Censorship
5th Circuit Upholds Texas Age Verification Law, Strikes Down 'Health Warnings'
In a mixed decision, the United States Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit has ruled on Texas’ controversial age verification law, overturning a lower court’s injunction against enforcement, but striking down the provision that mandated that adult websites post a “health warning” perpetuating religious anti-porn propaganda myths.
Florida Legislature Passes Sweeping, DeSantis-Endorsed Age Verification Bill
The Florida legislature has passed a sweeping age verification bill that includes provisions applying specifically to adult websites, with Gov. Ron DeSantis calling the bill “superior” to a competing measure he vetoed days earlier.
Indiana ACLU Warns About Censorship Potential of State's Age Verification Bill
The American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana has warned that the state’s version of the age verification legislation being sponsored around the country by anti-porn religious conservative activists will likely result in censorship of LGBTQ+ and other constitutionally protected content.
Kentucky Republicans Revive 'Public Health Crisis' Claims to Justify Anti-Porn Bills
Republican lawmakers in the Kentucky House and Senate are renewing claims that adult content is part of a “public health crisis,” to justify introducing matching copycat versions of the age verification legislation being sponsored around the country by anti-porn religious conservative activists.
Texas' AG Ken Paxton Sues Aylo Over Controversial Age Verification Law
Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit against Aylo, alleging the company is in violation of Texas’ controversial age verification law, which mandates that adult websites post a “health warning” perpetuating religious anti-porn propaganda myths.
Utah Sen. Mike Lee Questions First Amendment Protections for Sexual Content
Utah newspaper Deseret News has published an interview with U.S. Senator Mike Lee, in which he champions ongoing efforts to limit access to adult content online in the name of fighting “porn addiction.”
Conservative Group's Plan to Criminalize Porn Is Part of Campaign to End All 'Recreational Sex'
A 2023 X post by the Heritage Foundation, in which the influential conservative think tank called for an end to “recreational sex,” has resurfaced in the wake of the Alabama Supreme Court’s recent ruling that frozen embryos are legally children.
Japanese Performers, Stakeholders Rally to Save Industry From Controversial Law
Hundreds of protesters marched alongside Japanese adult industry professionals on Friday to protest a controversial 2022 law that regulates the country’s adult video (AV) sector, and which they contend has destabilized the industry.
Nebraska Republican Asserts Age Verification Aims to 'Protect Women' From Adult Content
The Nebraska Republican legislator behind the state’s copycat version of the age verification legislation being sponsored around the country by anti-porn religious conservative activists asserted Wednesday that his bill aims not only to shield minors from adult content but also to “protect women.”
Kansas Senator Dismisses Free Speech Concerns About Her Age Verification Bill
The Kansas state Senate Judiciary Committee last week voted unanimously to endorse the state’s copycat version of the age verification legislation being sponsored around the country by anti-porn religious conservative activists, despite Democratic senators expressing concerns about potential implications for free speech.
South Dakota Republicans Admit Age Verification is Part of National Campaign Against Online 'Filth'
The South Dakota House Judiciary Committee last week voted unanimously to endorse the state’s copycat version of the age verification legislation being sponsored around the country by anti-porn religious conservative activists, which the bill’s backers have described as part of a national campaign to fight online “filth.”
Critics Lambast Revised Version of Controversial KOSA Bill
The main U.S. Senate sponsors of the controversial Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) have released a new version of the bill, which they claim addresses privacy and censorship issues flagged by opponents, but critics insist the revised version still presents insurmountable problems.
Woodhull Freedom Foundation Urges Florida Senators to Reject 'Unconstitutional' Age Verification Bill
Woodhull Freedom Foundation reached out to every member of the Florida Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, urging them to reject the state’s proposed age verification bill HB 3 as “not only unconstitutional and a danger to consumer privacy, but ineffective at preventing minors from accessing adult content.”
German Government Now Exporting Anti-Porn Surveillance Tool
A crusading official who has been waging a one-man War on Porn in Germany, and who developed an AI tool that scans online content to identify images not compliant with the law, has now exported that technology for use by a Belgian media watchdog agency.
Oklahoma Republican Seeks to Criminalize Watching Adult Content
Republican state lawmaker Dusty Deevers is using a national press tour to promote a bill he proposed that would completely outlaw adult content in Oklahoma and make it a crime for anyone in the state to view it.
Iowa Republican Changes Porn Filter Bill Into Age Verification Bill After Learning More About Phones
The Republican legislator behind Iowa’s mandatory porn filter bill said that, after realizing that multinational electronics corporations were unlikely to alter phones and other devices to comply with one state law, he was turning his bill into yet another version of the age verification legislation being sponsored around the country by anti-porn religious conservative activists.
North Carolina Republican Suggests Adult Sites Age-Verify by Providing 'Free Memberships'
Rep. Jon Hardister, one of the main backers of the North Carolina age verification law that resulted in several adult sites — including Pornhub — disabling access in the state, suggested in an interview published Monday that the sites could comply with the law without blocking all adults’ access, by providing some form of free membership that would verify a user’s identity and age.
Influential 'Biblical' Right Wing Group Backs Georgia's Age Verification Bill
An influential self-described “biblical” right-wing group has become the main media mouthpiece for Georgia’s version of the age verification legislation being sponsored around the country by anti-porn religious conservative activists.
West Virginia Religious Republican's Anti-Porn Age Verification Bill Moves Forward
The House Judiciary Committee of the Republican-controlled West Virginia state House of Delegates has passed, with little discussion, the state’s copycat version of the age verification legislation being sponsored around the country by anti-porn religious conservative activists.
Utah Senator Hijacks Taylor Swift AI Controversy to Push for Anti-Porn Policy
Anti-porn U.S. Senator Mike Lee has inserted himself into the controversy over recent nonconsensual AI content featuring pop singer Taylor Swift, by advocating for a new federal law that would mirror a current, extreme Utah law targeting consensual adult content.