Censorship
French Government Asks Courts for Order to Block Pornhub, 4 Other Tube Sites
France’s media regulator ARCOM has gone to court to demand that the country’s ISPs enforce a total block of five specific adult tube sites — Pornhub, Tukif, xHamster, Xvideos and Xnxx — over their alleged lack of enforcement of a controversial age verification mandate.
Supreme Court Declines to Hear Section 230 Case Against Facebook
The Supreme Court declined today to settle a question presented by a Jane Doe looking to establish Facebook’s liability in a case where she alleges that she was “sex trafficked as a minor” because the social media platform “connected her with a sex trafficker.”
Louisiana State Senator Trying to Ban Viewing Porn in Universities
Louisiana State Senator Beth Mizell (R-Franklinton) has proposed a new state law requiring the censorship of “pornography or sexually explicit content” on the personal phones or computers of students, professors and staff while connected to a public university’s Wi-Fi network or internet service.
German ISPs Exploring Legal Challenge to Government Order to Block xHamster
Hours after the German government ordered the country’s major internet service providers to block xHamster, one of the ISPs, PŸUR, told a digital rights group that it reserves the right “to have the decision legally reviewed by an independent court with a view to the legal regulations of net neutrality.”
Plaintiffs Urge Judge to Strip Reddit of Section 230 Protections Over UGC
A proposed class of plaintiffs currently appealing a dismissed lawsuit against Reddit, alleging that the platform “knowingly benefits from lax enforcement of its content polices, including for child pornography," filed an opening appellate brief this week renewing their claim that Section 230 protections should not shield the social media platform.
Free Speech Coalition to Host Town Hall About EARN IT Act
Free Speech Coalition (FSC) will host a town hall discussion this Thursday addressing the EARN IT Act, which recently passed out of the Senate Judiciary Committee and is potentially headed toward a full vote in the Senate.
Washington Post Publishes Warning About Current 'War on Porn'
The Washington Post published an opinion piece yesterday offering a cautionary historical perspective on how anti-pornography crusades like the current War on Porn end up harming marginalized groups like sex workers and the LGBTQ+ community.
Senator Blackburn Highlights Anti-Porn Lobby NCOSE as EARN IT Backer
Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee) issued a statement this week listing NCOSE — formerly Morality in Media — among supporters of the controversial EARN IT Act, which has been overwhelmingly condemned by leading digital rights and free speech organizations, including Free Speech Coalition.
New York Times Writer Calls for a Return to Pre-1960s 'Hypocrisy' About Porn
The New York Times published an opinion piece yesterday by staff columnist Ross Douthat advocating for a return to pre-1960s “inconsistencies and hypocrisies” about several social issues, including sexual expression.
Under Pressure From German Government, Twitter Begins Blocking Adult Content
Confirming the fears of sex workers and advocates around the world, Twitter has reportedly begun blocking German profiles that include adult content, after a local government official escalated a campaign to force the platform to implement age verification systems designed for “pornographic websites.”
UK Ministers Confirm New Age Verification Rules Target Twitter, Reddit
U.K. government officials confirmed last week that social media sites “hosting large amounts of pornographic material, such as Twitter and Reddit” would have to “introduce systems to remove adult material in the U.K., or introduce age checks to determine whether users are over 18,” The Guardian reported yesterday.
FSC Spells Out Staunch Opposition to Controversial EARN IT Act
Free Speech Coalition issued a statement today explaining in detail why it opposes the controversial EARN IT Act, and also an explainer clarifying the implications of the widely condemned legislation.
Arizona Republicans Help Defeat Copycat 'Mandatory Porn Filter' Bill
Republican legislators in the Arizona House broke ranks with a fellow GOP representative on Wednesday and helped reject her copycat proposal to implement default “porn filters” on phones and computers sold in the state.
FSC Urges Industry Action to Defeat EARN IT Act
Free Speech Coalition has issued a call to action urging industry members to contact their senators and ask them to oppose the EARN IT Act.
Influential Anti-Porn Lobby NCOSE Endorses EARN IT Act
The leading anti-porn crusading group in the U.S., the religiously inspired NCOSE, has re-endorsed the EARN IT Act after its reintroduction by Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut) in late January.
China Renews Crackdown Against 'Pornography' as Beijing 2022 Olympics Begin
The Chinese government has stepped up a police campaign to crush “illegal and inappropriate content” — which it defines as “online rumors, pornography and superstition” — as the controversial 2022 Beijing Olympic Games kick off.
Leading Digital Rights Group Urges Action Against EARN IT Act
Leading digital rights organization Electronic Frontier Foundation has issued a statement urging immediate action to defeat the revived EARN IT Act, which privacy and sex workers' rights advocates have unanimously identified as a serious censorship threat.
'NRA for Families' Leader Claims School Libraries Need 'Pornography' Purge
The leader of the American Principles Project, a well-funded right-wing lobby that calls itself “the NRA for Families," this week described the current Republican-led book-banning movement as an effort to purge “pornography” from school libraries.
Bipartisan Indiana State Bill Targets Adult Business Zoning
Two Indiana state legislators have taken a municipal battle over zoning discrimination against “sexually-oriented businesses” and ramped it up to the statewide level through a proposed bill prompted by recent legal wins by two adult boutiques.
U.K. Lord: Porn 'Normalizes Sexual Behavior' Unfit for 'Wooing a Woman'
The Earl of Erroll, a British nobleman with an inherited title dating back to the 15th century, gave a speech to the House of Lords supporting state intervention in adult content through a revamped Online Safety Bill, claiming that online porn “normalizes anal sex and blowjobs” which “are just really not about how to go around wooing a woman.”