the evolution of laws and regulatory strategies to combat child pornography. It explores how child pornography laws have undergone a transformation over the decades. The internet and digital technology has played a considerable role in what has become a rather irreversible transformation of child pornography laws. The chapter analyses the different stages of evolution of child pornography law, looking at the laws that specifically criminalise the production, distribution and possession of child pornography. Whilst strong child pornography laws exist for a range of legitimate and compelling reasons, there are some limited circumstances where appropriate defences must be available. The arrival of the internet and advances in digital technology meant that the distribution and access models for child pornography underwent a radical change, necessitating a number of further changes to the substantive legal framework.
