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Scottish Sun
20 hours ago
- Business
- Scottish Sun
Scottish council staff caught watching porn and Netflix on work computers
It comes amid similar revelations about public sector workers elsewhere SITE FOR SORE EYES Scottish council staff caught watching porn and Netflix on work computers Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) STAFF at Scotland's biggest council have been watching porn and skiving on Netflix while on the job. Glasgow City Council workers have been accessing X-rated sites and streaming platforms on their official devices. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 3 The sites were accessed on Glasgow City Council devices Credit: Getty 3 Workers tried to get onto Pornhub on their council laptops Credit: Alamy New figures revealed by the Mail on Sunday show just how many times employees tried to access the forbidden webpages. Pornhub was among the naughty sites skiving staff tried to access while on the taxpayer's time. Figures showed workers tried to access the site 17 times. Most of the attempts to gain access to the X-rated platform were blocked by the council's firewall, but five attempts managed to get through. Staff also logged on to Netflix 63 times in the past year to watch their favourite shows. Others tried to access gambling sites 17 times. It comes as the city recently rolled out huge council tax hikes for residents. Glaswegians saw 7.5 per cent added to their bills to tackle the city's crumbling roads and rubbish-strewn streets. It has sparked fears some staff could be slacking off while working from home. Scottish Conservative MSP Annie Wells, who represents Glasgow, told the Mail: "Glaswegians who have been hit with huge hikes in their council tax will be appalled that council employees have been trying to access dodgy websites and Netflix on their time. DWP adviser filmed exposing her boobs and flashing fans on porn site while working from home "Hard-pressed taxpayers expect employees to be focused on fixing the city's pothole-ridden roads, emptying bins, and supporting our schools." It comes as similar revelations were made about Scottish Government Civil Servants who had accessed the same sites. A spokesperson for Glasgow City Council said: "The council has clear policies on acceptable use of IT equipment and access to some sites and services are restricted or blocked. "The council has thousands of staff that use a PC, phone or other internet-enabled device and these figures reflect a very small number of incidents."
Irish Examiner
4 days ago
- Politics
- Irish Examiner
Pornography 'in children's pockets and in their bedrooms' and 'finding them when they go online'
Pornography is 'in children's pockets and in their bedrooms', and is presenting itself to children online without them having to go looking for it, according to the chief executive of Women's Aid. Sarah Benson was speaking ahead of a two-day strategic convention on the issue, beginning on Thursday in Athlone. The event, organised by Women's Aid and the Community Foundation of Ireland, will examine how society can reduce and prevent the harms of pornography 'on gender equality, healthy sexual development and online safety'. Ms Benson said Women's Aid commissioned a Red C survey in 2022 on public attitudes around pornography. 'We further commissioned a piece of research which was undertaken by the Sexual Exploitation Research and Policy Institute which was published in November of last year.' That research found much of what features in mainstream pornography constitutes sexual violence, including the strangling of women during sex. Ms Benson said pornography could 'no longer remain the elephant in the room', adding it is a multi-billion euro 'broadly unregulated industry' which 'is on every smartphone, is on every social media app, in children's pockets and in their bedrooms, it is in the bedrooms of young people and adults alike, coming between positive sexual intimacy'. She warned: 'We now have the rise of AI and deep fake, so online safety, gender equality, sexual violence, healthy sexuality, children's exposure — it [pornography] is in too many spaces and places. "This is us convening, in a closed session, a wide group of experts who work on many different things but have that one thread of shared concern. Together, what we hope to be able to arrive at is some sort of strategy for action, whereby we can bring that to the general public, perhaps bring it to legislation. We are not talking about children accessing Pornhub — we are talking about porn finding them when they go online. We have to assume that they will be exposed to it, and not hope that they won't. She said a platform for action was what was now needed to tackle the harmful impact. Current gender adviser to the G7 and former tánaiste and MEP Frances Fitzgerald will chair the event. More than 50 delegates will include representatives from a range of areas including domestic, sexual and gender-based violence, men's leadership and development, children's rights and children's safety, education, online safety, consent programmes, youth organisations, migrant rights agencies and researchers.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Review: AdultFriendFinder is the skeeviest 'dating site' online
