Free Speech
Utah Senator Hijacks Taylor Swift AI Controversy to Push for Anti-Porn Policy
Anti-porn U.S. Senator Mike Lee has inserted himself into the controversy over recent nonconsensual AI content featuring pop singer Taylor Swift, by advocating for a new federal law that would mirror a current, extreme Utah law targeting consensual adult content.
Italy to Roll Out 'Test' Adult Content Filter Mandate Next Week
Italy will begin enforcing a new, experimental directive from online regulators on Tuesday, requiring all phone providers to install a default filter for certain kinds of content, including all adult content, on SIM cards registered to minors.
Jury Reaches Mixed Verdict in Backpage Owner, Execs Trial
The jury in the federal retrial in Arizona of former Backpage.com owner Mike Lacey and some of the company’s executives reached a verdict Thursday, finding Lacey guilty on one count of international concealment money laundering.
Sen. Mike Lee Introduces Bill to Expand Utah's Anti-Porn AV Law Nationwide
Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah) on Tuesday reintroduced his proposal for a federal age-verification law that would expand Utah’s anti-porn legislation, promoted by religious conservatives, to the entire United States.
German Proposal Aims to Shut Down Financial Services for Adult Sites
German authorities have introduced a proposal to facilitate network blocks against adult sites deemed to have inadequate age verification systems, and also to prohibit financial institutions from providing payment services to those sites.
Omegle Shut Down as Part of Civil Lawsuit Settlement
Video chat platform Omegle was shuttered earlier this week, reportedly as part of a settlement in a civil lawsuit brought on behalf of a woman who met an alleged abuser through the service when she was a minor.
Washington Post Links Trump Campaign With Plan to Criminalize All Porn Creators, Distributors
The Washington Post published on Monday an in-depth report linking the current Trump presidential campaign with “Project 2025,” a coalition of conservative organizations whose road map for the next Republican presidential administration includes a call to immediately outlaw all pornography and imprison people who produce and distribute it.
UK's Controversial 'Online Safety Bill' Becomes Law
The U.K.’s controversial Online Safety Bill received royal assent Thursday and became law.
France's Parliament Passes Controversial Law to Regulate Online Content, Including Adult
The French National Assembly, the country’s lower chamber of parliament, on Tuesday passed the controversial Law Aiming to Secure and Regulate the Digital Space, which includes provisions targeting adult content added during a period of relentless media attacks and panic-mongering against the porn industry.
Utah Proposes Rule to Check People's Age Online
The state of Utah on Monday released its first proposed rule to regulate how social media platforms verify the age of their users in the state.
Australia's Top Online Censor Fines X for Refusing to Answer Moderation Questions
Australia’s top censor, E-Safety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant, has slapped X.com with a fine of 610,500 Australian dollars (approximately $386,000) for violating the country’s new Online Safety Act.
Ohio Republican's 'Innocence Act' Could Criminalize Online Nudes
A Republican lawmaker in Ohio introduced this week an age verification bill called the “Innocence Act,” which observers have pointed out that, as submitted, could criminalize the posting of any nude image online without verifying age as a felony.
Alabama Anti-Porn Panic Causes Book to Be Flagged Because Author's Surname is 'Gay'
Amidst out-of-control anti-porn panic mongering in Alabama, a library system added children’s title “Read Me a Story, Stella” to a list of potentially “sexually explicit” books because the author is named Marie-Louise Gay.
Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren Signs on as KOSA Co-Sponsor
Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren (D) has signed up as co-sponsor of the controversial Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), a bill to limit online free speech which has been endorsed by homophobic religious conservative groups.
Democratic NC Governor Signs Copycat Age Verification Bill Into Law
Democratic governor of North Carolina Roy Cooper ignored the arguments of free speech advocates and signed into law on Monday a bill mandating age verification on adult websites.
Conservative AGs Send Letter to Aylo About Supposed Moderation 'Loophole'
South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson, along with 25 other attorneys general largely from Republican-controlled states, sent an open letter to Pornhub parent company Aylo on Friday demanding the company address a supposed “loophole” that could allow users to post CSAM.
FSC Calls on North Carolina Governor to Veto Age-Verification Bill
Free Speech Coalition (FSC) has sent a letter to North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, asking him to veto House Bill 8, to which a Republican legislator attached a copycat age-verification amendment.
Leading Free Speech Groups File Brief Blasting Texas' Age Verification and Mandatory Labeling Law
Several leading free-speech groups, led by the ACLU, urged the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit on Thursday to block the Texas age verification law that requires adult websites to post anti-porn propaganda, contending that this violates the First Amendment.
French Government Report Urges Criminalization of Adult Industry
A sensationalistic report released this week by a French government office is urging immediate state censorship and broad criminalization of the adult industry in France and worldwide.
North Carolina Group Backing Age Verification Bill Admits Law Is Actually 'Anti-Pornography'
A North Carolina religious conservative group backing just-passed age verification legislation, which a Republican state senator snuck into an unrelated bill last week, has admitted the copycat amendment is in fact an “anti-pornography provision.”