Conceived in part as a defensive measure against a clutch of proposed bills on Capitol Hill that would impose mandatory labeling requirements for websites that feature sexually explicit images, ASACP Executive Director Joan Irvine moderated a panel discussion on the issue with feedback from panelists Tom Hymes of the Free Speech Coalition, Brandon Shalton of Cydata Services and attorneys Lawrence Walters and Gregory Piccionelli.
“What do you want to do? We’re asking the industry,” said Walters, adding that the choice is up to the adult community but that time is running out before that choice is no longer voluntary.
The consensus among the panelist was that an ASACP-generated labeling system would help dispel misconceptions by the mainstream media and the U.S. government that the adult industry is doing nothing to protect children from accidentally viewing adult content.
Instead, a voluntary effort to label adult websites as being out of bounds for underage viewing would be a good-faith gesture that the adult industry is doing what it can to keep the Internet safe for children.
While attendance at the seminar was less than expected, Irvine and the panelists made a concerted effort to demonstrate how crucial it is for the adult industry to act before the government lays down the law.
“Hiding your head in the sand makes it easier to get kicked in the butt,” Irvine said.
ASACP has so far researched several potential labels that would be appropriate for the industry, such as an “Adults Only” label. However none have yet been decided on, and Irvine is asking for feedback from the adult community.
Irvine said that a labeling system, likely implemented through her organization on a voluntary, free basis, is not intended to be an end-all solution to the problem of exposing children to harmful material, but at the very least it will help unify the adult industry in terms of a good-faith effort to stop the problem.
“Labeling alone won’t do it,” Piccionelli said. “But it will help give parents more control to filter what their children see online. Our job is to be a helper in this process, not the guarantor.”
On a cautionary note, Piccionelli added that a Senate bill authored by John Kyl, R-Ariz., titled the Internet Safety Act, proposes a mandatory set of labeling rules for adult website owners.
The bill likely will be voted on within the next few weeks by the entire Senate and there is very little chance of it being stopped from moving forward and becoming law within a short period of time, he said.
Failure to comply with the Internet Safety Act will result in steep fines and possible jail time for adult webmasters.
“Will labeling protect children?” Walters asked. “Probably not. But the concept will protect the adult industry and will help take away the argument from the government that the adult industry is doing nothing, and therefore it will make it harder to justify pending legislation. There is a big public bang for the buck if we do it voluntarily.”
While other labeling options such as ICRA, formally known as the Internet Content Rating Association, have proven popular among many mainstream website owners, Shalton pointed out that among 10 million websites he researched, only a surprising 10,000 had the ICRA rating system in place.
Additionally, many website owners from the adult and mainstream have found the ICRA labeling system confusing and sometime ineffective.
Shalton encouraged the audience to “think globally and act locally” in terms of answering the universal call to protect children.
“But you have to do it yourself on an individual basis,” he said.
Irvine stated throughout the conference that ASACP is eager for feedback from the adult community, either directly or through the organization’s recently launched Town Hall Meeting, an open message board forum where adult professionals can provide feedback on the issue.
Irvine also encouraged webmasters to reference the FSC website for any supporting information.
“We want to be part of the process,” Irvine said on a final note. “This has to work on an internal basis or it won’t work at all.”