War On Porn
Opinion: Religious Networks Loom Behind 2 D.C. Newspapers' 'War on Porn' Editorials
The two conservative Washington D.C. newspapers, the Washington Times and the Washington Examiner, have recently ramped up their “War on Porn” articles and editorials, following a yearlong escalation of pro-censorship content that coincided with religious group Exodus Cry’s “Traffickinghub” campaign.
Utah Lawmaker Reintroduces Bill Mandating Default 'Porn Blocks' on All Devices
Utah politicians continue their periodic attempts to pass hard-to-enforce state bills — allegedly to protect the citizenry from a made-up “public health crisis” around porn — with a new bill introduced to the legislature this week requiring “new electronic devices” to have pornography filters turned on by default.
Religiously Inspired Group NCOSE Files FOSTA Lawsuit Against Twitter
Religiously inspired anti-porn lobby NCOSE (National Center on Sexual Exploitation, formerly known as Morality in Media) helped file a lawsuit yesterday against Twitter over a third-party user post, based on the Section 230 loophole opened by the passage of FOSTA-SESTA legislation in 2018.
APAG Meets With Sen. Merkley's Staff Regarding SISEA, Releases Statement
Members of the Adult Performance Artists Guild (APAG) Executive Board met today with representatives from Senator Jeff Merkley's office (D-Ore.) to discuss his support for SISEA (Stop Internet Sexual Exploitation Act).
New Congress Cleans Slate for Bills Targeting Free Speech, Sex Workers
With the January 3, 2021 end of the 116th Congress, the several bills aiming at repealing or reforming Section 230 and the bills introduced last month as reactions to the anti-porn campaign spearheaded by religious groups which culminated in the December 4 New York Times article by Nicholas Kristof are now considered “dead” and would have to be reintroduced before the 117th Congress, which began on the same day.
The New War on Porn: How Moral Crusaders, Mainstream Media and Politicians Are Gunning for XXX
In early December 2020, the world entered the 12th month of an unprecedented pandemic, COVID-related financial losses to individuals and businesses ravaged the economy, Congress bickered over relief measures and the President of the United States continued in his historic refusal to acknowledge the results of a presidential election.
Russia Tightens Internet Laws Against 'Banned Content'
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed several laws last week to increase state control over information online, including one that introduces crippling fines for failing to remove “banned material.”
Sex Workers Warn of Harm to Safety, Livelihoods if Section 230 Is Repealed
An article published yesterday by legislative news site The Hill yesterday highlighted the dire consequences that the campaign to repeal Section 230 is already having for sex worker safety and visibility.
Made in Missouri: Senator Hawley's Quest to Revive Obscenity Prosecutions
Senator Josh Hawley's home state of Missouri, and particularly its evangelical churches, has become Ground Zero for the ongoing campaign against the entire adult entertainment industry.
McConnell Ties COVID Relief Vote to Section 230 Repeal
Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) derailed today any attempts to reach agreement on a one-time, $2,000 COVID-relief check for most Americans unless the bill also included the repeal or reform of Section 230, the so-called “First Amendment of the internet” that digital rights activists consider the basis of online free speech.
Lindsey Graham Admits Goal Is to 'Limit' Access to Porn
In an email replying to questions about his vocal support for several pieces of legislation that would effectively establish state censorship over legal adult content, Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) unequivocally stated that his goal was to “to limit society's exposure to inappropriate material.”
Reuters Report: Visa Resumes Card Use for 'Professional Content' MindGeek Sites
According to a Reuters report, Visa announced today that it “has allowed usage of its cards on MindGeek’s platforms that host professionally generated content,” although it continues the suspension of card use on the company’s tube site Pornhub “until pending investigations are complete.”
APAG Holds Meeting to Discuss Possible Impact of SISEA Bill
The Adult Performance Artists Guild (APAG) held a meeting last night to discuss the possible impact of the proposed "Stop Internet Sexual Exploitation Act" (SISEA) on adult performers' work and livelihoods.
Australia's 'Anti-Trolling' Bill Proposal Seeks Punishment for 'Offensive Content'
Australia’s Coalition party — a right-leaning partnership between the conservative Liberal Party and the rural/agricultural party The Nationals — has unveiled a legislative proposal that would mandate online platforms remove so-called "objectionable content" within 24 hours, or risk being blocked and heavily fined.
'Save Our Stages' Relief Bill May Exclude Strip Clubs Through 'Prurient' Clause
Application for relief under the Save Our Stages Act — designed to subsidize live entertainment venues and businesses affected by the months-long COVID-19 shutdown and incorporated into the $900 billion stimulus bill Congress sent to President Donald Trump for signing today — includes the standard Small Business Administration (SBA)’s discriminatory language that allows disqualification of adult-oriented businesses like strip clubs.
FSC: Why We're Fighting the 'Stop Internet Sexual Exploitation Act'
The Free Speech Coalition (FSC) has released a statement condemning the proposed Stop Internet Sexual Exploitation Act (SISEA).
Southern Baptist Leaders: 'Fight Porn' Instead of Church's History of White Supremacy, Sex Scandals
Southern Baptist religious leaders have compared the current War on Porn in general — and the attack on Pornhub, in particular — to the early Church fight against “pagan culture” and have asked for state censorship of all pornography, calling this constitutionally-protected exercise of free speech “an individual private indulgence” that combines “sexual abuse and trafficking” and “the lie that a fleeting sexual high is at the core of what it means to be human.”
Senators Propose Far-Reaching New Adult Industry Regulations
Earlier today, Senators Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) introduced bipartisan legislation, dubbed the "Stop Internet Sexual Exploitation Act," intended to "prevent the uploading of pornographic images to online platforms without the consent of the individuals in the images."
EFF Warns Against Giving Credit Cards 'Censorship Power'
Prominent digital rights advocacy group the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) published an editorial yesterday warning about the censorship power of credit card companies, after Visa and Mastercard cut off Pornhub from their payment networks.
Op-Ed: Adult Industry Has Much Better Track Record Monitoring User-Generated Content Than Big Tech
The article posted by the writer Nicholas Kristof on December 4 in the New York Times tells a heart-wrenching story with a narrow focus on only one company and one issue that plagues many giant tech companies on both adult entertainment and mainstream platforms, including but not limited to Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, WhatsApp, XVideos, Pornhub and virtually every platform that accepts user generated content (UGC) on a massive scale.