California Gubernatorial Primary Candidate Says Rival Pushed Porn

SAN FRANCISCO — California Republican gubernatorial nomination candidate Steve Poizner has accused rival and former eBay chief Meg Whitman of pushing porn.

According to reports in the San Francisco Weekly and other sources, candidate state Insurance Commissioner Poizner said Whitman created a special section on eBay during her tenure specifically to sell highly profitable porn — much of which included extreme niche and fetish content.

Whitman was at the helm of the company from 1998 – 2008.

A YouTube commercial posted by "TeamPoizner" points out that during Whitman’s tenure, eBay sold everything from guns to pornography.

The commercial said Whitman cleaned up the guns and other questionable products but left the porn, claiming Whitman is “all about the money.”

The reports also pointed out that Whitman was interested in acquiring Craigslist — another company that shifted its sex classifieds business to an adult section so it could retain the highly profitable adult business.

The Whitman camp said, "The only pornography in this race is the obscene act of watching a liberal like Steve Poizner try to pretend he's a conservative."

Related:  

Copyright © 2026 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

Arizona State Legislator Proposes Porn Ban

A member of Arizona’s House of Representatives on Wednesday introduced a bill that would make it illegal to produce or distribute adult content in that state.

SCOTUS Won't Hear Appeal in NYC Adult Businesses Zoning Case

The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear an appeal by a group of adult businesses of a lower court’s decision allowing enforcement of a 2001 zoning law aimed at forcing adult retail stores out of most parts of New York City.

Florida Congressman Files Latest Bill to Repeal Section 230

Rep. Jimmy Patronis of Florida has become the latest member of Congress to propose legislation that would repeal Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which protects interactive computer services — including adult platforms — from liability for user-generated content.

Irish Parliamentary Committee Weighs Stricter AV Laws

The Irish national parliament’s Joint Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport met Wednesday to discuss regulation of online platforms and improving online safety, including calls for stricter age verification by adult sites.

Ofcom Issues Guidance on Age Check Placement for Adult Sites

U.K. media regulator Ofcom on Wednesday published its recommendations for where and how adult sites should deploy age checks as required for compliance with the Online Safety Act.

Former IEAU Officer Sentenced to 4 Months

Amanda Gullesserian, who performed in the industry under the name Phyllisha Anne and founded the now-defunct International Entertainment Adult Union (IEAU), has been sentenced to four months’ imprisonment for making a false statement in an IEAU federal financial report.

Utah State Legislator Proposes New 'Porn Tax'

A Utah state senator introduced a bill on Monday that would impose a 7% tax on the gross receipts of adult websites doing business in that state, plus require adult sites to pay an annual $500 fee.

Arcom-Targeted Sites Implement Age Verification in France

Five high-traffic adult websites based outside of France have implemented age verification as required under the nation’s Security and Regulation of the Digital Space (SREN) law, after receiving warnings from French media regulator Arcom.

Florida Attorney General Dismisses AV Suit Against Segpay

The Florida attorney general’s office on Monday agreed to dismiss claims against payment processor Segpay in a lawsuit over alleged noncompliance with the state’s age verification law.

FTC Weighs Reboot of 'Click to Cancel' Rulemaking Process

The Federal Trade Commission has invited public comments on a petition to renew trade regulation rulemaking concerning negative option plans, after a federal court previously vacated a “click-to-cancel” rule aimed at making it easier for consumers to cancel online subscriptions.

Show More