Congressional reports out today find porn prevalent in P2P networks:

"We need to alert parents to this problem and learn what they can do about it," said Rep. Thomas M. Davis III (R-Va.), who will chair hearings on the matter this morning. "Seemingly innocent searches for files containing images of popular cartoon characters, singers and actors produce thousands of graphic pornographic images including child pornography."

In one test, the GAO used the market-leading Kazaa sharing software to search for titles containing the names "Britney," "the Olsen twins" (Mary-Kate and Ashley) and "Pokemon." Of the total number of files that showed up, 56 percent included some form of pornography, with 8 percent involving minors.

When investigators used search terms specifically designed to yield pornography, 44 percent of results involved minors.

The reports raise a fresh controversy for these "peer-to-peer" networks, which have grown to attract hundreds of millions of users worldwide since Napster Inc. first burst on the scene in the late 1990s. And the issue is yet another indication of the growing tension computer users face in balancing the wonders of the Internet with its potential dangers. [Washington Post]