Spanish Anti-Porn Activists Demand Laws to Match Utah and China

Spanish Anti-Porn Activists Demand Laws to Match Utah and China

SEVILLE, Spain — Local Spanish politicians and activists are demanding anti-porn legislation to mirror current initiatives in France, Germany, Utah and even China.

The current flurry of activity targeting the adult industry in Spain is focused in Andalusia and among local bureaucrats on the regulatory council Consejo Audiovisual de Andalucía (CAA).

Much like in Germany, where an obscure local politician at the head of the State Media Authority of North Rhine-Westphalia has been responsible for starting most anti-porn initiatives, and the U.S., where religious activists in Utah have sparked a wave of copycat legislation in other states, local Andalusian authorities are currently busy holding meetings in search of a solution to restrict minors’ access to adult material in Spain.

Last month the CAA organized a conference to address the supposed threat to minors posed by internet pornography. Tech journalist Enrique Benítez, from the influential Prensa Ibérica media conglomerate, participated and afterward published an editorial in Prensa Ibérica’s flagship newspaper El Periodico de España, advocating for local laws to follow the lead of France and the U.K. in threatening to block adult websites unless they implement age verification.

In the editorial, Benítez touts Utah’s current attempt at banning access to adult sites: a deliberately vague age verification law that is currently being challenged by Free Speech Coalition on multiple constitutional grounds. He also praises Google’s collaboration with China to censor specific search language and muses about forcing the tech giant to do the same thing in Spain to block searches for sex-related keywords.

“Google made a proposal to enlist its search engine in the service of the Chinese government’s demands,” he writes. “Thus, searching ‘democracy’ or ‘Tiannanmen’ did not bring up the expected results.” The same thing, he notes, happened later with Russia and the word “war.”

“Why can they collaborate with authoritarian regimes and not do the same thing with established democracies that seek to protect their minor citizens?” he asks.

Deeming it “unfair” to expect families to monitor minors’ access to online content, Benítez proposed shifting the responsibility to online platforms. Unlike the U.S., Europe has nothing resembling Section 230 liability protections over user-generated content.

Last week, Andalusia’s CAA issued yet another porn-panic report, this time raising the alarm over supposed “detailed instructions” available on open platforms like YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Telegram and Reddit, explaining how to gain access to OnlyFans content.

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

Chaturbate Announces 2025 Music Contest Winners

Chaturbate has revealed the winners of its 2025 music competition.

2026 XBIZ Exec Awards Pre-Noms Open With Debut of New 'Impact' Honors

XBIZ is pleased to announce that the pre-nomination period for the 2026 XBIZ Exec Awards, the adult industry’s premier career honor, begins today and runs through Oct. 14.

MYM Launches New Traffic System

German creator platform MYM has launched a new traffic system for its members.

Ukrainian Content Creators on Hook for Nearly $10M in Back Taxes

Content creators in Ukraine owe the equivalent of $9.3 million in back taxes, according to the country's State Tax Service.

European Patent Office Board of Appeals Revokes EIS GmbH Patent

The European Patent Office (EPO) Board of Appeals last week ruled in favor of pleasure brand LELO in the company's ongoing dispute with Satisfyer parent company EIS GmbH.

Eroutique Relaunches Site Through YourPaysitePartner

Eroutique has relaunched its official website through YourPaysitePartner (YPP).

Update: Pornhub Will Not Block Ohio, Despite AV Law

Pornhub parent company Aylo will not block access to its websites in Ohio, despite new state age verification rules that came into effect Sept. 30.

Pineapple Support, Pornhub to Host 'ADHD-Friendly' Support Group

Pineapple Support and Pornhub are hosting a free online support group for performers with ADHD.

Judge Dismisses Some Claims in 'Children of Pornhub' Trafficking Suit

A United States district judge on Friday dismissed some but not all claims against Aylo in a long-running case involving CSAM allegations featured in the influential 2020 New York Times article “The Children of Pornhub.”

FSC Sets Key Dates, Qualifiers for December Board of Directors Election

The Free Speech Coalition (FSC) today announced key dates and qualifiers for its upcoming Board of Directors election.

Show More