Utah Task Force Claims to Shut Down 155 Child Porn Sites

SALT LAKE CITY — The head of Utah’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force is claiming that a controversial law passed in March already has yielded the closure of 155 websites containing child pornography.

However, the ICAC’s choice of words may be overstating the results. While the ICAC called the action a porn “bust,” there haven’t been any arrests made or charges filed.

Technically, in fact, the ICAC hasn’t even shut down the sites — rather, it has made it difficult for them to make any money by working with the FBI, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and credit card companies to prevent targeted sites from processing credit card payments.

“If money is not coming in, they’re not going to keep the site operating,” ICAC Director Chris Ahearn said. “A lot of these billing sites are overseas, which makes it tough for the task force to reach out to them, but the partnership with private industry has allowed them to dry up the flow of money.”

Ahearn said the task has been made at least a little easier by the development of technology that automatically searches the Internet to find sites that appear to be posting images of children in sexual situations.

“Having a partnership with private industry makes for a much more effective means to combat problems that come up, and I think this is a prime example of how that can be done,” Ahearn said.

In an effort to place further financial constraints on the sites, the task force also is encouraging credit card companies to seek civil penalties from sites that use their company logos illegally; most credit card companies require sites to submit to a review process in order to use a company logo on their billing forms.

ASACP Executive Director Joan Irvine said she agrees that the best way to shut off the commercial distribution of child porn is to cut off the flow of money, but added that most child porn is not commercially distributed and that commercial child porn sites often use alternative billing methods to avoid dealing with credit card companies.

“Many of the child porn images are traded among pedophiles and do not involve the use of credit card payments,” Irvine told XBiz. “In fact, just as the ASACP’s empirical data demonstrates that 99.9 percent of the validated child porn reports have nothing to do with the professional adult entertainment industry, other data indicates that a high percentage of the payments are through a non credit card option.”

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

Kyrgyzstan President Signs Measure Outlawing Internet Porn

President Sadyr Japarov of Kyrgyzstan on Tuesday signed into law legislation outlawing online adult content in the country.

NC Legislature Overrides Veto of Extreme Anti-Adult Industry Bill

The North Carolina state legislature on Tuesday voted to override Gov. Josh Stein’s veto of a bill imposing regulations that industry observers have warned could push adult websites and platforms to ban most creators and content.

Report: VPN Downloads Soar in UK Following Age Verification Deadline

Virtual private network apps, which can be used to circumvent geo-specific age verification requirements, are topping Apple App Store downloads in the U.K. in the wake of new Online Safety Act rules, the BBC is reporting.

Strike 3 Holdings Sues Meta for Pirating Vixen Media Group Content to Train AI

Vixen Media Group owner Strike 3 Holdings filed suit in federal court this week, accusing Facebook parent company Meta of copyright infringement and alleging that Meta has extensively pirated VMG content to train its artificial intelligence models.

Friday is Final AV Compliance Deadline in UK

Friday, July 25 marks U.K. media regulator Ofcom’s deadline for user-to-user services such as tube, cam and fan sites to implement its requisite “highly effective age assurance” measures for preventing minors from viewing adult content.

Two Texas Bills Restricting Sex Toy Sales Fail to Pass

Two bills aimed at restricting sales of sex toys have failed to pass the Texas state legislature during its 2025 session.

NYC Adult Stores Petition for Rehearing in Zoning Law Case

A group of adult businesses on Tuesday petitioned the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit to rehear a case involving a zoning law that could severely limit adult stores’ operations in New York City.

Ofcom Releases Transparency Reporting Guidelines

Ofcom, the U.K. media regulator, has made public its official guidance detailing how online service providers — including adult sites — will be required to publish annual transparency reports on their efforts to protect children from online harms.

New AV Rules Take Effect for Ireland-Based Sites

Ireland’s Online Safety Code came into force Monday, including a provision requiring adult sites headquartered in Ireland to implement age assurance measures beyond self-declaration.

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.

Show More