Censorship
Chinese Government Celebrates Massive Removal of 'Pornographic, Harmful' Online Content
China’s main censorship agency, the National Office Against Pornographic and Illegal Publications, released a statement today announcing the removal of over 8 million “pieces of pornographic and other harmful material” during the first half of 2020.
TikTok Meme Highlights Netflix's Double-Standard About Sexually Explicit Content
A recent TikTok meme that tricks users into recording reaction videos while watching the first few minutes of the arthouse film “Love,” now streaming on Netflix, has renewed a debate over the platform's unclear policy regarding sexually explicit content.
EARN IT Act Passes Committee Unanimously With New Amendment Shielding Encryption
The U.S. Senate’s Committee on the Judiciary voted unanimously this morning to bring the EARN IT Act to the floor of the Senate, including an amendment that explicitly separated the issue of encryption from the current scope of the legislation.
Sen. Graham Postpones EARN IT Act Hearing, Salutes It for 'Rattling the System'
The U.S. Senate’s Committee on the Judiciary postponed a hearing this morning concerning the EARN IT Act, which sex workers activists and digital rights activists have termed “the New FOSTA.”
Bipartisan PACT Act Proposes Extensive Changes to Section 230 Protections
Two U.S. senators, Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) and John Thune (R-S.D.), have introduced the Platform Accountability and Consumer Transparency (PACT) Act, a new piece of legislation aiming to update Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.
Italian Parliament Puts Roadblock on Far-Right's Attempt to Censor Adult Content
The Italian Camera, their equivalent to the U.S. House of Representatives, has approved an agenda item to prevent the passage of a controversial amendment that would have required all adult sites to be automatically blocked by device manufacturers, and at the ISP level, with the proposal that subscribers would be required to individually request the block to be lifted.
Cyberspace Administration of China Penalizes Platforms for Porn, Other 'Chaotic' Content
The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) announced today it has decided to “punish” 10 livestreaming platforms for "chaotic content,” including “pornography,” “revealing clothing on female cam stars” and "vulgar hot dances.”
Italy's Far-Right Pushes Vote on Default Online Block for Adult Content
Next Monday, Italy’s Camera, their equivalent to the House of Representatives, is due to vote on a lengthy piece of legislation concerning wiretapping and several other issues. Simone Pillon, a representative from the far-right Lega party, has inserted an amendment requiring all adult sites be automatically blocked by device manufacturers and at the ISP level, with subscribers having to call in individually and request the block to be lifted.
Kenyan Official Blames Online Porn for Teen Pregnancy Crisis, Asks for Ban
The Kenyan cabinet official in charge of education, George Magoha, has called for the banning of all porn sites, blaming them for the African nation’s teenage pregnancy crisis.
Trump's DOJ, GOP Senators Present Projects Aimed at Section 230 Protections
Two separate projects, from the Trump administration’s Department of Justice (DOJ) and by Republican senators, were released yesterday proposing modifications to Section 230 of the federal communications act, known by Free Speech advocates as “the First Amendment of the internet.”
Adult Industry Attorney J.D. Obenberger Passes Away
First Amendment attorney J.D. Obenberger, a noted specialist in adult industry issues and a self-described “advocate of liberty in general,” passed away Saturday at age 66, according to family sources.
Instacart Pressured Into Confusing Partnership With Anti-Porn Group NCOSE
Last week, the National Center On Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE), a leading War On Porn organization, pressured grocery-delivery giant Instacart to add the religiously inspired activist group as a “safety resource” to its popular app.
Is Trump's 'Online Censorship' Executive Order Good or Bad for Adult? An XBIZ Explainer
Trump's executive order issued yesterday bears the title “Executive Order on Preventing Online Censorship.” The wording might suggest to the adult entertainment business that the president is taking a stance on Free Speech, which could be beneficial to open sexual expression.
Trump Executive Order Targets Section 230, the 'First Amendment of the Internet'
A draft of the executive order announced yesterday by Donald Trump via Twitter in response to the platform’s attempt to fact-check his tweets proposes a radical modification of Section 230, the so-called “First Amendment of the Internet.”
Full Text of Donald Trump's 'Executive Order on Preventing Online Censorship'
The White House website has published the official text of Donald Trump's executive order titled "Executive Order on Preventing Online Censorship."
U.K. Politician Named 'Cummings' Shadowbanned by Twitter's Anti-Porn Filter
The latest victim of Twitter’s unnecessarily secretive censorship policy regarding sexual content is not, for a change, an adult performer, but a publicly pilloried U.K. politician surnamed Cummings.
Everything You Wanted to Know About Platforms' 'Restricted Content,' in Spreadsheet Form
Last August, performer Sophie Ladder noticed that different content platforms had different notions of what they considered “restricted content.”
Instagram, Facebook Moderation Now Regulated by Self-Appointed 'Oversight Board'
Earlier this month, as the world was preoccupied with adapting to the new challenges of the post-COVID-19 reality, Facebook announced it had established an international entity named “the Oversight Board” to make decisions about free speech and content moderation on its platforms, which include Instagram.
Michigan Judge: These Are 'No Ordinary Times' to Discriminate Against Adult Businesses
An Eastern Michigan court decision on Monday established that local strip clubs should be eligible for the Payment Protection Program (PPP) administered by the Small Business Administration (SBA) as part of the U.S. Congress-approved COVID-19 relief package, regardless of the “prurient clause” included as part of the application.
Catholic Bishops Pressure Justice Department to Revive Obscenity Task Force
A group of Catholic bishops wrote a letter to the Department of Justice last Thursday urging Attorney General William Barr to revive its Obscenity Prosecution Task Force to target the legal adult entertainment industry in the U.S.