Global War on Porn
India: Cybercrime Police Admit Porn Ban Encourages Blackmail
An official with India’s cybercrime police agency has acknowledged an upsurge in cases of criminals blackmailing people for watching adult content online, thanks to local laws that make such viewing illegal.
India's Government Prepares to Ramp Up Online Censorship
India’s increasingly powerful Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology yesterday published proposed new rules that would give the government sweeping control over social media platforms like Twitter and Reddit, digital news publications and streaming sites — including the power to punish them for “porn” and “obscenity.”
Spanish Politicians Try to Outlaw Consensual Sex Work, Including Porn
Spanish sex workers and adult industry figures are sounding the alarm about a proposed new law, supported by politicians from both the ruling and opposition parties, aiming to outlaw all forms of paid sex work — including commercial pornography.
Indonesian Authorities Continue 'Obscenity' Prosecution of Popular OnlyFans Creator
Indonesian authorities have confirmed they will continue the criminal prosecution of popular OnlyFans creator Dea Gresaids, days after the influencer told the court that she is pregnant.
Japan Moves Forward With Regulation of Porn Without Input From Adult Industry
A controversial bill that will effectively change the way adult content is produced in Japan, and which has sparked protest among the Japanese adult video community, passed the Japanese Lower House today on its way to being signed into law.
Local German Anti-Porn Crusader Plans to Expand Surveillance Tool to All of Europe
The local official behind the crusade for Germany to require age verification for viewing sexual content is now seeking to expand to all of Europe the use of his new AI tool, KIVI, which automatically scans all online content to determine which images are not compliant with the law.
French Court Rejects Religiously Inspired Attempt to Block Top Tube Sites
A Paris court of appeals rejected last week the attempt by local War on Porn groups, led by an extremist Catholic organization, to use France’s media authority and the courts to block the most popular adult tube sites in the country.
Digital Rights Groups Lambast European Commission's Online Surveillance Proposal
Digital rights and privacy advocates are raising the alarm about an EU legislative proposal unveiled yesterday by the European Commission, allegedly to address “misuse of online services” and “prevent and combat child sexual abuse online.”
Progressive German Newspaper Asks for State-Funded 'Educational' Porn
Progressive German publication Taz published an opinion piece last week suggesting that state public media fund “educational” porn as part of their mandate to “protect children,” rather than attempt to censor the commercial variety.
Europe's Digital Services Act Moves Forward, Drops Controversial Adult Content Mandate
The European Parliament reached a deal last week with EU member states on the controversial Digital Services Act — a European legislative package addressing “illegal and harmful” online content — by dropping mandatory phone registration for adult content creators on porn platforms.
French Regulator Initiates Action to Block 2 More Adult Tube Sites
Several weeks after targeting five leading adult tube sites, France’s media regulator ARCOM has initiated a new legal action, this time demanding that the country’s ISPs totally block MindGeek-owned sites YouPorn and RedTube over their alleged lack of enforcement of a controversial age verification mandate.
Influential Labour MP Asks UK Government to 'Proactively' Police Adult Content
As the U.K.’s Online Safety Bill navigates the committee stage in the House of Commons, the Labour MP who chairs the Home Affairs Committee is actively lobbying to make the government proactively police “whether adult entertainers have properly consented to appear in pornographic films” even if there are no reports suggesting they have not.
Cherie DeVille Pens Op-Ed on Germany's 'War on Porn'
The Daily Beast published an opinion piece by Cherie DeVille on Friday about the dangers of European legislation that could become “the first step toward kicking sex workers off the internet and banning porn entirely.”
Indian Police Begin Arresting People for Porn on Their Phones
Police in the western Indian state of Gujarat have launched a “digital combing” initiative, stopping people they consider “suspicious” in order to inspect their phones and ascertain whether they are committing the crime of “sharing and circulating pornographic material.”
UK's 'War on Sex Work' Leaves Edinburgh Strippers Jobless
Amidst a relentless U.K. media campaign demonizing sex work, the Edinburgh Council voted today to impose a “nil cap” on all sexual entertainment venues in the Scottish city, effectively banning all strip clubs.
TikTok Using 'Porn Filters' to Censor Other Types of Controversial Content
German investigative journalists have obtained evidence from TikTok corroborating free speech advocates' claims that some platforms are using “porn filters” to target other controversial content involving issues like politics, human rights and LGBTQ+ expression.
German Regulator Who Shut Down xHamster Describes Own Mission as 'Kafkaesque'
Tobias Schmid, the obscure local bureaucrat who spearheads Germany’s War on Porn and recently led a successful movement to force ISPs to ban xHamster in the country, gave an interview last week in which he admitted he has “no clear answer” on how to make age verification effective and acknowledged his anti-porn crusade is “a bit Kafkaesque.”
UK Government Unveils Controversial 'Digital Safety Bill'
Boris Johnson’s Conservative government in the U.K. has finally unveiled its controversial “Online Safety Bill,” and introduced it in Parliament today.
Emirates Increase Punishment for Viewing and Sharing 'Pornography' in Dubai
The United Arab Emirates has unveiled new laws increasing the punishment for viewing “pornography” online or sharing it via private messages and social media platforms in UAE territory, including Dubai.
xHamster Effectively Blocked in Germany After Government Order
xHamster has been blocked in Germany following a government order to the country’s top internet service providers.