educational

How To Safely Surf For Online Porn

Adult Sites Against Child Pornography (ASACP) is the leading organization helping the adult industry make a difference in the battle against child pornography. When Alec Helmy, head of Helmy Enterprises, recognized the need for ASACP in 1996, his mission was to help the industry combat child pornography.

Since then, ASACP has received and reviewed 70,000+ reports of suspected child pornography. It reported over 14,500 valid child pornography sites to the FBI and U.S. Customs Bureau. ASACP received over 3000 reports of suspect child pornography in April, 2003 alone, compared to 1200 only a year ago.

"I never thought the ASACP mission would need to expand to provide advice on how to safely surf the Internet to the consumers of adult entertainment. However, this has changed with recent news about arrests for viewing child pornography and the announcement that Pete Townshend was placed in the Sex Offenders Register for just doing research for his campaign against child pornography. Not surprisingly, many are now fearful of viewing any adult sites," according to Helmy.

Concerned people have written ASACP to ask:

• What happens if I view child pornography by mistake, will I be arrested?

• I have been receiving spam emails that talk about child pornography and give websites to go to. Until today, I have always visited the websites before reporting them. I finally read your FAQ page and found out that I could get into trouble by visiting these websites. No more! I will just report whatever emails I receive to you and you can take it from there.

• My wife and I enjoy adult entertainment and like the access that the Internet gives us. When I think of adult entertainment I think fun. But when I am concerned that we may view child porn by mistake, I get sickened and enraged. How can we avoid this horrific stuff?

"Millions of Americans surf the Internet for adult entertainment. It's their constitutional right to enjoy this, just as it is the adult sites' right to provide this content under freedom of speech rules. However, no one wants to end up in jail for a few minutes of fleeting pleasure in the privacy of their own home or office", says Joan Irvine, Executive Director of ASACP. ASACP would like adults to enjoy their entertainment experience without the fear of viewing child pornography, therefore, it put together these six viewing guidelines.

ASACP Adult Site Viewing Guidelines

1. Only view or join a professional adult site with a legal disclaimer stating it is compliant with 18 U.S.C. 2257 or "All models are at least 18 years old at the time of this depiction."

2. When it comes to child pornography, it's always best to err on the side of caution. Do not view an adult site that contains pictures of nude children, or in fact, any children or models that claim to be over 18, but look much younger.

3. Do not look at sites/spam that contain words that denote children.*

4. Look for the ASACP Approved Member logo on a site. This states that ASACP consistently monitors this site for child pornography. Check the Member Directory at www.asacp.org.

5. Report all suspect child pornography to organizations, such as ASACP, U.S. Customs Service via the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (www.ncmec.org), the F.B.I., or your local authorities.

6. Do not search for child pornography to report or as part of a research project. This is illegal and you do not need to see the horrific pictures to know it is there. Once you see an image of a man penetrating a three-year-old baby, it never goes away.

ASACP hopes that these guidelines will add to your viewing pleasure. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to email ASACP at comments@asacp.org. Over 3,000 adult sites that are taking a stand against child pornography by proudly display the ASACP logo.

* Words that denote children (Licensed to ASACP by Sex.Com for the exclusive use in fighting child pornography only) include: Adolescent, Child, Child porn, Child sex, Children, Kiddie, Kiddie porn, Kiddie sex, Lolitas, Minor, Minors, Pedoland, Pedophile, Pedophilia, Pre-teen, Pre-teen porn, Pre-teen sex, Teen13-17, Underaged

For further information, contact: Joan Irvine, joan@asacp.org

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More Articles

opinion

Complying With New Age Assurance and Content Moderation Standards

For adult companies operating in today’s increasingly regulated digital landscape, maintaining compliance with card brand requirements is essential — not only to safeguard your operations but also to ensure a safe and transparent environment for users.

Gavin Worrall ·
opinion

Understanding the FTC's New 'Click to Cancel' Rule

The Federal Trade Commission’s new “Click to Cancel” rule has been a hot topic in consumer protection and business regulation. Part of a broader effort to streamline cancellation processes for subscription services, the rule has sparked significant debate and legal challenges.

Corey D. Silverstein ·
opinion

Key Factors for Choosing a Merchant Services Partner

Running a successful adult business requires more than just delivering alluring and cutting-edge products and services. Securing the right payment processing partner is essential to maintaining a steady revenue stream.

Jonathan Corona ·
opinion

Identifying and Preventing Transaction Laundering

Recently, a few merchants approached me after receiving compliance notifications from their acquirer about transaction laundering. They were unsure what it meant, and unsure how to identify and fix the problem.

Cathy Beardsley ·
profile

WIA: Alexis Fawx Levels Up as Multifaceted Entrepreneur

As more performers look to diversify, expanding their range of revenue streams and promotional vehicles, some are spreading their entrepreneurial wings to create new businesses — including Alexis Fawx.

Women In Adult ·
opinion

Navigating Age-Related Regulations in Europe

Age verification measures are rapidly gaining momentum across Europe, with regulators stepping up efforts to protect children online. Recently, the U.K.’s communications regulator, Ofcom, updated its timeline for implementing the Online Safety Act, while France’s ARCOM has released technical guidance detailing age verification standards.

Gavin Worrall ·
opinion

Why Cyber Insurance Is Crucial for Adult Businesses

From streaming services and interactive platforms to ecommerce and virtual reality experiences, the adult industry has long stood at the forefront of online innovation. However, the same technology-forward approach that has enabled adult businesses to deliver unique and personalized content to consumers worldwide also exposes them to myriad risks.

Corey D. Silverstein ·
opinion

Best Practices for Payment Gateway Security

Securing digital payment transactions is critical for all businesses, but especially those in high-risk industries. Payment gateways are a core component of the digital payment ecosystem, and therefore must follow best practices to keep customer data safe.

Jonathan Corona ·
opinion

Ready for New Visa Acquirer Changes?

Next spring, Visa will roll out the U.S. version of its new Visa Acquirer Monitoring Program (VAMP), which goes into effect April 1, 2025. This follows Visa Europe, which rolled out VAMP back in June. VAMP charts a new path for acquirers to manage fraud and chargeback ratios.

Cathy Beardsley ·
opinion

How to Halt Hackers as Fraud Attacks Rise

For hackers, it’s often a game of trial and error. Bad actors will perform enumeration and account testing, repeating the same test on a system to look for vulnerabilities — and if you are not equipped with the proper tools, your merchant account could be the next target.

Cathy Beardsley ·
Show More