House Bill Would Heavily Regulate Online Adult Biz

WASHINGTON — A bill has been introduced in Congress that would impose prison sentences, fines and property seizures for online adult operators who make available any porn content, including content on splash pages, without an age-verification system.

The bill, HR 4059, also targets payment service providers, making them responsible to maintain internal policies to ensure that porn isn’t displayed to web surfers who enter sites without first verifying that the user is at least 18.

The sweeping piece of legislation, known as the Online Age Verification and Child Safety Act, also swings jurisdiction over to the Federal Trade Commission, which would enforce age verification for all sites offering material defined as sexually explicit under 18 U.S.C. § 2257.

Violators of the act would receive sentences of up to 10 years and undetermined fines and property seizures.

Sponsored by Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich., the bill also would establish a system to create certification for approved sites and a blacklist for adult operators who are not in compliance with mandatory age verification.

Diane Duke, the Free Speech Coalition's executive director, told XBIZ that Stupak and other misguided elected officials "seek to destroy our children’s future liberty in the guise of child safety."

"Clearly this law is unreasonable, overreaching and unconstitutional," Duke said. "FSC will continue to work with our friends in the nation’s capital to monitor and block this restrictive and ridiculous legislation."

Industry attorney Colin Hardacre told XBIZ that the bill is “frought with issues.”

“But first and foremost is the serious constitutional implications of attaching criminal liability for failure to verify age where there is still no reliable way to verify age on the Internet,” said Hardacre of the Los Angeles-based Kaufman Law Group.

As for protecting children, Joan Irvine, ASACP’s president, told XBIZ that age verification isn’t the “silver bullet.”

Irvine noted that the Internet Safety Technical Task Force’s “Enhancing Child Safety and Online Technologies” report even proved that.

“This Harvard-based research group report states that relying on mandatory age verification could actually leave our children less protected online,” she said. “It takes a community to protect children, and we must all do our part and in order to be effective the emphasis must be on education as well as providing parents the tools they need to keep kids safe.”

The legislation, introduced earlier this month, already has been referred to the Committee on Financial Services and the Committee on Energy and Commerce for review.

Related:  

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

Pineapple Support Taps Char Borley as Brand Ambassador

Pineapple Support has named Char Borley as its newest brand ambassador.

Michigan Legislators Propose Online Porn Ban

Michigan lawmakers have introduced a bill that would make it illegal to distribute pornography via the internet in the state.

Florida AG Sues Aylo, Segpay Over State AV Law

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier filed lawsuits against Aylo and Segpay on Monday with the 12th Judicial Circuit Court of Florida for noncompliance with HB3, the state's age verification law.

Colombian Court Sides with Performer Esperanza Goméz Over IG Suspensions

Colombia’s Constitutional Court last week ruled in favor of adult performer Esperanza Gómez in her legal battle against Meta over repeated suspensions of her Instagram account.

Missouri AG Announces Age Verification Rule to Take Effect Nov. 30

Newly appointed Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway announced Friday that the state's recently approved age verification regulation for adult websites will go into effect on Nov. 30.

Aylo, Woodhull Freedom Foundation to Tackle Online Censorship in Virtual Seminar

Aylo and Woodhull Freedom Foundation will co-host a virtual panel addressing online censorship on Sept. 30.

Severe Sex Films Relaunches Site Through YourPaysitePartner

Severe Sex Films has relaunched its official website through YourPaysitePartner (YPP).

Judge Awards Plaintiffs Over $400K in Attorneys Fees in Derek Hay Civil Case

California Superior Court Judge Gail Killefer has awarded former clients of LA Direct Models over $400,000 in attorneys fees and court costs, to be paid by agency founder Derek Hay.

ChickPass Rebrands as 'ChickPass Cinematic Universe'

ChickPass has announced that it has rebranded its network of sites as ChickPass Cinematic Universe.

New Adult Social Media Platform 'Havven' Opens Beta Phase

Havven, a new adult social media platform, has opened its beta phase and will officially launch Oct. 5.

Show More