Censorship
Florida Judge Halts Controversial 'Free Speech' Law
A Florida court enjoined last week the implementation of Florida’s controversial new law making social media platforms liable for moderation policies, in the name of political — but not sexual — "free speech."
MasterCard Execs Meet With APAG, FSC Over New Processing Rules
Executives from MasterCard held a meeting yesterday with representatives from adult performers union APAG and industry trade group Free Speech Coalition (FSC) to discuss the upcoming rule changes for credit card processing of adult content.
Tokyo Valentino Owner Fights to Keep Georgia Adult Boutiques Open
Michael Morrison, owner of the Southern adult boutique chain Tokyo Valentino, gave an interview to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution explaining the ongoing zoning battle provoked by conservative city council politicians and lawyers attempting to chase his business out of two Georgia locations.
NCOSE Activist Opens TikTok Account to Spread Anti-Sex Work Propaganda
Haley McNamara, an activist affiliated with powerful, religiously-inspired anti-porn lobby NCOSE (formerly Morality in Media), has started a TikTok account to spread propaganda targeting adult content and sex worker rights.
India Moves Forward to Compel Twitter to Ban All Adult Content
India’s National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) is moving forward with proceedings to “ban the access of children to Twitter” in the country until the platform “completely removes all pornographic material.”
Texas Supreme Court Denies Section 230 Protection for Third-Party Content, Citing FOSTA/SESTAA
n a stunning 33-page decision, the Texas Supreme Court denied Facebook’s liability immunity for third party content based on Section 230 — the so-called “First Amendment of the internet" — with the majority opinion quoting FOSTA/SESTA to state that Section 230 “was never intended to provide legal protection to websites that facilitate traffickers in advertising the sale of unlawful sex acts with sex trafficking victims.”
DOJ Releases Statement on Sentencing of GirlsDoPorn Recruiter
The U.S. Department of Justice released a statement regarding the June 14 sentencing of GirlsDoPorn (GDP) recruiter and male talent Ruben Andre "Dre" Garcia to 20 years in prison for “conspiracy to commit sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion.”
Montana City Blocks Adam & Eve Sign Due to 'Moral Concerns'
Adam & Eve has received a conditional use authorization to open an adult boutique in Helena, Montana; however, the local zoning commission stipulated that the business could not have a pole-mounted sign like its neighboring stores due to “moral concerns.”
Germany's Top Censorship Advocate Moves Forward Against xHamster
Germany’s most vocal proponent of state censorship of adult content, an obscure local bureaucrat named Tobias Schmid who serves as the head of the State Media Authority (LMA) of North Rhine-Westphalia, announced this week he has identified the hosting provider of xHamster in order to continue actions towards blocking the site.
Opinion: How the 'War on Porn' Became the 'War on Porn Education'
Almost three decades after Bill Clinton fired his Surgeon General for merely stating that masturbation “is a part of human sexuality, and it's a part of something that perhaps should be taught,” the subject of sex ed finds itself once again embroiled in a culture war which, like that 1994 incident, is stoked by sensationalistic press reports.
Eighth Circuit to Hear South Dakota Prison Censorship Appeal
The ongoing Free Speech saga pitching one South Dakota inmate against his prison’s policy banning sexual content will continue after the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals is again considering the case.
MindGeek Calls Criminal Allegations in Civil Suit Over Third-Party Content 'Absurd, Reckless'
MindGeek has responded to the massive civil lawsuit filed yesterday by a group of attorneys, headed by a former lawyer for Donald Trump and Jerry Falwell Jr. on behalf of women whose videos were uploaded onto Pornhub by third parties, by reiterating their commitment to “eradicating illegal content" and by having implemented earlier this year “the most comprehensive safeguards in user-generated platform history."
84-Year-Old 'Senior Judge' Assigned to Civil Case Against MindGeek
The judge assigned to preside over the beginning of the massive civil lawsuit against MindGeek, which will hinge on complex issues of third-party uploaded content on online platforms, Section 230 liability and internet moderation, is 84-year-old Consuelo Bland Marshall, appointed by Jimmy Carter in 1980.
Massive Civil Lawsuit Filed Against MindGeek, Others Over 3rd-Party Content
A legal team headed by Michael J. Bowe, the former lawyer for Donald Trump and Jerry Falwell Jr., filed a massive civil lawsuit in California today against Pornhub parent company MindGeek, its officials and investors, on behalf of 34 women who allege they were “human trafficked” by the company in relation to allegedly illegal videos uploaded by third parties onto its flagship tube site.
Canadian Parliamentary Committee Publishes Report on MindGeek, Pornhub
After several months of hearings — in which MPs from the entire Canadian political spectrum welcomed U.S. anti-porn activists and liability lawyers with open arms, grilled Canadian MindGeek execs as if they were criminals, and first refused to invite and then silenced sex workers — the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics of Canada’s House of Commons finally issued its report and recommendations on “Protection of Privacy and Reputation on Platforms such as Pornhub.”
Boris Johnson Appointee Blames 'Porn' for Sexual Harassment in U.K. Schools
Several government watchdog organizations and officials in the U.K., including England’s new “Children’s Commissioner,” are currently conducting a campaign to address reports of an “epidemic of sexual harassment” in public and private schools, with much of the blame placed on online porn.
Russia Proposes Segregating Government-Approved Online Porn in 'Adults Only Area'
New proposals by Russia’s main political body charged with regulating media would “see X-rated material shuttered away in an adults-only area on the internet” according to what the government would determine is “illegal” or “not prohibited by law.”
FSC Hires Federal Lobbyists to Fight for Industry Over Legislation, Financial Services
Free Speech Coalition (FSC) has announced it has retained the services of a federal lobbying group to represent the adult industry trade group in discussion with government officials regarding legislation that will impact adult businesses and workers.
APAG's Alana Evans Pens Open Letter to Mastercard
The Daily Beast published on Sunday an op-ed by Adult Performance Artists Guild (APAG) President Alana Evans calling out Mastercard’s “hypocrisy” at trying to set up draconian identity verification rules for adult entertainment that would further stigmatize it and threaten its existence in comparison to adult-oriented mainstream content.
Canada: Concerns Raised About Proposed Age Verification Legislation
Canada’s federal privacy commissioner warned that a proposed age verification bill for adult content could increase the risk of revealing users’ private browsing habits.