Free Speech
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.
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.
Nebraska AV Bill Moves Forward Despite Privacy, Free Speech Concerns
Nebraska’s unicameral Legislature has given first-round approval to LB 1092, the state’s version of the age verification bills being sponsored around the country by anti-porn religious conservative activists.
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.
Industry Attorney, Free Speech Champion Clyde DeWitt Passes Away at 75
Noted industry attorney Clyde DeWitt passed away on Friday in Las Vegas at 75, according to friends and colleagues.
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.
NiteFlirt Joins Free Speech Coalition as Sponsor
Phone sex service NiteFlirt has joined the Free Speech Coalition (FSC) as a Silver-level sponsor.
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.
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.
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.
Italy to Roll Out 'Test' Adult Content Filter Mandate Next Week
Italy will begin enforcing a new, experimental directive from online regulators on Tuesday, requiring all phone providers to install a default filter for certain kinds of content, including all adult content, on SIM cards registered to minors.
Jury Reaches Mixed Verdict in Backpage Owner, Execs Trial
The jury in the federal retrial in Arizona of former Backpage.com owner Mike Lacey and some of the company’s executives reached a verdict Thursday, finding Lacey guilty on one count of international concealment money laundering.
Sen. Mike Lee Introduces Bill to Expand Utah's Anti-Porn AV Law Nationwide
Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah) on Tuesday reintroduced his proposal for a federal age-verification law that would expand Utah’s anti-porn legislation, promoted by religious conservatives, to the entire United States.
German Proposal Aims to Shut Down Financial Services for Adult Sites
German authorities have introduced a proposal to facilitate network blocks against adult sites deemed to have inadequate age verification systems, and also to prohibit financial institutions from providing payment services to those sites.
Omegle Shut Down as Part of Civil Lawsuit Settlement
Video chat platform Omegle was shuttered earlier this week, reportedly as part of a settlement in a civil lawsuit brought on behalf of a woman who met an alleged abuser through the service when she was a minor.
Washington Post Links Trump Campaign With Plan to Criminalize All Porn Creators, Distributors
The Washington Post published on Monday an in-depth report linking the current Trump presidential campaign with “Project 2025,” a coalition of conservative organizations whose road map for the next Republican presidential administration includes a call to immediately outlaw all pornography and imprison people who produce and distribute it.
UK's Controversial 'Online Safety Bill' Becomes Law
The U.K.’s controversial Online Safety Bill received royal assent Thursday and became law.
France's Parliament Passes Controversial Law to Regulate Online Content, Including Adult
The French National Assembly, the country’s lower chamber of parliament, on Tuesday passed the controversial Law Aiming to Secure and Regulate the Digital Space, which includes provisions targeting adult content added during a period of relentless media attacks and panic-mongering against the porn industry.