Censorship
Age Verification: FSC's Mike Stabile Reports from the Front Lines
Two years into the religiously-inspired crusade to ban free access to adult material in the U.S. through carefully drafted "age verification" legislation, the constant onslaught of state-by-state proposals and laws — many of them copied from each other — can be hard to follow.
Judge Acquits Backpage Defendants of Most Charges Before 2nd Retrial
A federal judge acquitted former co-owner of Backpage.com Michael Lacey and two co-defendants on most of the counts remaining from the protracted trial launched against the website operators by the Justice Department in 2018.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp Signs Age Verification Bill Into Law
Republican Gov. Brian Kemp this week signed into law a bill that includes provisions requiring age verification for viewing adult content in Georgia, mirroring legislation being sponsored around the country by anti-porn religious conservative activists.
Seoul Authorities Force Cancellation of Adult Expo for 'Distorting Perceptions of Sex'
After Seoul authorities repeatedly prevented 2024 KXF The Fashion from finding a suitable venue, event organizers have canceled the popular Korean adult industry expo, which was scheduled for this week.
Heritage Foundation Celebrates Georgia Age Verification Law's Chilling Effect on Adult Free Speech
Influential think tank the Heritage Foundation produced an op-ed endorsing the Georgia version of the age verification bills being sponsored around the country by anti-porn religious conservative activists, and celebrating its success in also preventing adults from accessing legal, First Amendment-protected pornographic content.
Tennessee's Age Verification Bill Escalates Effort to Criminalize Adult Sites
Tennessee’s version of the age verification bills being sponsored around the country by anti-porn religious conservative activists continues making its progress through the state legislature toward likely approval.
Arizona Legislature Passes Age Verification Bill Despite Strong Opposition
The Arizona state legislature on Monday passed the state’s version of the age verification bills being sponsored around the country by anti-porn religious conservative activists, despite vocal opposition from Democratic legislators.
Justices Alito, Thomas Invoke Victorian-Era Morality Law, Raising Censorship Concerns
Several national publications reported this week on widespread concern among Free Speech advocates after U.S. Supreme Court Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas repeatedly invoked, during a hearing, the Comstock Act, an infamous law that was the cornerstone of U.S. censorship of sexual material from the 1870s until the 1970s.
FSC, Co-Plaintiffs to Ask US Supreme Court to Review Constitutionality of Texas Age Verification Law
Free Speech Coalition (FSC) and its co-plaintiffs in the challenge to Texas’ controversial age verification law have petitioned the United States Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit to stay its recent decision upholding the law, because they intend to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court to review the law’s constitutionality.
FSC Vows to Fight Florida Age Verification Law
Free Speech Coalition (FSC) has issued a statement vowing to continue fighting Florida’s new age verification law, which was signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday as part of a comprehensive bill targeting minors’ use of social media.
Texas AG Ken Paxton Sues Chaturbate, xHamster Over Controversial Age Verification Law
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed lawsuits on Tuesday against the parent companies of Chaturbate and xHamster, claiming that the sites are not complying with the state’s controversial age verification law, HB 1181.
Missouri Republican Behind FOSTA-SESTA Renews Attack on OnlyFans
Rep. Ann Wagner, the Missouri Republican legislator who was the original architect of FOSTA-SESTA, has renewed her call for federal action against OnlyFans.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Partners With Anti-Porn Lobby NCOSE
Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez issued a press statement last week prominently highlighting her partnership with religiously-inspired anti-porn lobby NCOSE, an organization that seeks to criminalize all sex work and eradicate adult content, and that has an extensive, well-documented history of championing state censorship and opposing LGBTQ+ rights.
Indiana Governor Signs Controversial Age Verification Bill Into Law
Indiana’s Republican governor, Eric Holcomb, has signed into law the state’s version of the age verification bills being sponsored around the country by anti-porn religious conservative activists.
India Censors 18 Social Media Platforms as 'Obscene'
The conservative Hindu nationalist government of Narendra Modhi has blocked 18 social media platforms in India, claiming they “promoted obscenity and vulgarity under the guise of ‘creative expression.’”
Pornhub Blocks Access in Texas Over Age Verification
Aylo has blocked access to Pornhub in Texas as of Thursday morning, following the decision by the United States Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit upholding the state’s controversial age verification law.
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.