All products featured here are independently selected by our editors and writers. If you buy something through links on our site, Mashable may earn an affiliate commission. If you haven't heard of AdultFriendFinder, honestly, consider yourself lucky. This online platform has seriously earned its reputation for being one of the raunchiest and spammiest "dating" sites cluttering the internet. Sure, the name sounds wholesome and innocent enough, right? But peel back those endless paywalls, and what you find is a digital den packed with X-rated content, questionable profiles, problematic language, and aggressive marketing tactics that seem way more interested in your wallet than your actual experience. They constantly push you to spend more money for basic functions. (Oh, and did I mention it's also visually offensive? Seriously ugly, aesthetically speaking.) The best way to describe the AdultFriendFinder website (no app) is through its overall layout, which feels like a relic from the early 2000s. It's a mess of flashing banners, intrusive ads, and a user interface so poorly designed it feels intentionally built to overwhelm and confuse anyone brave enough to sign up. You know that scene in Because I Said So where Diane Keaton's character awkwardly stumbles upon AdultFriendFinder while trying to vet dates for her daughter? Yeah, that's the energy. But is there anything redeemable behind the chaos? In this review, we do a deep dive into the AdultFriendFinder experience to figure out exactly how it works (or doesn't), what features it offers, and whether it actually connects people looking for hookups. This site is for making adult "friends," not friends who are adults. Credit: Screenshot: AdultFriendFinder AdultFriendFinder is one of the most well-known sites for finding quick sexual encounters, regular hookups, and literally anything else even remotely related to sex. The rowdy feed of matches, jumble of explicit photos, and stimulating calls-to-action offering all types of sex make it heaven for anyone looking for a good time with no filter — and hell for someone who wouldn't be caught dead clicking on a "There are hot singles in your area" ad. SEE ALSO: Tired of Pornhub? These raunchy dating sites are worthy alternatives. On AFF, you can find someone to sext via messaging or video chat (and plan to get it on IRL, if that's what you're looking for), watch live streams, or join niche group chat rooms to connect with other members. You can easily view photos and videos from other members, though interacting is often locked behind a paywall. Is it worth $20-something per month? Depends on how much fishy content you're willing to overlook for a juicy sexting session and the ability to actually send messages. So, who's actually on this platform? According to SimilarWeb's data for April 2025, AdultFriendFinder pulls in around 11.4 million visits around the world per month. While they might flash huge, questionable stats like "98,897,765 hot photos" and "3,495,277 connections" on their signup page (seriously, what do those even mean?), the actual traffic numbers paint a picture of a site that's seen better days. AdultFriendFinder's ranking has slipped significantly; as of April 2025, it was ranked around 69th in the Adult category in the U.S., a notable drop from previous years. This suggests people might be finding better alternatives elsewhere. SEE ALSO: Is Tinder Platinum worth it? I tried it for 3 months to find out. Specifics on the demographic that most people care about — the gender ratio — can be hard to track down. According to SimilarWeb, the audience is roughly 78 percent male and 22 percent female. This kind of imbalance is pretty common on hookup-focused sites. It means it's likely a paradise if you're a straight man, maybe hit-or-miss if you're a straight woman or LGBTQ man, and probably an actual hellscape if you're an LGBTQ woman trying to navigate it. On the flip side, AFF does let you identify as and search for a man, woman, a couple, or trans. They've made some attempts to be a "sex-positive" site with blogs, groups, and even a "sex academy." However, their language around the LGBTQ community has historically been anything but inclusive or positive. Previously, the AFF sign-up page listed "TG/TV/TS" as the "trans" gender selection — we'll let you infer what those stand for. After reaching out to AdultFriendFinder about it, this language has improved somewhat with more gender options that are appropriately labeled, though "trans" is still a separate selection from "man" or "woman," which feels more like fetishization than inclusivity. To their credit, they do offer a handful of sexual orientation options beyond just straight or gay, which is a small positive. But honestly, for a site trying so hard to be sex-positive, having a variety of sexual orientations represented shouldn't exactly be a groundbreaking surprise. The sexual oreintation selection is a bit more inclusive than the "searching for" section. Credit: Screenshot: AdultFriendFinder As far as legitimacy goes, AdultFriendFinder is a real site with real users. However, the question is whether you can really find what you're looking for there, or if you'll mostly find a bunch