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New York Times
a day ago
- Politics
- New York Times
The Internet Needs Sex
Texas' H.B. 1181, an online-age-verification law, might not sound like such a terrible idea. According to its proponents, it's designed to keep those who are underage from looking at pornography. On Friday, the Supreme Court upheld the law, arguing that using age verification 'to prevent children from accessing sexually explicit content' is within a state's authority. Yet as reasonable as that statement might sound, I worry that these laws could mean the beginning of the end of something truly precious: the internet as an uncensored place to explore human desire in a way that's allowed for safe and private information, titillation and education. Texas is not unique in mandating that porn sites employ online age verification. In early 2023, Louisiana was the first state to pass such a law, requiring consumers to upload a government ID before getting access to adult content. Now a third of the states have passed laws so onerous that PornHub opted to block incoming traffic from said states, rather than collect identification. Most of the time, these bills have passed easily, drawing broad bipartisan consensus. And why wouldn't they? There's a dark side to the internet, and children, in particular, are especially vulnerable to the worst of it. With troves of deepfakes and revenge porn and child sex abuse material just a click away, we all want to do something. But the world of online sex is far more than just a depraved cesspool of the most abusive content. Vague, sweeping laws to rein in online sexual content could end up censoring those who want to share information about sexual pleasure and health, talk about L.G.B.T.Q. issues, celebrate kink or even distribute woman-friendly, consent-focused erotica. Overzealous application of these bans, enforced by people with sexual mores and tastes that might be more censorious, uptight or even bigoted than your own, will almost certainly curtail opportunities to explore sex online that should be preserved. Easy access to information about contraception, sex toys and safer sex are an essential component of safe, pleasurable intimacy. Online spaces can provide L.G.B.T.Q. people with queer and trans peers they might never encounter in real life, and information on queer sex — something that's rarely taught outside L.G.B.T.Q. spaces. Even explicit sexual media — sometimes, yes, hardcore pornographic photos and videos, but also written stories and audio content — can give many people a way to safely explore and learn about their turn-ons and desires. Despite the general belief that terms like 'pornography' and 'obscenity' have fixed meanings, history has demonstrated time and again that it's far from true. There have been several attempts to draw hard lines between what is 'acceptable' and what is 'obscene,' few of which have withstood the test of time. The Victorian Era's Comstock Act was used to bring charges against Planned Parenthood's founder, Margaret Sanger, for using the postal service to distribute her feminist magazine, 'The Woman Rebel.' Hollywood's Hays Code barred filmmakers from depicting queer and interracial relationships. America's current gold standard, the Miller Test, relies on 'community standards' to define what is obscene — but in the fractal age of the internet, it's often difficult to say which 'community' it is whose standards should be given priority. So who gets to decide what is obscene, anyway? While it may be tempting to assume that age-verification laws will remain limited to PornHub and the like, there's ample evidence to suggest that may not be the case. In recent years, the stated goal of protecting young people from potentially harmful material has often become a pretext for conservative attempts at censorship. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
BBC News
a day ago
- Politics
- BBC News
US Supreme Court upholds Texas law requiring ID verification for porn sites
The US Supreme Court has upheld a Texas law that requires users accessing pornography sites to verify their age using a government ID or a face 2023 law was challenged by PornHub and other sites that argued the requirement violated constitutional rights to free speech by placing a burden on adults who want to access that has defended the law, saying it was created to limit harm to minors. More than a dozen other states have passed similar the justices voted 6-3 along ideological lines in a decision released on Friday. "The power to require age verification is within a State's authority to prevent children from accessing sexually explicit content," Justice Clarence Thomas, who authored the opinion, a two-hour hearing in January, the justices had appeared to agree with Texas that some form of safeguards should be in place to protect minors, but they also expressed concern about trampling on free speech rights. Lawyers for the pornography websites in the case primarily relied on legal precedent in their arguments. They pointed to a 2004 Supreme Court decision, which ruled against an attempt to criminalise content on the internet that may be harmful to also argued that asking users to submit identifying information may inadvertently bar adults from accessing their websites, effectively impeding on their First Amendment rights."Adults who submit, for example, a 'government ID' over the Internet to 'affirmatively identify themselves' understand that they are thereby exposing themselves to 'inadvertent disclosures, leaks, or hacks,'" the adult film industry argued in their legal also expressed concern about whether the law could be used to restrict other kinds of content intended for lawyers, meanwhile, leaned on another legal precedent: a 1968 Supreme Court decision that upheld a New York law barring the sale of pornographic magazines to those who are lawyers argued that the principles of that law have not changed "just because obscenity has moved online". This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest can receive Breaking News on a smartphone or tablet via the BBC News App. You can also follow @BBCBreaking on X to get the latest alerts.
