War On Porn
New Report: Asia Leads 'Concerning' Global Trend Towards Internet Censorship
China, North Korea, Iran and several other nations on the Asian continent lead the global trend towards increased censorship of internet content — including blanket bans on “pornography” — according to a new study by cybersecurity research firm Comparitech titled, “Internet Censorship 2021: A Global Map of Internet Restrictions."
Anti-Porn Crusader Rebrands as 'Non-Religious,' Initiates Civil Lawsuits
Leading anti-porn crusader Laila Mickelwait — until last year a mouthpiece for the religious ministry Exodus Cry — has completed her rebranding with the full launch of a website called “Justice Defense Fund,” promoting “civil litigation and legislation” against adult content websites.
Canada Asks Citizens, Stakeholders for Input on New Online Content Regulation
The Canadian government is inviting “stakeholders and Canadians” to submit comments regarding a current proposal to regulate online content, which was prompted by the recent parliamentary hearings targeting Pornhub and its parent company, MindGeek.
Georgia Judge Orders Tokyo Valentino Location Shuttered
A Cobb County Superior Court judge has ordered a Tokyo Valentino store closed as the adult boutique awaits an appeal over a zoning and licensing dispute instigated by local officials who oppose “sexually oriented businesses” in the Atlanta-area city of East Cobb.
Federal Agency Endorses Campaign by Germany's 'Top Anti-Porn Warrior'
The one-man War on Porn being conducted in Germany by an obscure, conservative local bureaucrat from the North Rhine-Westphalia region has now gone federal, with his attempt to “shut down” all major tube sites over alleged age-verification infractions receiving the blessing of the federal Commission for the Protection of Minors in the Media (Kommission für Jugendmedienschutz or KJM).
Kenya: Free Speech Groups Warn Against Total Porn Ban Proposal
Several free speech groups sent an open letter last week to a Kenyan MP who has been pushing forward a restrictive amendment to the country’s 2018 “Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act” (CMCA), including a blanket ban on all “pornography.”
MindGeek Lawyers Ask Alabama Judge to Uphold Section 230 Protections
MindGeek lawyers presented this week their first on-record Section 230 arguments in the current onslaught of liability lawsuits over third-party content uploaded onto Pornhub, part of the War on Porn-driven campaign that kicked off with Nicholas Kristof’s New York Times article in early December 2020.
Cherie DeVille Op-Ed Decries Instagram Bias Against Trans Performers
A new op-ed by Cherie DeVille for The Daily Beast, published on Monday, addresses the blatant discrimination against trans performers on Facebook-owned Instagram even as the companies paid lip-service to LGBTQ+ rights during Pride Month.
MasterCard Execs Meet With APAG, FSC Over New Processing Rules
Executives from MasterCard held a meeting yesterday with representatives from adult performers union APAG and industry trade group Free Speech Coalition (FSC) to discuss the upcoming rule changes for credit card processing of adult content.
Tokyo Valentino Owner Fights to Keep Georgia Adult Boutiques Open
Michael Morrison, owner of the Southern adult boutique chain Tokyo Valentino, gave an interview to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution explaining the ongoing zoning battle provoked by conservative city council politicians and lawyers attempting to chase his business out of two Georgia locations.
NCOSE Activist Opens TikTok Account to Spread Anti-Sex Work Propaganda
Haley McNamara, an activist affiliated with powerful, religiously-inspired anti-porn lobby NCOSE (formerly Morality in Media), has started a TikTok account to spread propaganda targeting adult content and sex worker rights.
India Moves Forward to Compel Twitter to Ban All Adult Content
India’s National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) is moving forward with proceedings to “ban the access of children to Twitter” in the country until the platform “completely removes all pornographic material.”
DOJ Releases Statement on Sentencing of GirlsDoPorn Recruiter
The U.S. Department of Justice released a statement regarding the June 14 sentencing of GirlsDoPorn (GDP) recruiter and male talent Ruben Andre "Dre" Garcia to 20 years in prison for “conspiracy to commit sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion.”
Germany's Top Censorship Advocate Moves Forward Against xHamster
Germany’s most vocal proponent of state censorship of adult content, an obscure local bureaucrat named Tobias Schmid who serves as the head of the State Media Authority (LMA) of North Rhine-Westphalia, announced this week he has identified the hosting provider of xHamster in order to continue actions towards blocking the site.
Opinion: How the 'War on Porn' Became the 'War on Porn Education'
Almost three decades after Bill Clinton fired his Surgeon General for merely stating that masturbation “is a part of human sexuality, and it's a part of something that perhaps should be taught,” the subject of sex ed finds itself once again embroiled in a culture war which, like that 1994 incident, is stoked by sensationalistic press reports.
Eighth Circuit to Hear South Dakota Prison Censorship Appeal
The ongoing Free Speech saga pitching one South Dakota inmate against his prison’s policy banning sexual content will continue after the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals is again considering the case.
MindGeek Calls Criminal Allegations in Civil Suit Over Third-Party Content 'Absurd, Reckless'
MindGeek has responded to the massive civil lawsuit filed yesterday by a group of attorneys, headed by a former lawyer for Donald Trump and Jerry Falwell Jr. on behalf of women whose videos were uploaded onto Pornhub by third parties, by reiterating their commitment to “eradicating illegal content" and by having implemented earlier this year “the most comprehensive safeguards in user-generated platform history."
84-Year-Old 'Senior Judge' Assigned to Civil Case Against MindGeek
The judge assigned to preside over the beginning of the massive civil lawsuit against MindGeek, which will hinge on complex issues of third-party uploaded content on online platforms, Section 230 liability and internet moderation, is 84-year-old Consuelo Bland Marshall, appointed by Jimmy Carter in 1980.
Massive Civil Lawsuit Filed Against MindGeek, Others Over 3rd-Party Content
A legal team headed by Michael J. Bowe, the former lawyer for Donald Trump and Jerry Falwell Jr., filed a massive civil lawsuit in California today against Pornhub parent company MindGeek, its officials and investors, on behalf of 34 women who allege they were “human trafficked” by the company in relation to allegedly illegal videos uploaded by third parties onto its flagship tube site.
Canadian Parliamentary Committee Publishes Report on MindGeek, Pornhub
After several months of hearings — in which MPs from the entire Canadian political spectrum welcomed U.S. anti-porn activists and liability lawyers with open arms, grilled Canadian MindGeek execs as if they were criminals, and first refused to invite and then silenced sex workers — the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics of Canada’s House of Commons finally issued its report and recommendations on “Protection of Privacy and Reputation on Platforms such as Pornhub.”