Section 230
Senate Dems Introduce 'SAFE TECH Act' to Limit Section 230
Senator Mark R. Warner (D-Va.) and two other Democratic Senators introduced, earlier this month, a Section 230 reform bill, the Safeguarding Against Fraud, Exploitation, Threats, Extremism and Consumer Harms (SAFE TECH) Act.
New Congress Cleans Slate for Bills Targeting Free Speech, Sex Workers
With the January 3, 2021 end of the 116th Congress, the several bills aiming at repealing or reforming Section 230 and the bills introduced last month as reactions to the anti-porn campaign spearheaded by religious groups which culminated in the December 4 New York Times article by Nicholas Kristof are now considered “dead” and would have to be reintroduced before the 117th Congress, which began on the same day.
The New War on Porn: How Moral Crusaders, Mainstream Media and Politicians Are Gunning for XXX
In early December 2020, the world entered the 12th month of an unprecedented pandemic, COVID-related financial losses to individuals and businesses ravaged the economy, Congress bickered over relief measures and the President of the United States continued in his historic refusal to acknowledge the results of a presidential election.
Sex Workers Warn of Harm to Safety, Livelihoods if Section 230 Is Repealed
An article published yesterday by legislative news site The Hill yesterday highlighted the dire consequences that the campaign to repeal Section 230 is already having for sex worker safety and visibility.
Made in Missouri: Senator Hawley's Quest to Revive Obscenity Prosecutions
Senator Josh Hawley's home state of Missouri, and particularly its evangelical churches, has become Ground Zero for the ongoing campaign against the entire adult entertainment industry.
McConnell Ties COVID Relief Vote to Section 230 Repeal
Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) derailed today any attempts to reach agreement on a one-time, $2,000 COVID-relief check for most Americans unless the bill also included the repeal or reform of Section 230, the so-called “First Amendment of the internet” that digital rights activists consider the basis of online free speech.
Lindsey Graham Admits Goal Is to 'Limit' Access to Porn
In an email replying to questions about his vocal support for several pieces of legislation that would effectively establish state censorship over legal adult content, Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) unequivocally stated that his goal was to “to limit society's exposure to inappropriate material.”
Section 230 Isn’t a Blank Check to Shut Down Speech
Political censorship on social media sites should raise eyebrows of anyone working in adult. We, as an industry, should not support censorship in any way.
Southern Baptist Leaders: 'Fight Porn' Instead of Church's History of White Supremacy, Sex Scandals
Southern Baptist religious leaders have compared the current War on Porn in general — and the attack on Pornhub, in particular — to the early Church fight against “pagan culture” and have asked for state censorship of all pornography, calling this constitutionally-protected exercise of free speech “an individual private indulgence” that combines “sexual abuse and trafficking” and “the lie that a fleeting sexual high is at the core of what it means to be human.”
Pornhub Responds to Visa and Mastercard Decision, New York Times Allegations
Pornhub has released two statements about yesterday’s announcement by Visa and Mastercard that their cards would no longer be accepted on the platform, following an editorial by Nicholas Kristof published by the New York Times, which makes a number of allegations against the company.
Visa, Mastercard Freeze Card Use on Pornhub
Credit card giant Mastercard Inc. released a statement today saying it will not allow their cards to be used for payments on Pornhub.
Lindsey Graham Withdraws Own Section 230 Bill After Debate
After scheduling and facilitating a lengthy, largely pointless debate on Section 230 this morning at the Committee on the Judiciary, which he chairs, Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) withdrew his S. 4632 bill — the ”Online Content Policy Modernization Act” — from consideration.
Missouri Senator Introduces Bill Facilitating Lawsuits Against Adult Sites
Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) introduced a bill today to “enable victims of revenge porn, trafficking and sexual coercion” to sue websites posting images and videos without their consent.
GOP Senators Parrot Claims of NYT's Pornhub Editorial
Two prominent Republican Senators who have previously called for online censorship and the revocation of Section 230 protections, Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) are among the first to use the recent New York Times’ editorial by Nicholas Kristof to call for government action against Pornhub and parent company MindGeek.
Opinion: New York Times Fights Pornhub With Emotional Pornography
New York Times opinion writer Nicholas Kristof today published a sensationalistic call for state censorship and financial strangulation of Pornhub, packaged around gut-punching testimonials from young victims of sexual exploitation.
Top Biden Advisor Bruce Reed Renews Call for Section 230 Reform
The closest advisor on tech matters to presumptive President-elect Joe Biden, Bruce Reed, doubled down yesterday on weakening Section 230 protections, saying that “it’s long past time to hold the social media companies accountable for what’s published on their platforms.”
Trump Attempts to Force Section 230 'Termination' Into Defense Bill
In the latest in a series of procedurally unprecedented presidential attempts to repeal the so-called First Amendment of the internet, Donald Trump confirmed last night via Twitter that he would veto the nation’s principal defense bill unless Congress adds a section “completely terminating” Section 230 protections.
Senators Renew Attack on Section 230 Following Election
During a nationwide spike of COVID-19 cases and only hours after the Georgia Secretary of State accused him of tampering with the presidential election results, Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) revived his ongoing crusade against Section 230 protections — the so-called First Amendment of the internet — during a highly politicized interrogation of two tech entrepreneurs at the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Trump's Candidate for the FCC Grilled on Section 230
President Donald Trump’s candidate for a crucial seat on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) was grilled this week during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Commerce Committee concerning the stated presidential wish to erode Section 230 protections via the federal agency.
Latest Section 230 Bill Proposal Seeks to Define Adult Content
In the middle of the COVID-19 public health crisis and only days before the 2020 national election, representative Greg Steube (R-Fla.) has just introduced yet another legislative proposal aimed at ending Section 230 protections, and his CASE-IT Act has the distinction of attempting to define adult content in explicit and broad terms.