18 Apr 2006
An online image library intended to help doctors make dermatological diagnoses is being used as a stand-in porn site, according to a study from Johns Hopkins University.
Dr Christoph Lehmann launched an investigation after noticing that the amount of searches for images showing genital areas was unusually high.
The study found that nine of the 43 websites with the top referral rates were fetish or pornography websites, and that 14.3 per cent of enquiries came from those links.
"The anonymous misuse of collaborative archives must be anticipated, addressed and prevented to preserve their integrity and the integrity of the learning communities they support," Lehmann told April's edition of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.
The medical site Lehmann monitored included more than 7,800 images, almost six per cent of which displayed genital regions.
Lehmann's study found that 37 per cent of requests searching for a particular part of the human body site involved a genital region.
Latest stories from Web
Related articles
Related jobs
Poll
What is the most important IT priority for your company this year?
Sneak peek at the forthcoming glass-based machine
Connect with V3.co.uk
This paper focuses on a series of best practices and techniques for development teams looking to improve their software development processes
Why good data management at all levels is essential in the modern business (video, 6mins)
Web Developer (PHP) OOP Symfony London – Award Winning...
Windows Server Applications Engineer 3rd Line Our market...
My client have an exciting opportunity for a technical...
Senior ASP.NET Developer Skills: ASP.NET, C#, VB, HTML...
Keep up to date with the latest products, services and technologies from the world's leading IT companies. IThound.com brings you over 2,000 white papers, case studies and analyst reports.
Do you agree?