Censorship
Made in Missouri: Senator Hawley's Quest to Revive Obscenity Prosecutions
Senator Josh Hawley's home state of Missouri, and particularly its evangelical churches, has become Ground Zero for the ongoing campaign against the entire adult entertainment industry.
McConnell Ties COVID Relief Vote to Section 230 Repeal
Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) derailed today any attempts to reach agreement on a one-time, $2,000 COVID-relief check for most Americans unless the bill also included the repeal or reform of Section 230, the so-called “First Amendment of the internet” that digital rights activists consider the basis of online free speech.
Lindsey Graham Admits Goal Is to 'Limit' Access to Porn
In an email replying to questions about his vocal support for several pieces of legislation that would effectively establish state censorship over legal adult content, Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) unequivocally stated that his goal was to “to limit society's exposure to inappropriate material.”
Reuters Report: Visa Resumes Card Use for 'Professional Content' MindGeek Sites
According to a Reuters report, Visa announced today that it “has allowed usage of its cards on MindGeek’s platforms that host professionally generated content,” although it continues the suspension of card use on the company’s tube site Pornhub “until pending investigations are complete.”
APAG Holds Meeting to Discuss Possible Impact of SISEA Bill
The Adult Performance Artists Guild (APAG) held a meeting last night to discuss the possible impact of the proposed "Stop Internet Sexual Exploitation Act" (SISEA) on adult performers' work and livelihoods.
Australia's 'Anti-Trolling' Bill Proposal Seeks Punishment for 'Offensive Content'
Australia’s Coalition party — a right-leaning partnership between the conservative Liberal Party and the rural/agricultural party The Nationals — has unveiled a legislative proposal that would mandate online platforms remove so-called "objectionable content" within 24 hours, or risk being blocked and heavily fined.
'Save Our Stages' Relief Bill May Exclude Strip Clubs Through 'Prurient' Clause
Application for relief under the Save Our Stages Act — designed to subsidize live entertainment venues and businesses affected by the months-long COVID-19 shutdown and incorporated into the $900 billion stimulus bill Congress sent to President Donald Trump for signing today — includes the standard Small Business Administration (SBA)’s discriminatory language that allows disqualification of adult-oriented businesses like strip clubs.
FSC: Why We're Fighting the 'Stop Internet Sexual Exploitation Act'
The Free Speech Coalition (FSC) has released a statement condemning the proposed Stop Internet Sexual Exploitation Act (SISEA).
Southern Baptist Leaders: 'Fight Porn' Instead of Church's History of White Supremacy, Sex Scandals
Southern Baptist religious leaders have compared the current War on Porn in general — and the attack on Pornhub, in particular — to the early Church fight against “pagan culture” and have asked for state censorship of all pornography, calling this constitutionally-protected exercise of free speech “an individual private indulgence” that combines “sexual abuse and trafficking” and “the lie that a fleeting sexual high is at the core of what it means to be human.”
Senators Propose Far-Reaching New Adult Industry Regulations
Earlier today, Senators Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) introduced bipartisan legislation, dubbed the "Stop Internet Sexual Exploitation Act," intended to "prevent the uploading of pornographic images to online platforms without the consent of the individuals in the images."
EFF Warns Against Giving Credit Cards 'Censorship Power'
Prominent digital rights advocacy group the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) published an editorial yesterday warning about the censorship power of credit card companies, after Visa and Mastercard cut off Pornhub from their payment networks.
Op-Ed: Adult Industry Has Much Better Track Record Monitoring User-Generated Content Than Big Tech
The article posted by the writer Nicholas Kristof on December 4 in the New York Times tells a heart-wrenching story with a narrow focus on only one company and one issue that plagues many giant tech companies on both adult entertainment and mainstream platforms, including but not limited to Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, WhatsApp, XVideos, Pornhub and virtually every platform that accepts user generated content (UGC) on a massive scale.
Pornhub Responds to Visa and Mastercard Decision, New York Times Allegations
Pornhub has released two statements about yesterday’s announcement by Visa and Mastercard that their cards would no longer be accepted on the platform, following an editorial by Nicholas Kristof published by the New York Times, which makes a number of allegations against the company.
Visa, Mastercard Freeze Card Use on Pornhub
Credit card giant Mastercard Inc. released a statement today saying it will not allow their cards to be used for payments on Pornhub.
Lindsey Graham Withdraws Own Section 230 Bill After Debate
After scheduling and facilitating a lengthy, largely pointless debate on Section 230 this morning at the Committee on the Judiciary, which he chairs, Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) withdrew his S. 4632 bill — the ”Online Content Policy Modernization Act” — from consideration.
Backpage: Appeals Court Validates Questions Raised by Defendants
In a procedural win for the former owners of adult classifieds website Backpage.com, a two-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ordered federal prosecutors to address the defense’s request for the judge overseeing the criminal trial to remove herself from it.
Missouri Senator Introduces Bill Facilitating Lawsuits Against Adult Sites
Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) introduced a bill today to “enable victims of revenge porn, trafficking and sexual coercion” to sue websites posting images and videos without their consent.
Tallahassee Officials Target Adult Boutiques as 'Red Light District'
Only weeks after a Georgia county successfully put an adult boutique out of business by altering its zoning regulations for that specific purpose, politicians at another county in the South — Leon County, home of Florida state capital Tallahassee — are targeting adult businesses with a copycat argument.
GOP Senators Parrot Claims of NYT's Pornhub Editorial
Two prominent Republican Senators who have previously called for online censorship and the revocation of Section 230 protections, Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) are among the first to use the recent New York Times’ editorial by Nicholas Kristof to call for government action against Pornhub and parent company MindGeek.
Britney Amber Announces New Instagram Profile
Britney Amber is letting fans know that she has a new Instagram profile, @onlybritneyamber, after her previous account was deleted by the platform.