War On Porn
FSC Drops Opposition to California Age Verification Bill After Amendments
Free Speech Coalition (FSC) has dropped its formal opposition to California’s age verification bill AB 3080, after an amendment secured through months of discussions with the bill’s author was heard by the Senate Judiciary Committee.
SCOTUS Agrees to Hear Texas Age Verification Challenge
The United States Supreme Court granted on Tuesday the petition for a writ of certiorari in the Free Speech Coalition-led challenge to Texas’ age verification law, agreeing to hear the case in the next term.
Etsy Updates Policy to Ban Sale of Most Adult Pleasure Products, Content
Etsy will ban sales of most pleasure products and content that depicts sex acts and genitalia starting July 29.
Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Nebraska to Age-Restrict Access to Porn in July
Five U.S. states — Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, and Nebraska — will begin requiring age verification to access adult sites when the states’ copycat laws promoted by religious conservatives go into effect starting in July.
Australian Court Upholds Local Censorship Powers of eSafety Commissioner Inman Grant
The ongoing fight between X owner Elon Musk and Australia’s top online censor, unelected eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant, over her office’s power to ban specific content in the country and abroad, has moved into murky territory with both sides claiming partial victories.
NCOSE CEO Repeats Factually Inaccurate Statements About Pornhub Moderation at Ted Cruz Event
NCOSE CEO Dawn Hawkins repeated factually inaccurate claims about Pornhub’s content moderation on Tuesday during a Capitol Hill press conference co-organized by Republican Sen. Ted Cruz.
Texas Pastor Who Declared 'Spiritual War' Against Porn Resigns Over Molestation Allegation
Texas evangelical pastor Robert Morris, who in 2022 vowed to wage “spiritual war” against material he considered pornographic, resigned this week as senior pastor of the megachurch he founded, after the church’s board of elders reviewed allegations that he had molested a parishioner starting in 1982, when she was 12.
KOSA Sponsors Praise Surgeon General's Endorsement of Mental Health Labeling for Websites
The main sponsors of the controversial Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) bill this week urged fellow lawmakers to fast-track the bill, after the surgeon general called on Congress to mandate “mental health warnings” on social media platforms.
Anti-Pornhub Attorney Expands Strategy to 'Name and Shame' Finance Companies
A legal team headed by attorney Michael J. Bowe has expanded its strategy in a series of ongoing legal actions against Aylo, over user-uploaded content on Pornhub allegedly involving minors, this time targeting finance companies that have backed or worked with the company formerly known as Mindgeek.
European Commission Compels Pornhub, XVideos, Stripchat to Disclose DSA Compliance Data
The European Commission has singled out Pornhub, XVideos and Stripchat for enforcement of the Digital Services Act (DSA), giving them until July 4 to provide compliance information.
Industry Watch: Legal Eagles Assess Turbulence Across the Landscape
Halfway through 2024, and that old adult industry adage is once again confirmed: If it’s an election year in the U.S. — particularly a presidential election year — there will most certainly be a big spike in anti-porn campaigns by politicians seeking to score easy culture war “wins.”
FSC, Industry Stakeholders File Lawsuit to Halt Indiana's Age Verification Law
Free Speech Coalition (FSC) and several industry stakeholders filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana on Monday, aiming to block the state’s age verification law.
Religious Conservative Groups Use Age Verification Battles to Discipline Dissenting Republicans
Religious conservative leaders and publications celebrated the defeat of sitting Republican state Senator Michael Walsh in a primary election on Tuesday, boasting of the success of their efforts to target him exclusively because he voted against the anti-porn age verification bill they supported.
Southern Baptist Convention President to Leave X After New Adult Content Policy
Southern Baptist Convention President Bart Barber announced Tuesday that he will be leaving X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, after its recent clarification of its policy regarding adult content.
Utah AG Files Lawsuit Alleging TikTok LIVE is a 'Virtual Strip Club'
Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes filed a lawsuit in state court Monday alleging that TikTok’s feature TikTok LIVE operates “like a virtual strip club.”
Canadian Officials, Experts Lambast Anti-Porn Senator's Age Verification Bill
Canada’s privacy commissioner warned a parliamentary committee on Tuesday that the expansive age verification bill promoted by vocal anti-porn and anti-sex-work Senator Julie Miville-Dechênel has broad censorship implications and could end up applying to mainstream services such as Netflix.
FSC Director: New Tennessee Age Verification Law is 'Attack on 1st Amendment'
Free Speech Coalition (FSC) Executive Director Alison Boden called Tennessee’s new age verification bill, signed into law by Republican Governor Bill Lee on Tuesday, “an attack not only on the adult industry but on the First Amendment rights of millions of people who engage with adult content online.”
South Carolina Governor Links Age Verification Law, Trans Youth Care Ban
South Carolina’s Republican governor, Henry McMaster, held a combined ceremonial signing Wednesday for two laws: the state’s new age verification law for viewing adult content and a controversial ban on gender-affirming care for trans youth.
UK Tory Minister Blames Joblessness Crisis on Pornography, Video Games
The U.K. Tory government’s Work and Pensions Secretary this week blamed “pornography and video games” for what he called “a mental health crisis among young men” that he claims has resulted in them leaving the workforce.
Democratic Senator Dick Durbin Joins Press Conference Alongside Anti-Porn Crusading Group NCOSE
Democratic U.S. Senator for Illinois Dick Durbin participated in a joint press conference Wednesday organized by Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham to marshal support for the controversial Eliminating Abusive and Rampant Neglect of Interactive Technologies Act (EARN IT), alongside crusading anti-porn group NCOSE (formerly Morality in Media).