The Irish Sun
2 days ago
- The Irish Sun
Brits warned of major changes coming to PornHub and a dozen more popular XXX sites in WEEKS
RANDY Brits will be faced with new checks to verify their age when trying to access popular porn sites including PornHub starting next month. More than a dozen top XXX user-generated platforms have said they will add "highly effective" 3 Sites that don't comply could be fined - or blocked from the UK Credit: Getty 3 The deadline to implement changes is July 25 Credit: Getty Age assurance methods can include credit card checks, open banking or facial age estimation to verify or guess how old someone is. It comes as strict new rules kick start on July 25, which apply to both dedicated adult sites and social media, search or gaming services, as part of the Online Safety Act which is monitored by regulator Ofcom. Firms that fail to comply could be slapped with a fine or even blocked from the UK. PornHub - the most visited XXX site in the UK - as well as YouPorn and RedTube are among the big names that have said they will implement changes. Read more about porn The full list that have agreed to be named are: PornHub BoyfriendTV Cam4 FrolicMe inxxx Jerkmate LiveHDCams MyDirtyHobby RedTube Streamate Stripchat Tube8 YouPorn "Society has long protected youngsters from products that aren't suitable for them, from alcohol to smoking or gambling," said Oliver Griffiths, Ofcom Group Director of Online Safety. "But for too long children have been only a click away from harmful pornography online. Most read in Tech 'Now, change is happening. These age checks will bring pornography into line with how we treat adult services in the real world, without compromising access and privacy for over-18s." Online firms who publish their own pro porn movies are already required to protect children, and thousands of sites have already introduced tougher age checks . What I saw on Pornhub was so shocking I went to war with them Platforms must also make sure the measures do not compromise the privacy of adults or prevent them from accessing legal content. Shockingly, eight per cent of children aged between eight and 14 in the UK visited an online porn site or app in a month, according to Ofcom research. Around 3 per cent of those are aged just eight or nine years-old. 3 PornHub is the most visited porn site in the UK Credit: Getty
Scottish Sun
2 days ago
- Scottish Sun
Brits warned of major changes coming to PornHub and a dozen more popular XXX sites in WEEKS
Platforms that don't comply could be blocked from the UK WEB WARNING Brits warned of major changes coming to PornHub and a dozen more popular XXX sites in WEEKS RANDY Brits will be faced with new checks to verify their age when trying to access popular porn sites including PornHub starting next month. More than a dozen top XXX user-generated platforms have said they will add "highly effective" age checks in a bid to protect children. 3 Sites that don't comply could be fined - or blocked from the UK Credit: Getty 3 The deadline to implement changes is July 25 Credit: Getty Age assurance methods can include credit card checks, open banking or facial age estimation to verify or guess how old someone is. It comes as strict new rules kick start on July 25, which apply to both dedicated adult sites and social media, search or gaming services, as part of the Online Safety Act which is monitored by regulator Ofcom. Firms that fail to comply could be slapped with a fine or even blocked from the UK. PornHub - the most visited XXX site in the UK - as well as YouPorn and RedTube are among the big names that have said they will implement changes. Read more about porn SICK FETISH Britain BANS 'dangerous' porn trend to help tackle violence against women The full list that have agreed to be named are: PornHub BoyfriendTV Cam4 FrolicMe inxxx Jerkmate LiveHDCams MyDirtyHobby RedTube Streamate Stripchat Tube8 YouPorn "Society has long protected youngsters from products that aren't suitable for them, from alcohol to smoking or gambling," said Oliver Griffiths, Ofcom Group Director of Online Safety. "But for too long children have been only a click away from harmful pornography online. 'Now, change is happening. These age checks will bring pornography into line with how we treat adult services in the real world, without compromising access and privacy for over-18s." Online firms who publish their own pro porn movies are already required to protect children, and thousands of sites have already introduced tougher age checks. What I saw on Pornhub was so shocking I went to war with them Platforms must also make sure the measures do not compromise the privacy of adults or prevent them from accessing legal content. Shockingly, eight per cent of children aged between eight and 14 in the UK visited an online porn site or app in a month, according to Ofcom research. Around 3 per cent of those are aged just eight or nine years-old. 3 PornHub is the most visited porn site in the UK Credit: Getty
The Sun
2 days ago
- The Sun
Brits warned of major changes coming to PornHub and a dozen more popular XXX sites in WEEKS
RANDY Brits will be faced with new checks to verify their age when trying to access popular porn sites including PornHub starting next month. More than a dozen top XXX user-generated platforms have said they will add "highly effective" age checks in a bid to protect children. 3 3 Age assurance methods can include credit card checks, open banking or facial age estimation to verify or guess how old someone is. It comes as strict new rules kick start on July 25, which apply to both dedicated adult sites and social media, search or gaming services, as part of the Online Safety Act which is monitored by regulator Ofcom. Firms that fail to comply could be slapped with a fine or even blocked from the UK. PornHub - the most visited XXX site in the UK - as well as YouPorn and RedTube are among the big names that have said they will implement changes. The full list that have agreed to be named are: PornHub BoyfriendTV Cam4 FrolicMe inxxx Jerkmate LiveHDCams MyDirtyHobby RedTube Streamate Stripchat Tube8 YouPorn "Society has long protected youngsters from products that aren't suitable for them, from alcohol to smoking or gambling," said Oliver Griffiths, Ofcom Group Director of Online Safety. "But for too long children have been only a click away from harmful pornography online. 'Now, change is happening. These age checks will bring pornography into line with how we treat adult services in the real world, without compromising access and privacy for over-18s." Online firms who publish their own pro porn movies are already required to protect children, and thousands of sites have already introduced tougher age checks. What I saw on Pornhub was so shocking I went to war with them Platforms must also make sure the measures do not compromise the privacy of adults or prevent them from accessing legal content. Shockingly, eight per cent of children aged between eight and 14 in the UK visited an online porn site or app in a month, according to Ofcom research. Around 3 per cent of those are aged just eight or nine years-old. 3
