Sex Videos News

A new Washington state law will make it illegal to share fake pornography that appears to depict real people having sex. Advancements in artificial intelligence have made it easy to use a single photograph to impose someone's features on realistic-looking deepfake porn. The new Washington law, which Gov. Jay Inslee signed last week, will make it a gross misdemeanor to knowingly share fabricated intimate images of people without their consent.

People can be prosecuted if they share deepfake porn of unconsenting adults more than once. 

The trouble is that such images and videos are already widely available on the internet and it seems horribly disproportionate to persecute people for passing on interesting snippets they come across.

Kevin Bennett, acting CEO of the religious moralist campaign group Premier Christianity, said:

The government is currently considering how best to review laws around pornography. Premier would like to see new regulations that make online platforms and websites more responsible for the content they host.

The Online Safety Act is a welcome development. However, while it limits children's exposure to pornography, it doesn't regulate it. Illegal explicit content will continue unchecked, which means children will still be at risk of exposure to harmful images. Also, young and vulnerable adults with addictive personalities will continue to be damaged by abusive content.

Hard copy videos containing strong sexual content are rated R18 by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) and can only be supplied through a licensed sex shop. The BBFC is the main statutory regulator of pornography but their powers only extend to offline distribution. If the BBFC refuses to classify (because, for example, it contains illegal content) it cannot be published. However, the BBFC has no regulatory or enforcement powers over online pornography.

At a recent inquiry by the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Commercial Sexual Exploitation, the BBFC said:

Regrettably, equivalent protections do not currently exist on the internet, where hard-core pornography (including illegal content and content the BBFC would refuse to classify on harm grounds) is freely accessible to viewers of all ages.

The online pornography industry has been unregulated for too long. Pornography has proven, harmful effects on loving and meaningful relationships and can form destructive addictions. Pornography consumption leads to the dehumanisation and objectification of women and can fuel sexual violence.

The government should regulate the supply of pornography as well as the demand for it.

It is welcome that the government is now undertaking an internal review, and we expect a consultation next year - but we don't yet know when and what it is prepared to legislate for. Advert

It is imperative that action is taken soon -- certainly before a general election is called. Pornography should be acknowledged as a form of sexual exploitation, and routes for redress for those harmed by pornography provided. Third party facilitators will then be more mindful of their contribution to the industry and how accountable they are prepared to be.

The existing outdated patchwork of laws governing pornography need urgently updating. But it must be more than a tidying up exercise. It is critical that reforms are introduced to ensure that pornography is regulated consistently both online and offline.

The Texas age-verification and labeling law is scheduled to take effect September 1, 2023. While multiple age-verification laws have taken effect this year, Texas will join Louisiana in allowing direct government enforcement.

According to the law, the Attorney General may fine a site with adult content $10,000 per day, and up to $250,000 if it fails to adequately verify the age of visitors and a minor is able to access it.

Additionally, the Texas law requires all adult sites to affix warning messages to any page with adult content stating the supposed harms of viewing adult material. These 'warnings' are as follows:

TEXAS HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES WARNING:

• Pornography is potentially biologically addictive, is proven to harm human brain development, desensitizes brain reward circuits, increases conditioned responses, and weakens brain function.

• Exposure to this content is associated with low self-esteem and body image, eating disorders, impaired brain development, and other emotional and mental illnesses.

• Pornography increases the demand for prostitution, child exploitation, and child pornography.

Free Speech Coalition and a collection of leading adult platforms have filed a legal challenge to the Texas law, including a motion for preliminary injunction. While we are hopeful the challenge will succeed, and that a decision will be made prior to the start of enforcement, all members should be aware of the law and the risks of non-compliance. Alison Boden, Executive Director of Free Speech Coalition said:

This is a blatantly unconstitutional law, but the stakes are high for individual adult businesses with websites accessible in the state of Texas. We urge every platform and creator to review their potential exposure to legal liability with their legal counsel.

Free Speech Coalition has created landing pages for platforms that geo-block access to their sites from within the state of Texas , as it has in other states that have instituted age verification. The page explains why the site is blocked, and provides an avenue for residents to contact their representatives. However, geo-blocking a state does not necessarily provide safe harbor from the law.

The law, including the required age-verification methods and the legal warning stipulated, are available here .