Censorship
Senator Blackburn Highlights Anti-Porn Lobby NCOSE as EARN IT Backer
Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee) issued a statement this week listing NCOSE — formerly Morality in Media — among supporters of the controversial EARN IT Act, which has been overwhelmingly condemned by leading digital rights and free speech organizations, including Free Speech Coalition.
New York Times Writer Calls for a Return to Pre-1960s 'Hypocrisy' About Porn
The New York Times published an opinion piece yesterday by staff columnist Ross Douthat advocating for a return to pre-1960s “inconsistencies and hypocrisies” about several social issues, including sexual expression.
Under Pressure From German Government, Twitter Begins Blocking Adult Content
Confirming the fears of sex workers and advocates around the world, Twitter has reportedly begun blocking German profiles that include adult content, after a local government official escalated a campaign to force the platform to implement age verification systems designed for “pornographic websites.”
UK Ministers Confirm New Age Verification Rules Target Twitter, Reddit
U.K. government officials confirmed last week that social media sites “hosting large amounts of pornographic material, such as Twitter and Reddit” would have to “introduce systems to remove adult material in the U.K., or introduce age checks to determine whether users are over 18,” The Guardian reported yesterday.
FSC Spells Out Staunch Opposition to Controversial EARN IT Act
Free Speech Coalition issued a statement today explaining in detail why it opposes the controversial EARN IT Act, and also an explainer clarifying the implications of the widely condemned legislation.
Arizona Republicans Help Defeat Copycat 'Mandatory Porn Filter' Bill
Republican legislators in the Arizona House broke ranks with a fellow GOP representative on Wednesday and helped reject her copycat proposal to implement default “porn filters” on phones and computers sold in the state.
FSC Urges Industry Action to Defeat EARN IT Act
Free Speech Coalition has issued a call to action urging industry members to contact their senators and ask them to oppose the EARN IT Act.
Influential Anti-Porn Lobby NCOSE Endorses EARN IT Act
The leading anti-porn crusading group in the U.S., the religiously inspired NCOSE, has re-endorsed the EARN IT Act after its reintroduction by Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut) in late January.
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.
Leading Digital Rights Group Urges Action Against EARN IT Act
Leading digital rights organization Electronic Frontier Foundation has issued a statement urging immediate action to defeat the revived EARN IT Act, which privacy and sex workers' rights advocates have unanimously identified as a serious censorship threat.
'NRA for Families' Leader Claims School Libraries Need 'Pornography' Purge
The leader of the American Principles Project, a well-funded right-wing lobby that calls itself “the NRA for Families," this week described the current Republican-led book-banning movement as an effort to purge “pornography” from school libraries.
Bipartisan Indiana State Bill Targets Adult Business Zoning
Two Indiana state legislators have taken a municipal battle over zoning discrimination against “sexually-oriented businesses” and ramped it up to the statewide level through a proposed bill prompted by recent legal wins by two adult boutiques.
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.”
U.K. Survey Shows Top 'Porn Filters' Also Blocking Non-Porn Content
A late-2021 U.K. survey of top parental control apps on Google Play found that practically all of them were blocking LGBTQ and sex-education sites as “adult content.”
Arizona Legislator Proposes Copycat 'Porn Filter' Bill
A Republican state representative in Arizona has introduced legislation mandating that tech companies activate some form of “porn filter” by default on any device sold in the state, mimicking a controversial bill passed in Utah last year.
FSC Sounds Alarm About Revived Anti-Section-230 California Bill
A controversial California bill that would eliminate Section 230 protections in the name of fighting “online trafficking” and “revenge porn,” along the lines established at the federal level by FOSTA-SESTA, has moved forward in the state senate, spurring the Free Speech Coalition to renew its campaign against the proposed legislation.
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.
Daily Beast Publishes Op-Ed on Personal Impact of Tech Censorship
The Daily Beast has published an editorial by PASS board chair, cam performer and health researcher Valerie Webber about the personal toll of tech censorship on her life, career and livelihood.