Censorship
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.
Marcela Alonso Adds Incentives to Indiegogo Campaign for Doc on Social Media Censorship
Marcela Alonso, adult content creator and host of the weekly IG Live show "Sunday Funday," has added incentives to her Indiegogo campaign for her documentary on social media censorship.
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.
FSC Joins National Organizations in Denouncing Book Censorship
Free Speech Coalition (FSC) is one of several national organizations which signed onto a campaign by the National Center Against Censorship (NCAC) to protest a campaign by right-wing activists targeting school libraries nationwide.
Anti-Porn Lobbyist, Reality TV Figure Josh Duggar Convicted for CSAM
Josh Duggar, former director of the lobbying arm of the powerful, religiously motivated anti-porn group Family Research Council, was found guilty by a federal jury in Arkansas this morning of downloading and possessing child sexual abuse material.
Plaintiffs Seek to Overturn Section 230 Ruling Protecting Reddit in Alleged CSAM Case
A dismissed class-action lawsuit against Reddit, alleging that the platform “knowingly benefits from lax enforcement of its content polices, including for child pornography,” has been revived through an appeal to the Ninth Circuit.
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.
Marcela Alonso Raises Funds on Indiegogo for Doc on Social Media Censorship
Marcela Alonso, content creator and host of the weekly Instagram Live show, “Sunday Funday,” is asking fans to help her raise funds on Indiegogo for an original documentary on social media censorship.
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.
Cherie DeVille Pens Article on Financial Discrimination Against Sex Workers
Cherie DeVille has penned a new essay for the Daily Beast about financial discrimination against sex workers and the controversy generated by Mastercard’s rule changes last month.
Dame Debuts 'Tame' Sex Toy Ad Campaign on New York Subway
Dame Products unveiled today its long-awaited New York subway ad campaign for sex toys, after a years-long legal battle with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA).
South Korea Targets Philippines-Based Alleged Porn Distributor
An alleged South Korean porn distributor has been arrested in the Philippines by immigration authorities after Seoul officials requested his deportation and accused him of “distribution of over 7,400 obscene videos via internet file sharing websites.”
UK High Court Allows London Clergyman's Campaign for Age Verification Review
Following a religiously inspired campaign by a London clergyman, the High Court in the U.K. has opened the way for a legal challenge to the government’s 2019 decision to suspend the implementation of an age verification scheme for “pornography sites.”