Dwyco Video Chat & Conferencing System

It has come to our attention that there is a internet video chat and conferencing system called Dwyco (CDC32) (http://www.dwyco.com) which is freely available online that has an "adult" section where people exchange pornographic material.

The major problem with this system is conveyed by our source: "The reason I am so concerned is, that I caught my children playing with this program, and then immediately wiped it from the computer. The only thing that happens when someone tries to access the "adult" area of this program is a box appears, indicating that you should be an adult to enter. A person of any age can access this material. I do not want other parents' children to be subjected to this material."

The fact that children can and do download these kind of systems and engage in exchanges of pornographic video, text, and sound through this service brings to light a question of community responsibility. Is it enough to simply protect our own children from getting ahold of this kind of service? Or is the wrong that this kind of service is readily available without verification of adulthood in the first place? We are inclined to believe the latter.

About Dwyco

From the site: "The Dwyco Video Conferencing System (CDC32) is an advanced program for Windows95/98/NT4/ME/2000/XP that allows you to send and receive video, audio, and chat in real-time across the Internet. It is very flexible, and works equally well as a video chat tool or a video broadcast server. You can use it like an Internet phone, a chat board, a security cam, etc. Or you can use just the audio and chat, or just the video, and so on. It's up to you and your computer's hardware and communication capabilities. "

The site claims that both "G-rated and Adult directory listings" are available through their system, but does not specify as to how children are kept from entering the adult section. Apparently, children are truly not kept from the adult section, and the site does not even address this concern.

Dwyco states in their license agreement, found here, (http://www.dwyco.com/LICENSE.TXT) that they will assume "NO LIABILITY FOR DAMAGES. In no event shall Aureate Media or its suppliers be liable for any damages whatsoever (including, without limitation, damages for loss of business profits, business interruption, loss of business information, or any other pecuniary loss) arising out of the use of or inability to use this SOFTWARE PRODUCT, EVEN IF AUREATE MEDIA HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES."

Nowhere in the Dwyco license or on the Dwyco site is a mention of the issue of children becoming exposed to pornography through their system.

Does the system convey that it is not child-friendly? Much the contrary, as this kid-friendly image is prominantly on the download site:



In Conclusion

At any rate, we feel it necessary for Dwyco to take responsibility in this issue, ensuring that other children do not become exposed to pornography by updating their system to better validate users' adult status (perhaps through credit card registration, etc.). We are against the availability of pornography online period, but this is a particularly heinous case, in that children are being exposed to it.