United Kingdom
FSC Offers Feedback to UK Regulator on Age Verification Guidelines
The Free Speech Coalition released a statement Tuesday detailing the response it submitted to U.K. media regulator Ofcom as part of a "consultation" soliciting industry feedback on the age verification guidelines in the new Online Safety Act.
FSC Meets With UK Baroness in Charge of Tory Government's Porn Review
The Free Speech Coalition (FSC) has met with Baroness Gabrielle Bertin, the House of Lords member charged by the U.K. government with conducting a full review of the country's pornography laws.
As UK Government Highlights New Online Crimes, Regulator Requests Adult Industry Feedback
The U.K. government issued this week a circular to inform the police and other relevant public authorities of new criminal offenses resulting from the Online Safety Act, some of which will affect adult websites.
UK Government Unveils Public Questionnaire for Baroness-Led 'Porn Review'
The Tory government led by U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak unveiled this week a public survey questionnaire intended to help guide its pending review of legislation dealing with adult content
AI Facial Scanning Providers Rush to Offer Age Verification Compliance Solutions
Several tech companies are offering new artificial intelligence (AI) solutions to estimate the age of people accessing websites, taking advantage of potentially lucrative opportunities for enabling compliance with the U.K.’s new Online Safety Act and similar legislation moving forward in the EU and the U.S.
UK Government Unveils Controversial Age Verification Guidelines for Adult Content
U.K. media regulator Ofcom, the government authority tasked by the recently enacted Online Safety Act with online content restriction enforcement, issued on Tuesday its first guidance to adult websites regarding age verification.
UK Parliament Passes Controversial 'Online Safety Bill'
The U.K. Parliament on Tuesday passed the much-delayed Online Safety Bill, despite vocal criticisms by virtually all digital rights and free speech organizations and advocates.
UK Government Poised to Restrict Adult Content Through Controversial 'Online Safety Bill'
The U.K.’s much delayed Online Safety Bill appears to be heading toward implementation after last-minute negotiations in the House of Lords, despite vocal criticisms by virtually all digital rights and free speech organizations and advocates.
Legal Opinion Lambasts UK's 'Online Safety Bill' As Dangerous, Possibly Unlawful
British digital rights advocacy nonprofit Open Rights Group (ORG) has released a formal legal assessment of the prior restraint provisions in the U.K.’s proposed Online Safety Bill, deeming the current version dangerous and potentially unlawful.
Conservative UK Prime Minister Orders Review of All Porn Laws
Rishi Sunak, the Conservative prime minister of the U.K., has ordered a full review of British pornography laws.
Apple Warns UK Government of Serious Privacy Risks if 'Online Safety Bill' Passes
Apple has issued a statement warning against serious privacy risks that it says would result from the passage of the Online Safety Bill currently being fast-tracked by the Conservative government of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
British Baroness Defends Controversial California Age Verification Law She Inspired
The Baroness Beeban Kidron, a British aristocrat with California and Hollywood ties, was the subject last week of a fawning profile by Politico, in which she continued to defend her controversial campaigns for internet age verification in the U.K. and California.
Vice Report Eviscerates UK MP's Anti-Porn Propaganda Report
Vice this week published an article criticizing a report by the U.K.’s All-Party Parliamentary Group on Commercial Sexual Exploitation (APPG-CSE), which repeated anti-porn myths and recommended a state crackdown on sexual expression online.
BBC Censors Pop Singer's Reference to the Other 'BBC'
The BBC, the United Kingdom’s national public broadcaster, has censored an online video of a live appearance by American pop singer Sabrina Carpenter, after she ad-libbed a reference to the porn term “BBC.”
U.K. M.P.s Report Rehashes Anti-Porn Myths, Recommends Crackdown
The U.K.’s All-Party Parliamentary Group on Commercial Sexual Exploitation (APPG-CSE) today released a report repeating myths and stereotypes peddled by anti-porn activists and recommending a wide-ranging state crackdown on sexual expression online.
Influential UK Journalist Advocates Outlawing Adult Content, Jailing Producers
Influential British journalist Jenni Murray published an extremist tirade in the Daily Mail last week, advocating for all adult content to be made illegal and for the imprisonment of its producers and distributors.
OnlyFans CEO Hits Back Against Sensationalist Allegations by BBC Reporter
OnlyFans CEO Amrapali “Ami” Gan has rebutted allegations of child exploitation in a sensationalist advocacy piece by an anti-porn BBC reporter, defending the site as “truly the safest and most inclusive social-media platform.”
UK Government Reverses Policy, Threatens 'Crackdown' on Pornhub, xHamster
The U.K.’s Conservative government today reversed a longstanding position by vowing to “crack down on porn sites,” and selectively enforce controversial legislation by targeting four high-profile tube sites, including Pornhub and xHamster.
California Passes Controversial Age Verification Bill Drafted by British Baroness
The California legislature on Tuesday passed a highly controversial bill mandating sweeping yet vague age verification measures for any web site “likely to be accessed by children,” now waiting to be signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom.
Tory MP Lambasts UK Academic for Research on Anime Erotica
Tory MP Neil O’Brien launched an attack Tuesday on humanities education in U.K. universities, specifically singling out the University of Manchester for allowing a Ph.D. student's research on Japanese cartoon erotica.