Adult Site Traffic Drops as Surfers Fear Arrest

LOS ANGELES – Consumer's concerns over unwarranted prosecution due to inadvertently downloading illegal pornographic images have taken a toll on the traffic and revenues historically enjoyed by many legitimate adult entertainment websites.

With an increasing climate of morality seeping into many forms of media, corporate censorship of mainstream material on the rise, and today's experienced surfers who have endured years of abuse at the hands of unscrupulous webmasters, a backlash against the excesses of adult sites is underway – fueled in no small part over a fear of punishment for the actions of unlawful marketers of illegal child pornography.

According to Adult Sites Against Child Pornography Executive Director Joan Irvine, concerned people have written ASACP to ask what will happen if they view child pornography by mistake. These consumers cite, for example, receiving spam emails that talk about child pornography with links to illegal websites, and they fear arrest due to inadvertently possessing the images often contained in these unwanted emails. Others are concerned over the possibility of accidentally stumbling over illegal or otherwise objectionable material, and cite this as a reason for curtailing their adult site surfing habits.

According to Irvine, "Millions of Americans surf the Internet for adult entertainment. It's their constitutional right to enjoy this, just as it is the adult sites' right to provide this content under freedom of speech rules. However, no one wants to end up in jail for a few minutes of fleeting pleasure in the privacy of their own home or office."

Fears over prosecution for "accidentally" viewing child pornography are not limited to American surfers, however. In Australia, a recent campaign against child pornography conducted by the national police entitled "Operation Auxin" has been blamed for a significant drop off in the number of surfers patronizing mainstream adult sites, most notably after a Perth man was jailed for possession of child pornography – despite his assertions that he downloaded the material in question from what he believed to be a legitimate – and legal – adult website.

Eros Foundation, an Australian adult industry lobbying group, claims that while most legitimate adult sites are careful about the content they use, Operation Auxin was taking its toll on traffic and sales. According to Eros Foundation director Robbie Swan, "Child pornography really impacts on our members' businesses because customers get nervous and don't want to look at any erotic material in case they inadvertently visit an illegal site."

"The Eros Association began a joint venture with the international sex industry program Adult Sites Against Child Pornography a year ago and this program has now been responsible for over 27 arrests overseas," said Eros Association spokeswoman Fiona Patten, adding that "The mainstream sex industry hates child pornography more than anyone but has the technical ability to provide invaluable resources to police and governments, if it is given the chance."

Malcolm Day, managing director of AdultShop.com commented on how some people fail to distinguish between legal adult erotica and illegal child pornography, saying that "It has led to legitimate sites being thrown in the same pot as illegal businesses."

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

Texas Resumes AV Lawsuit Against Aylo Following SCOTUS Decision

A district court judge in Texas has unfrozen the state’s $1.6 million lawsuit against Aylo for allegedly failing to comply with age verification requirements, Bloomberg Law is reporting.

JuicyAds Wins Trademark Infringement Case Against Fraudulent Domain

JuicyAds has won its World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) case against a website using a similar domain to impersonate the company's site and defraud customers.

Anissa Kate, Jordan Starr Top AEBN for Q2 of 2025

AEBN has published its top-selling stars for the second quarter of 2025, with Anissa Kate landing atop the leaderboard for straight theaters and Jordan Starr heading up the gay rankings.

AEBN Reveals Eva Maxim as Top Trans Star for Q2 of 2025

AEBN has published its top trans stars list for the second quarter of 2025, with Eva Maxim landing atop the leaderboard.

France Reinstates Age Verification Rule for EU Sites

France’s highest court, the Council of State, on Tuesday reinstated age verification rules for EU-based sites under the country’s Security and Regulation of the Digital Space (SREN) law, ruling in favor of the French government and against Hammy Media.

Whisper Fans Joins Pineapple Support as Supporter-Level Sponsor

Whisper Fans has joined the ranks of over 70 adult businesses and organizations committing funds and resources to Pineapple Support.

Utherverse Launches 'Red Light Center' Virtual World

Virtual reality and metaverse technology company Utherverse has launched its new virtual world, RedLightCenter.io.

European Commission Approves AV Guidelines, Unveils Prototype App

The European Commission on Monday released its final, approved guidelines for protecting minors online under the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) and made public a “white label” age verification app intended to help sites and platforms comply with age verification rules under the DSA.

Show More