Adult entertainment industry sues again over law requiring pornographic sites to verify users' ages

MicroWave@lemmy.world to News@lemmy.world – 353 points –
Adult entertainment industry sues again over law requiring pornographic sites to verify users' ages
apnews.com

An Indiana law that requires pornographic websites to verify users’ ages — one of numerous such statutes in effect across the country — is being challenged by an association of the adult entertainment industry. 

In April, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a request by the same group, the Free Speech Coalition, to block a similar law in Texas.

According to the Indiana law signed by Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb in March, the state’s attorney general and individuals can bring legal action against a website’s operator if material “harmful to minors” is accessible to users under the age of 18.

In addition to Indiana and Texassimilar laws have been enacted in Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Oklahoma, Utah and Virginia. Backers of such laws say they protect children from widespread pornography online, while opponents say the laws are vague and raise privacy concerns.

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this will go away the instant one of these "verify" sites gets hacked and some GOP senator's daily visit to 8guysblowing9guys.com gets leaked to the world

Imagine if we passed a law requiring every politician to submit their browser history to the public in order to run for office...

Considering it’s already available to the NSA, it would be an improvement. At least we’d know if/how they’re compromised.

I’m sure Google knows more than the NSA about the average person. I actually hope they do, too, because those tax dollars could be used more efficiently

Reason number 191 why I will never run for office.

Still under quadruple digits? You’re a saint. 😅

What an absolutely disgusting thought. On multiple levels.

Because?

Firstly, because seeking public office should not incur a complete loss of privacy.

Secondly, because what we'd see would likely be mortifying.

I mean there's probably some things there that simply can never be unseen. No amount of brain bleach could ever suffice.

Firstly, because seeking public office should not incur a complete loss of privacy.

Disagree entirely. Once you are a public figure, you no longer have a right to privacy. And people have a right to know if you're going to Nazi websites.

Secondly, because what we’d see would likely be mortifying.

Good. Then those people won't get elected.

The second half was a joke about fetishes. Some could seem bizarre to others while ultimately benign. That it didn't land with you is informative.

Your response, in general, is troubling in its shortsightedness. Stripping away all privacy as a requirement for office is not the filter you want it to be. Recent history illustrates that certain movements are unfazed by repulsive behavior as long as they believe a candidate will get them what they want. With that in mind, who would stand to be damaged most by your proposed requirement: the candidate who visited Nazi websites or the one whose browser history includes research on how to help someone legally obtain an abortion?

Taking it further, who do you suppose would be most likely to use such information to self-cannibalize, the already barely cohesive left or the increasingly monolithic right? Consider that the post-9/11 reality we live in has seen both a constant erosion of personal privacy and a steady shift towards fascism, and ask yourself if you can honestly say that the two are unrelated. In this scenario, who truly benefits from stripping away privacy rights from those seeking office?

You suggest a law that would almost certainly be weaponized, which I do believe is your intent, but the most likely targets aren't who you seem to think they would be.

So I take it you'd be fine with Nazis and KKK members being in office and no one knowing that until after they're dead.

Please point out to me where I said such, or where I even implied it. You can't, because I didn't, but I would love to know which part you find appropriate to project such nonsense onto.

After you move past your poor attempt at bad-faith mischaracterization, assuming you're capable and willing to do so, re-read what I actually did say and see if you can wrap your head around the idea of unforseen consequences.

Open your eyes; we have people with openly fascist leanings and blatant bigots in office right now. We know about them. They are not operating in secrecy. They are campaigning on platforms of intolerance and hate. Regardless of what flavor of horrible they are, be it KKK or Nazi or MAGA or whatever else, their actions out them more clearly than any browser history ever could. What you propose doesn't hinder their pursuit of their goals. Legislation like this would make those goals more easily attainable.

How do you find out if someone is secretly in such an organization before voting for them?

Can you explain without making personal attacks?

You're implying that you believe I've resorted to "personal attacks" while simultaneously ignoring the very clear point I am making.

Explain how browser history is the key to resolving the issue. Explain how legislation that could, and therefore would, be used against progressivism is a solution. Explain how public dissection of candidates has ever helped anyone other than the right.

I'll answer your question with others: how many candidates campaigning on progressive platforms with ties to such organizations and societies do you believe exist? How many secret Nazis are out there running on an agenda with equality as a core tenant? How many KKK sleeper agents do you think there are who are seeking office under the pretense of being left-leaning? These people out themselves, they have little interest in subterfuge during the best of times. We are not in the best of times.

