According to Italy’s Network Coordination Group (GCN), one third of the country’s total Internet usage is dedicated to hardcore online services and related topic.
During the summer, when individuals have more free time, this figure increases dramatically, the GCN report indicates.
There are an estimated 2,600,000 Internet users in Italy. Nearly 12% of this figure are located in the nation’s capital, and it’s estimated that users in Rome spend an average of 34 minutes on the Net each day.
“Obviously, this is general data not referring to erotic sites,” Paolo
Nuti, director of McLink, Italy’s third largest Internet provider, told the daily newspaper La Repubblica. “Our experience is that the most frequented Web pages are not erotic, but daily news: Repubblica and the magazine Portaportese.
Contradicting Nuti’s claim, is erotic star and “web mistress” Helena Velena. Sexonline was developed in 1993, as the first hardcore site in Rome, and quickly became one of the most frequented of Italian Web sites.
“We receive 11,000-12,000 hit per day,” explained Velena.
Among the various “services” and products offered by Sexonline, the chat area is the most popular. It is also one of the few free zones, where one is not required to become a member and pay an annual fee.
Like most Internet services, however, hackers have been able to uncover and offer passwords, much to the delight of many Italian web surfers.