CONGRESSMAN receives e-mail virus linked to porn site

<br>OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ An Oklahoma congressman who has been trying to block access to pornography on the Internet in public libraries for years, received an electronic mail virus this week that was linked

Wednesday, May 16th 2001, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ An Oklahoma congressman who has been trying to block access to pornography on the Internet in public libraries for years, received an electronic mail virus this week that was linked to a porn site.

U.S. Rep. Ernest Istook, R-Okla., said Tuesday that he got an e-mail from his niece that contained a virus, which then sent e-mails out to everyone in his online address book.

The recipients of the e-mail were told to check out a ``cool'' Web site and _ unless their anti-virus software caught it _ they were sent to one of four randomly selected pornographic Web sites.

After Istook discovered Monday that his computer had been infected, he immediately sent out a warning to the people in his address book.

Istook has authored legislation aimed at shielding minors from pornographic Web sites by requiring public libraries to use filtering software.

He said Tuesday that there is no perfect defense. When he opened the e-mail, he said, it didn't send him to a porno site but to an empty page.