Global War on Porn
China Renews Crackdown Against 'Pornography' as Beijing 2022 Olympics Begin
The Chinese government has stepped up a police campaign to crush “illegal and inappropriate content” — which it defines as “online rumors, pornography and superstition” — as the controversial 2022 Beijing Olympic Games kick off.
Canadian Government Sends Controversial 'Online Harms' Bill Back to the Drawing Board
The Canadian government released its report on a controversial "online harms" bill today, highlighting concerns raised by stakeholders and sending it back to the drawing board.
UK Charity Releases Study on Financial Discrimination Against Sex Workers
National Ugly Mugs, a U.K. charity focused on sex worker rights and outreach, has released a comprehensive research report on financial discrimination against sex workers in the U.K., including adult performers and businesses.
U.K. Lord: Porn 'Normalizes Sexual Behavior' Unfit for 'Wooing a Woman'
The Earl of Erroll, a British nobleman with an inherited title dating back to the 15th century, gave a speech to the House of Lords supporting state intervention in adult content through a revamped Online Safety Bill, claiming that online porn “normalizes anal sex and blowjobs” which “are just really not about how to go around wooing a woman.”
Singapore's Top OnlyFans Creator Charged With 'Obscenity'
Titus Low, one of Singapore’s top-rated OnlyFans creators, was arrested last week and charged with “transmitting obscene material via electronic means.”
French Regulator Continues Threatening Tube Sites, Refuses to Provide Guidance on Age Verification
The French government's media regulation agency has said it is currently analyzing the responses of five operators of adult tube sites who were ordered to implement age verification systems, under threat of being completely blocked in the country, after the deadline to comply passed last week.
France, Germany, U.K. Move Toward Segregating Adult Content Behind 'Soft Paywall'
The French government has given another ultimatum to five adult websites to implement age verification measures by today, or face being completely blocked in the entire country.
Russia Tightens Internet Censorship Through Fines for 'Banned Content'
A year after Vladimir Putin announced sweeping measures to regulate internet content, a Russian court today fined Google nearly $100 million for “systematic failure to remove banned content,” which encompasses both political and social messaging of which the Moscow government does not approve, and almost all adult material online.
German Digital Rights Group Warns Against Imminent Porn Block
German digital rights group Netzpolitik.org has published an editorial warning against the current onslaught by self-proclaimed “youth protectors” attempting to use the country’s court system to force a government ban on adult tube sites.
Chinese Social Media Giant Weibo Ordered to Crack Down on 'Soft Porn'
China’s social media giant Weibo announced a sweeping overhaul of its content moderation to target and eliminate content deemed to be sexual expression, or “soft porn,” after receiving a hefty fine by Chinese internet regulators.
UK Parliamentary Committee Endorses Restrictive 'Online Safety' Bill
A U.K. parliamentary committee published earlier this week a report on the draft of a restrictive Online Safety Bill being actively promoted by Boris Johnson’s government, several Labor MPs and virtually all the U.K. press.
French Regulator Threatens to Block Top 5 Tube Sites Over Age Verification
Top adult tube sites in France were summoned Monday by the country’s Conseil Supérieur de l’Audiovisuel, a regulatory government body similar to the American FCC, and ordered to “prevent minors from accessing their content before the end of the year” under penalty of being deplatformed by internet service providers.
French Press Uncover Government Plan to Mandate Age Verification
Anonymous sources have leaked the alleged plans of France’s Conseil Supérieur de l’Audiovisuel, a regulatory government body similar to the American FCC, to compel adult sites “before the end of the year” to immediately implement a form of age verification under penalty of being deplatformed by internet service providers.
Council of Europe Issues Resolution Recommending Sweeping Porn Regulation
The Council of Europe, the continent’s main post-WWII human rights organization, published a resolution late last month that recommends sweeping government intervention in the regulation of adult content online.
French Public TV Airs Segment on MindGeek
France 24, the public news network funded by the French government to report on international news, released a report today about the legal and political challenges against MindGeek.
The Guardian's Latest Anti-Porn Report Neglects to ID Religious Activist
The Guardian today again published a supposed news article advocating requiring age verification for viewing adult content — but which was, in fact, content sponsored by a shadowy U.S. foundation that pays the Anglo-American newspaper to further its purported mission to combat human trafficking.
WGCZ Engages Top Law, Communications Firms in French Censorship Fight
WGCZ, the parent company of tube site XVideos and several other international adult companies, has reportedly hired a prestigious international law firm, as well as a powerful communications and marketing conglomerate, to lobby government regulators to limit the scope of proposed sweeping regulations on adult content.
German Court Sides With Anti-Porn Crusader, Blocks 3 Adult Sites
The one-man War on Porn being conducted in Germany by an obscure, conservative local bureaucrat from the North Rhine-Westphalia region has resulted in the first national ban order on “three pornographic sites based in Cyprus.”
Afghanistan: When Religious Zealots Win, Porn Just Goes Underground
A new report by MIT’s prestigious Technology Review shows how sexual expression and adult content continue to exist as an underground phenomenon when religious zealots impose their views on the general population.
U.K. Government Ready to Move Forward With Controversial Age Verification Scheme
The conservative U.K. government led by Boris Johnson has signaled to establishment newspaper The Times that it is ready to revive an age verification scheme for online adult content — a plan previously shelved in favor of the pending Online Safety Bill.