Censorship
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.”
Boris Johnson Appointee Blames 'Porn' for Sexual Harassment in U.K. Schools
Several government watchdog organizations and officials in the U.K., including England’s new “Children’s Commissioner,” are currently conducting a campaign to address reports of an “epidemic of sexual harassment” in public and private schools, with much of the blame placed on online porn.
Russia Proposes Segregating Government-Approved Online Porn in 'Adults Only Area'
New proposals by Russia’s main political body charged with regulating media would “see X-rated material shuttered away in an adults-only area on the internet” according to what the government would determine is “illegal” or “not prohibited by law.”
FSC Hires Federal Lobbyists to Fight for Industry Over Legislation, Financial Services
Free Speech Coalition (FSC) has announced it has retained the services of a federal lobbying group to represent the adult industry trade group in discussion with government officials regarding legislation that will impact adult businesses and workers.
APAG's Alana Evans Pens Open Letter to Mastercard
The Daily Beast published on Sunday an op-ed by Adult Performance Artists Guild (APAG) President Alana Evans calling out Mastercard’s “hypocrisy” at trying to set up draconian identity verification rules for adult entertainment that would further stigmatize it and threaten its existence in comparison to adult-oriented mainstream content.
Canada: Concerns Raised About Proposed Age Verification Legislation
Canada’s federal privacy commissioner warned that a proposed age verification bill for adult content could increase the risk of revealing users’ private browsing habits.
The Atlantic Publishes Criticism of 'War on Porn' Tactics
The Atlantic published an opinion piece today that criticizes the ongoing War on Porn campaign and its attempts to shut down legal adult content on the internet.
Cherie DeVille Talks Social Media Censorship for The Daily Beast
Twice-crowned and reigning XBIZ "MILF Performer of the Year" Cherie DeVille has penned a new article for The Daily Beast that examines "the struggles of being a sex worker in this modern world."
Florida: New 'Free Speech' Law Excludes Sexual Expression
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis held a ceremony today to sign a new state bill into law that would criminalize some of the moderation practices of social media platforms in the name of “free speech,” although language concerning sexual expression carves out an exception that allows the restriction of anything that might be considered “obscene” by the platforms, as defined by Florida statutes.
Strip Clubs Challenge 'Prurient' Loan Discrimination in Court
A group of strip club owners in Pennsylvania, California, New Jersey, South Carolina and Maryland are suing the federal Small Business Administration (SBA) in a Pennsylvania federal court over their discriminatory policy classifying sex-oriented businesses as “prurient” and preventing them from receiving COVID relief.
Biden Revokes Trump's Executive Order Targeting Section 230
As part of an order revoking a number of former President Donald Trump’s executive orders, President Joe Biden rescinded last Friday his predecessor’s controversial May 2020 order calling for the revocation of Section 230, the so-called “First Amendment of the internet.”
Hong Kong: Obscenity Arrests After Decade-Old 'Gay Cops' Video Goes Viral
Hong Kong police arrested two people on Monday over their participation in a nine-year-old explicit video depicting men in police uniforms, a 10-second clip of which went viral in April.
Missouri: TV News Report Tries to Pass Anti-Porn Pastor as 'Clinician'
Following a growing trend of mainstream news organizations who misrepresent anti-porn crusaders by concealing or omitting their status as a missionary or member of the clergy, Kansas City, Missouri NBC affiliate KSHB broadcast today a report about a supposed rise in female “porn addiction” without disclosing that the person at the center of this report is, in fact, a “pastoral counselor.”
eBay Eliminates 'Adult Only' Categories, Issues Blanket Ban on Sexual Content
eBay has announced it has changed its policies regarding what it considers “adult items” effective June 15, completely eliminating the category “Adult Only” for new listings, with wording that essentially bans the vast majority of sexual expression items on their platform.
CentroU Study Notes $260M Yearly Loss to Sex Workers Due to Social Media Censorship
Centro University (CentroU) is noting the results of a recent internal study that sought to quantify the cost to sex workers of censorship by platforms like Twitter and Instagram.
Japan Faces Calls to Criminalize Non-Consensual Posting of 'Sexualized' SFW Pictures
Japanese privacy activists concerned about the online sharing of images without the subject’s approval are attempting to create criminal liability over the posting of SFW images “in a sexualized manner," using the upcoming Tokyo Olympics as justification.
BBC News' Latest Anti-Porn Report Fails to ID Religious Sources
BBC News published yesterday a tendentious report advocating government censorship of adult material by cherrypicking a variety of questionable sources.
Czech Supreme Court Upholds Fines for 'Gratuitous Nudity' in Ads
The Czech Supreme Administrative Court (NSS) ruled last month that the “gratuitous” use of images of the naked or “almost naked” female body in advertising for unrelated products constitutes discrimination in the Central European country.