Free Speech
Free Speech Coalition Sues Florida to Block AV Law
Free Speech Coalition (FSC) announced Monday that it has filed a legal challenge in Florida to block HB3, the state's age verification law.
French Regulator Publishes Technical Reference Guide for Age Verification
France's Regulatory Authority for Audiovisual and Digital Communication (ARCOM) has publishedits technical reference guide for applying age verification requirements to adult websites.
Hillary Clinton Calls for Repeal of Section 230
Former Democratic presidential candidate, Secretary of State and First Lady Hillary Clinton has once again called for a total repeal of Section 230, known to digital rights activists as “the First Amendment of the internet.”
'The Only People Who've Been Hurt by This Are My Wife and Me': An Exclusive Interview With Joe Gow
Only hours after the Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents took the unusually extreme step of firing veteran communications professor Joe Gow — stripping him of tenure for creating and appearing in adult content — XBIZ spoke exclusively with him about his case.
U.S. House Revives Controversial KOSA in 2.0 Version
The U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce has advanced two internet regulation bills, including a vastly revised version of the controversial Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), which had stalled after passing the Senate.
Free Speech Organization Comes Out in Support of Wisconsin Professor Who Posted on OnlyFans
After a University of Wisconsin-La Crosse faculty tribunal recommended stripping veteran professor of communications Joe Gow of tenure last week due to Gow having unremorsefully created and appeared in adult content, a major free speech organization has come out in his support.
Trump VP Pick J. D. Vance Called for 'Outright Ban' on Adult Content in 2021
Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump announced Monday that he had selected as his running mate Ohio Senator J. D. Vance, who in a 2021 interview called for an “outright ban” on porn.
Democratic Senator Tina Smith Proposes Comstock Act Repeal for Sexual Health, Abortion Content
Democratic U.S. Senator for Minnesota Tina Smith announced on Thursday plans to introduce legislation to repeal language in the Comstock Act — the infamous law that was the cornerstone of U.S. censorship of all sexual material from the 1870s until the 1970s — concerning distribution of material related to abortion and sexual health.
X's Clarification of Adult Content Policy Triggers International Confusion
X’s recent clarification of its adult content policies has created confusion in countries with strict anti-porn laws, such as Indonesia, especially considering that X owner Elon Musk has stated that the limits of his “free speech absolutism” for the platform formerly known as Twitter are the laws of each country.
Free Speech Coalition Asks Court to Block Montana AV Law
The Free Speech Coalition (FSC) has asked the US District Court of Montana to block the state's new age verification law.
Heritage Foundation Celebrates Georgia Age Verification Law's Chilling Effect on Adult Free Speech
Influential think tank the Heritage Foundation produced an op-ed endorsing the Georgia version of the age verification bills being sponsored around the country by anti-porn religious conservative activists, and celebrating its success in also preventing adults from accessing legal, First Amendment-protected pornographic content.
Justices Alito, Thomas Invoke Victorian-Era Morality Law, Raising Censorship Concerns
Several national publications reported this week on widespread concern among Free Speech advocates after U.S. Supreme Court Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas repeatedly invoked, during a hearing, the Comstock Act, an infamous law that was the cornerstone of U.S. censorship of sexual material from the 1870s until the 1970s.
Nebraska AV Bill Moves Forward Despite Privacy, Free Speech Concerns
Nebraska’s unicameral Legislature has given first-round approval to LB 1092, the state’s version of the age verification bills being sponsored around the country by anti-porn religious conservative activists.
FSC, Co-Plaintiffs to Ask US Supreme Court to Review Constitutionality of Texas Age Verification Law
Free Speech Coalition (FSC) and its co-plaintiffs in the challenge to Texas’ controversial age verification law have petitioned the United States Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit to stay its recent decision upholding the law, because they intend to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court to review the law’s constitutionality.
Industry Attorney, Free Speech Champion Clyde DeWitt Passes Away at 75
Noted industry attorney Clyde DeWitt passed away on Friday in Las Vegas at 75, according to friends and colleagues.
Indiana ACLU Warns About Censorship Potential of State's Age Verification Bill
The American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana has warned that the state’s version of the age verification legislation being sponsored around the country by anti-porn religious conservative activists will likely result in censorship of LGBTQ+ and other constitutionally protected content.
Kentucky Republicans Revive 'Public Health Crisis' Claims to Justify Anti-Porn Bills
Republican lawmakers in the Kentucky House and Senate are renewing claims that adult content is part of a “public health crisis,” to justify introducing matching copycat versions of the age verification legislation being sponsored around the country by anti-porn religious conservative activists.
NiteFlirt Joins Free Speech Coalition as Sponsor
Phone sex service NiteFlirt has joined the Free Speech Coalition (FSC) as a Silver-level sponsor.
Kansas Senator Dismisses Free Speech Concerns About Her Age Verification Bill
The Kansas state Senate Judiciary Committee last week voted unanimously to endorse the state’s copycat version of the age verification legislation being sponsored around the country by anti-porn religious conservative activists, despite Democratic senators expressing concerns about potential implications for free speech.
Iowa Republican Changes Porn Filter Bill Into Age Verification Bill After Learning More About Phones
The Republican legislator behind Iowa’s mandatory porn filter bill said that, after realizing that multinational electronics corporations were unlikely to alter phones and other devices to comply with one state law, he was turning his bill into yet another version of the age verification legislation being sponsored around the country by anti-porn religious conservative activists.