At the forefront of this battle is ASACP, the Association of Sites Advocating Child Protection – a non-profit organization best known for its work in helping to eliminate the online trade in imagery depicting the criminal sexual abuse of children, through vehicles such as its CP Reporting Hotline and other initiatives aimed at protecting children – and the legitimate players in our industry.
Recently, ASACP has become involved in the issue of adult website labeling. Trying to incorporate the viewpoints of as many industry players as possible, ASACP has launched a virtual “Town Hall” meeting on the subject, which I encourage you all to participate in and let your feelings on this issue be known.
You may not be aware of it, but there are several pieces of pending legislation that would require every page of every adult website available to U.S. customers to carry a label to be developed by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) that would enable software filters to block access to the site by those legally unable to view it, such as minors or those in communities where such material is prohibited, or those who simply do not wish to be exposed to this material.
While the outcome of this pending legislation is uncertain – and any such law likely to be vigorously challenged – the association, together with its legal team, is quickly moving ahead on a proactive, industry response by developing a free, voluntary labeling system that will serve the interests of all parties involved.
Until this solution becomes available, I encourage all of you to add an ICRA tag to your website and to voluntarily submit your adult URLs to the leading filtering companies in an effort to demonstrate that the responsible elements of this industry are interested in “doing the right thing” – and show your support of ASACP by becoming a member as well as by participating in its virtual Town Hall meeting. I’ll see you there!