There are a number of different types of illegal pornography, though they will often vary depending on the specific laws of an individual country. Many countries in the Middle East, for example, outlaw all depictions of sexual acts and pornography, regardless of the material presented in such images. In countries in which some pornographic material is legal, there is often a separation of images along the lines of what is depicted and whether such depictions are considered obscene or not. Many countries that do allow for some legal depictions of sexual acts will often indicate illegal porn as depictions of sexual acts that are themselves illegal.
Illegal pornography is typically any type of depiction of sexuality that is considered illegal due to the laws of a given country. This can vary quite widely from country to country, and in the US these laws are often established at a state level based on the views on decency of a community. Care should be taken, therefore, by anyone who wishes to transfer pornographic materials between different countries or states to be aware of what materials may be considered illegal pornography in the area the person is moving into.
In some countries, all depictions of sexual activities are considered illegal porn and the punishments for possessing or distributing such materials can be severe. Other countries tend to break down depictions of sexual behavior into different categories, and define legality based upon those categories. “Softcore” images, for example, are legal in many countries and these images are often sexual in nature but are not always explicit in what is shown. “Hardcore” images, on the other hand, are typically much more explicit and may constitute illegal pornography in countries that allow depictions of human nudity in other forms.
Many countries that do allow some forms of pornographic materials, even “hardcore” materials, will still establish certain forms of illegal pornography. These forms of illegal pornography are typically depictions of sexual acts that, themselves, are illegal. Child pornography, which is depictions of sexual activities involving someone under the legal age of majority in a country, is illegal in the majority of countries. In some countries this can include even simulated child pornography, involving actors who are of legal age but pretending to be younger or illustrated depictions of characters that appear to be children.