FSC Announces Inaugural Leadership Conference at 2018 XBIZ Show

LOS ANGELES — Industry trade group Free Speech Coalition will be hosting the inaugural Leadership Conference next month in conjunction with the 2018 XBIZ Show, presented by ManyVids, at the Andaz hotel in West Hollywood.

The one-day Leadership Conference will be open to FSC members only.

Speakers from the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the Center for Democracy and Technology and the British Board of Film Classification, among others, will engage on new legal, regulatory and technological issues facing adult businesses in 2018.

“If we’re going to grow as an industry, we need places where leaders can engage with outside experts on key issues,” said Eric Paul Leue, FSC’s executive director “Last year, FSC was really fortunate to secure representatives from companies like Wired.com, Mozilla and the Center for Democracy and Technology for our XBIZ panel discussion on HTTPS.

“The hall was packed, and we received a tremendous response, so we wanted to expand on that success this coming year. We are grateful that XBIZ is providing the space for these important discussions.”

Alec Helmy, founder and publisher of XBIZ, said that 2018 likely will “present challenges unlike anything we’ve faced before.”

Helmy pointed to detrimental “issues that can impact everyone’s bottom line, whether you’re involved in online commerce or not.”

“It’s imperative that we acquire authoritative information, discuss the risks and determine the best course of action for our businesses —  and FSC’s Leadership Conference will enable us to do just that,” Helmy said.

The FSC said topics will include:

• Net Neutrality and SESTA: "The potential loss of net neutrality, coupled with challenges to the Communications Decency Act’s Section 230 (through the Senate’s SESTA bill) may be the free speech battle for the 21st century. Internet speeds for adult sites could be slowed or stopped by cable providers and other ISPs, and adult sites could be held liable for content uploaded to their sites. We’ll be talking with experts who will explain how these changes will affect adult sites, and how to fight back,” the FSC said.
• The U.K. Digital Economy Act: "Starting in Spring 2018, the U.K. will require mandatory age-verification for any visitor to an adult site, using a third-party verifier,” the FSC said. “Sites that do not comply will be blocked in the U.K., with potential fines of up to $250,000. If successful, the DEA is likely to become a template for age-verification elsewhere, including the U.S. We’ll talk with experts who will explain how to comply, and what your rights are.”
• General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR): “Extensive new data privacy laws in the E.U. could result in millions of dollars in fines for adult companies, no matter where they reside,” the FSC said. “Companies that do not adequately protect user data, or alert users after data breaches, could face fines of up to four percent of revenue. We’ll talk with experts who will lay out the rules for the GDPR how to comply.”

There is no cost to attend the Leadership Conference for members, but available space is limited in order to provide a more manageable discussion, the FSC said.

The invitations for the Leadership Conference will be sent out in the beginning of December to FSC Diamond and Platinum members, after any additional space will be opened to the broader FSC membership base.

FSC members interested in attending the Leadership Conference should contact julie@freespeechcoalition.com and ask to be added to the interest list.

XBIZ 2018 returns to West Hollywood, Calif.’s stylish Andaz hotel from Jan. 15-19 to deliver an upgraded slate of events, culminating on Thursday, Jan. 18, with the 2018 XBIZ Awards show.

The annual business-to-business pilgrimage attracts the most diverse group of decision makers, company principals and international players, uniting all industry segments of adult for a comprehensive look at content creation, marketing, publishing and technology.

Affiliates, producers and talent receive free admission to the XBIZ Show, while XBIZ.net members qualify for discounted registration.

To book a room at the Andaz during XBIZ 2018 click here.

Stay tuned to XBIZ.com for additional XBIZ 2018 event announcements.

For event sponsorship opportunities, contact events@xbiz.com.