America Online Inc’s German joint venture AOL Bertelsmann Online last week denied responsibility for distributing child pornography. Reacting to an investigation opened by Hamburg prosecutors, the company said in a statement: AOL Bertelsmann Online completely rejects the accusation of spreading child pornography. All on-line services came under close scrutiny following media reports that some subscribers were using their electronic mail facilities to transmit illegal hard-core porn graphics. With 100,000 German subscribers, AOL was inevitably caught in the firing line being part of one of the largest on-line service providers in Europe, the fastest growing in Germany, and the number one provider in the US. The venture between America On-Line and German media conglomerate Bertelsmann AG blamed black sheep subscribers for sending pornographic pictures by electronic mail.
