Telegraph Columnist: Is It Time for U.K.-Approved Porn?

LONDON — A Telegraph columnist asked in a published piece today whether it's time for state-approved porn in the U.K.

Columnist Martin Daubney admits that his "massively controversial proposition" could even achieve the unthinkable — it could "unite censors, MPs, child protection agencies and, perhaps most astonishingly of all, the pornographers themselves."

Daubney in his piece surmised that because the demand for online porn is not going away, it might be time for the state to  legislate, control and tax it.

Daubney went on to spell out how his U.K. state-controlled porn could work, including moves to revoke or modify new rules that force online video-on-demand sites to comply with R18 rules and to approve websites with compulsary age verification through groups like the Adult Provider Network, an organization representing those in the adult biz.

"An agreed 'whitelist' of sites would be approved by both ATVOD and the government, and licenses put out to tenure," he wrote. "Everything else would be 'blacklisted'" and blocked by ISPs.

Some of the porn on the U.K. sites would be free, he wrote. But high-def and "personalized" porn would be charged for, with a portion of that revenue taxed and going to back to the government.

"Brits would be watching porn, but at least we’d know what they were watching," he wrote. "[P]orn sites would be able to offer support to anybody who felt their porn use was getting out of control."

Jerry Barnett of Sex & Censorship, however, said there is fear of ATVOD's increasing clout that worries online adult operators.

"If ATVOD got the ability to write blacklists and whitelists and censor our Internet, it would make its leader one of the most powerful people in the U.K.,” Barnett said. “For the pornographers, having a government-regulated pass is a very good way to make money.”

Some readers of the column were critical of Daubney's approach, including those who derided the idea of living in a nanny state.

"What about limiting the supply of vibrators, or making it a criminal offense for a female to reject a man's sexual advances," a reader commented. "What about regulating and taxing gossip on female ... what about regulating and taxing the supply of news on websites such as The Daily Telegraph. It would be a crime to print anything critical of the state!"

Copyright © 2024 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

Nebraska Legislature Passes Republican's Age Verification Bill With No Votes Against It

Nebraska’s unicameral legislature has passed the state’s version of the age verification bills being sponsored around the country by anti-porn religious conservative activists.

Performers in Meta Blacklisting Lawsuit Seek to Preserve Antitrust Claims

Adult Performance Artists Guild board officers Alana Evans, Kelly Pierce and Ruby have informed a California court that, although they want to drop their lawsuit claiming that Meta conspired with OnlyFans to blacklist rival premium fan platforms’ talent, they may still have antitrust claims that they may pursue in the future.

FSC, Co-Plaintiffs to Ask US Supreme Court to Review Constitutionality of Texas Age Verification Law

Free Speech Coalition (FSC) and its co-plaintiffs in the challenge to Texas’ controversial age verification law have filed a petition before the United States Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit asking to stay its recent upholding the law because they intend to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court to review the law’s constitutionality.

FSC Vows to Fight Florida Age Verification Law

Free Speech Coalition (FSC) issued a statement vowing to continue fighting Florida’s age verification law, which was signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday as part of a comprehensive bill targeting minors’ use of social media.

Kansas Republican Aims to Create New Bureaucracy to 'Investigate' Porn Websites

Republican state legislators succeeded Monday in moving forward Kansas’ version of the age verification bills being sponsored around the country by anti-porn religious conservative activists, despite serious concerns raised by House Democrats about the cost of establishing a new bureaucracy tasked with investigating websites for pornographic content.

SK Intertainment Launches 'Skinfluential Management' Agency, FansFuel Joint Venture

Mr. Skin/Mr. Man parent company SK Intertainment has launched new creator agency Skinfluential Management, as well as a new joint venture with Showbizz Media's creator stats and affiliate marketing platform, FansFuel.

Industry Attorney, Free Speech Champion Clyde DeWitt Passes Away at 75

Noted industry attorney Clyde DeWitt passed away on Friday in Las Vegas at 75, according to friends and colleagues.

APClips Names Avery Jane 'Creator of the Month'

APClips has named Avery Jane its Creator of the Month for March.

JustFor.fans Offers Gumroad Users Platform to Sell NSFW Artwork

JustFor.fans (JFF) is offering Gumroad users a platform to sell NSFW artwork after the latter banned adult content.

Live Cam Academy Offers Free Access to Educational Resources

Live Cam Academy is offering its educational resources for free to content creators and cam models.

Show More