We are operating in a day where the worst among us are far from hidden, yet you're seeking to create a bogeyman even while our monsters parade around in broad daylight. The onus lies with you to justify what you've proposed. So far, you have not. Unless you have anything to say that doesn't default back to trying to discover that which is already exposed, I believe it's safe to say that this discussion has run its course.

That poor ninth guy doesn’t have a guy to blow him. That’s just poor planning really. It would make more sense to have nine blowers, with a guy doubling up on rotation.

Do they draw straws to determine who takes 2 to the face, or do they kinda rotate and leave one guy out at a time? The people demand answers!

I'd like to think the 9th wheel just wanders around the group poking dudes in the face with his dick and in his most creeper voice saying stuff like:
Uhhhhhnnnnn....yeah....you like that don't you....nnnnnnnnn....

And everyone else is really put off by it, and like the whole blow flow gets out of whack, dudes going soft left and right....

Hmmm...I think my imagination got away from me a bit there.....

I think everyone should have to verify they are 18 to go to church.

I'm going to need a full signed affidavit of consent from anyone under the age of 18 getting baptized. Filed with municipal, state, and federal agencies, by denomination, in triplicate, by hand. Must be delivered at least three days before the event. $250 processing fee.

Has there every actually been a moral panic that helped society? Can we just stop with that and let people live their lives?

Upton Sinclair's the Jungle?

A moral panic is when people freak out because they're scared for the nation's morals or values. The Jungle made people, rightfully, freak out about their health (whether that was the intention or not). I don't think it qualifies as a moral panic.

people freak out because they’re scared for the nation’s morals or values

I would consider the labor conditions depicted in The Jungle, The Pearl, Of Mice And Men, and Grapes of Wrath worthy of a national moral panic.

Worthy, sure. I just mean that what actually happened with The Jungle was people focused on how gross meat packing facilities were. The working conditions were treated as kind of a secondary, less important issue.

If you believe that laws forbidding gambling, sale of liquor, sale of contraceptives, requiring definite closing hours, enforcing the Sabbath, or any such, are necessary to the welfare of your community, that is your right and I do not ask you to surrender your beliefs or give up your efforts to put over such laws. But remember that such laws are, at most, a preliminary step in doing away with the evils they indict. Moral evils can never be solved by anything as easy as passing laws alone. If you aid in passing such laws without bothering to follow through by digging in to the involved questions of sociology, economics, and psychology which underlie the causes of the evils you are gunning for, you will not only fail to correct the evils you sought to prohibit but will create a dozen new evils as well.

Robert A. Heinlein, Take Back Your Government

Has there every actually been a moral panic that helped society?

The concern we had over the depleted ooze layer and lead contamination in paint and gasoline was nice.

As a Hoosier, I can tell you that porn sites aren't even complying with that law at this point. I can tell you for... reasons.

I wish I could get a vpn specifically in those states just to look at porn and fuck up the numbers. 😇

You can always be a disruptor. Even when wanking.

If I must, I will take one for the team and look at porn while here in Indiana.

The sacrifices I have to make...

Make sure to search for fucked up stuff like “conservative tranny school girl fucked by politician father in airport bathroom while reading from the Bible”

I've set my VPN to Texas and Louisiana just to see what happens, but I sure as hell am not uploading a picture of my ID.

Just use a fake one. Photoshop it

You no read so good law start July 1st.

The bigger sites that most people know about are complying and blocking some states.

But there are countless other sites with plenty options that don't care about those state laws. It's unstoppable

make phone vendors verify user ages to pay for apps and shit and this stuff will go away overnight.

Yes because kids don’t know where mom and dad’s wallets are kept.

Your point also invalidates age verification for porn sites. Just use dad's ID.

Can i get a politician to run on legalizing porn?

Just out of curiosity of the details of some of these laws I read one of the bills mentioned (the one from OK). One of the sections removes any liability from internet providers and search engines from giving access to a site since they can't control what a particular site content has. So I read that as Bing or Google is fine to show kids an image or video search...good security there...

God damnit, now I have to figure out how to block all these states from accessing my website. Ain't nobody got time for that!

I wonder if this would apply to those Christian websites that have the entire Bible on them.

And me too! Sign me up! When I grow up I want to be a pornographer. That's my passion for life. That's what I want to do as a retired person. Please don't screw it up before I get my chance!