Latest news with #ChildOnlineProtectionAct
Time of India
12 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Pornhub, XNXX in panic? US Supreme Court ruling lets states crack down on online adult content access
The US Supreme Court has upheld a Texas law mandating age verification for pornography websites, a decision that has stirred concerns within the adult entertainment industry. This 6-3 ruling supports Texas House Bill 1181, which requires users to provide age proof before accessing such sites, potentially impacting access and raising First Amendment and privacy concerns. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Supreme Court Backs Texas Porn Law, Shaking Up the Adult Industry A Major Shift in First Amendment Interpretation Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Justice Clarence Thomas: Smartphones Changed Everything Free Speech Advocates Say Adults Pay the Price Justice Elena Kagan Warns of Privacy Risks in Dissent Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads FAQs The US Supreme Court on Friday upheld a Texas law that requires users to prove their age before viewing pornography sites, as per a report. The ruling has set off alarm bells across the adult entertainment industry , where sites like Pornhub and XNXX now face an uncertain future in states enforcing similar laws, according to a HuffPost 6–3 ruling supports Texas House Bill 1181 , a 2023 law that mandates online pornography platforms verify users' ages by giving age proof, as per the report. Any site that fails to comply faces steep fines: $10,000 per day and up to $250,000 if minors gain access, as per the HuffPost to the report, now eighteen states, including Texas, have laws in effect that require age verification for pornography sites, while six other states have enacted such laws that are not yet in READ: Supreme court limits nationwide injunctions: Implications for Donald Trump's birthright citizenship order The decision marks a shift from previous First Amendment rulings. In the 1990s, the Supreme Court struck down two federal laws that attempted to regulate online pornography, the Communications Decency Act and the Child Online Protection Act, ruling they were unconstitutionally restricting free speech, according to HuffPost Clarence Thomas wrote for the majority, and pointed out that technology has advanced since the court's rulings on those laws enacted in the 1990s, as he said, 'With the rise of the smartphone and instant streaming, many adolescents can now access vast libraries of video content—both benign and obscene—at almost any time and place, with an ease that would have been unimaginable at the time' which the court last ruled on online pornography, quoted wrote that, 'The statute advances the State's important interest in shielding children from sexually explicit content,' adding, 'And, it is appropriately tailored because it permits users to verify their ages through the established methods of providing government-issued identification and sharing transactional data," as quoted in the READ: Congress cut off? White House limits intel sharing after Iran strikes report leak But lawyers for the Free Speech Coalition, which is a consortium of porn sites, argued that the law placed an undue burden on the speech of adults by requiring them to undergo age verification, while acknowledging that states may restrict access to pornography for minors, as reported by Thomas rejected their argument by pointing out that the First Amendment does not protect against age verification. He argued that, '[A]dults have no First Amendment right to avoid age verification, and the statute can readily be understood as an effort to restrict minors' access,' adding, 'Any burden experienced by adults is therefore only incidental to the statute's regulation of activity that is not protected by the First Amendment,' as quoted in the HuffPost Justice Elena Kagan wrote in dissent, saying, 'Under ordinary First Amendment doctrine, this Court should subject H. B. 1181 to strict scrutiny,' adding, 'That is because H. B. 1181 covers speech constitutionally protected for adults; impedes adults' ability to view that speech; and imposes that burden based on the speech's content. Case closed,' as quoted in the pointed out that because the Texas law requires adults to verify their age by providing a driver's license or data 'associated with things like a job or mortgage,' it acts as 'a deterrent' for adults looking to access pornography, according to the HuffPost also said that, 'It is not, contra the majority, like having to flash ID to enter a club,' adding, 'It is turning over information about yourself and your viewing habits—respecting speech many find repulsive—to a website operator, and then to ... who knows? The operator might sell the information; the operator might be hacked or subpoenaed,' as quoted in the if you're in a state with one of these laws. Sites will likely require age proof through ID or other may be blocked from accessing the site in states enforcing these laws.
CNBC
14 hours ago
- Politics
- CNBC
Supreme Court upholds Texas adult website age-verification law
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Friday upheld a Texas law aimed at restricting young people's access to pornographic content online. The justices in a 6-3 vote rejected a challenge brought by a pornography interest group called the Free Speech Coalition that said the measure violates the free speech rights of adults who want to access the content. The law requires users of websites that host adult content to verify their age before they can access it. This requires the operator to view a government-issued identification, such as a driver's license. The law "simply requires established verification methods already in use by pornographic sites and other industries," Justice Clarence Thomas wrote for the majority. It also "advances the state's important interest in shielding children from sexually explicit material," he added. The challengers argued the law violates the Constitution's First Amendment because it places a "content-based burden" on adults' access to speech. They cited a 2004 Supreme Court ruling that found a federal law also aimed at restricting access to pornography, called the Child Online Protection Act, was most likely unconstitutional. A federal judge had ruled that the provision at issue was problematic because it did not merely restrict access to minors. The New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals then ruled for Texas and refused to put its ruling on hold pending further review. As a result of that ruling, some online pornography platforms, including Pornhub, prevented people in Texas from accessing their sites out of concern about the provision's going into effect. The Supreme Court in April 2024 declined to block the law while the case continued.
NBC News
15 hours ago
- Politics
- NBC News
Supreme Court upholds Texas adult website age-verification law
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Friday upheld a Texas law aimed at restricting young people's access to pornographic content online. The justices in a 6-3 vote rejected a challenge brought by a pornography interest group called the Free Speech Coalition that said the measure violates the free speech rights of adults who want to access the content. The law requires users of websites that host adult content to verify their age before they can access it. This requires the operator to view a government-issued identification, such as a driver's license. The law "simply requires established verification methods already in use by pornographic sites and other industries," Justice Clarence Thomas wrote for the majority. It also "advances the state's important interest in shielding children from sexually explicit material," he added. The challengers argued the law violates the Constitution's First Amendment because it places a 'content-based burden' on adults' access to speech. They cited a 2004 Supreme Court ruling that found a federal law also aimed at restricting access to pornography, called the Child Online Protection Act, was most likely unconstitutional. A federal judge had ruled that the provision at issue was problematic because it did not merely restrict access to minors. The New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals then ruled for Texas and refused to put its ruling on hold pending further review. As a result of that ruling, some online pornography platforms, including Pornhub, prevented people in Texas from accessing their sites out of concern about the provision's going into effect. The Supreme Court in April 2024 declined to block the law while the case continued.