of bots and scammers. Many users report that it feels like a scam site due to the number of fake profiles and the pressure to spend more money. Compared to other legit sites, its reputation is definitely questionable. Because AFF is pretty spammy, it's hard to tell how many active members are actually using the site. The Trustpilot score isn't reassuring either. From the start, AdultFriendFinder makes it clear that it's not really aiming to build long-term relationships. The site emphasizes casual hookups and even allows for explicit content, so users know what they're getting into. But if you're looking for something more than just a one-night stand, you might want to consider other platforms. One of the biggest turnoffs for potential users is that so many features are locked behind a paywall. While you can technically sign up for free, you can't do much beyond browse profiles or view photos from other members. Free members have very limited interaction options; you typically need to upgrade to send messages or see anything substantial. There's also a brand-new age verification feature that won't let you past the home page unless you verify you're actually of age. You can either take a photo of your face to confirm your age or upload a valid photo ID that confirms your birth date. (Honestly, we're glad they're at least trying to protect minors from seeing anything they shouldn't be seeing or connecting with pervy older people.) There's brand-new age verification feature that won't let you past the home page unless you verify you're actually of age. Credit: Screenshot: AdultFriendFinder Signing up takes like 30 seconds. Seriously, just an email, username, password, and a quick intro will do. Of course, you'll have to go through the age verification process too, but it's pretty quick. Once you're in, brace yourself for the instant notification spam; apparently, a gray silhouette is enough to attract attention here. To even think about connecting with someone real, you absolutely have to add photos and details to your profile — essentially, prove you're not just another bot contributing to the noise. AdultFriendFinder features a personality questionnaire to personalize your profile and up your chances of finding a compatible match. Credit: Screenshot: AdultFriendFinder After registering, there are a ton of ways to personalize your account (way more than you'd expect for a hookup site, honestly). The more you fill out, the better your chances of meeting someone (and improving your sex life). There are the basic physical appearance questions about eye and hair color, and since I identified as a woman, cup size was an option. (If you identify as a man, I'm sure you can guess what question they ask.) SEE ALSO: How to unblock Xnxx porn for free The site also features a Personality Type test and a "My Kinks" form where you can select whether or not you're "curious about, into, or can't live without" a certain kink (e.g., anal, bondage, role play, etc.). It also lets you choose whether you're a voyeur, the giver, or the receiver. One weird thing about the Personality Type test is that it asks several questions about whether or not you enjoy shopping at discount stores — not really sure what that's about. It also asks whether or not "a quiet time for prayer should be allowed in school." You can choose "strongly disagree, somewhat disagree, somewhat agree, or strongly agree." Once you finish the personality test (20 questions), you can opt to have your Personality Type show up on your profile or have it hidden. It will also show you which personality types complement yours. Credit: Screenshot: AdultFriendFinder Here's what you can expect when you're looking for a connection: Like a traditional dating site, AFF throws a collage of potential matches at you, showing who's online or nearby. But any resemblance to a "traditional" site stops there. You barely have to scroll before noticing that there's no shortage of nudity. Depending on whether you set your preferences to men, women, or both, you'll see all of that stuff up close, personal, swinging around, in action. You name it, it'll pop up. You can try to refine your results by gender, age, location, race, sexual orientation, body type, etc., but good luck making a dent in the sheer volume of profiles (real or otherwise). The message section looks weirdly like old Gmail. You'll get a mix of messages; some might be genuinely friendly, but expect a fair share of instant, crude ones too. It's the online dating equivalent of creeps on Tinder, but amplified. SEE ALSO: Tinder releases yet another feature to stop inappropriate messages You can do a decent amount of looking without paying (this includes browsing profiles, getting limited messages, and hitting up some chat rooms). But hit any of that "juicier hidden content" or try to actually talk to someone, and you'll smack into a paywall or the site's non-monetary currency, "points." You earn points through activity on the free version, which is kind of like playing a mini-game just to unlock basic functionality. To really get anywhere, especially if you're a guy looking for women (as some on Reddit noted, women prefer paid members for perceived credibility), you'll need a Gold membership. The prices bounce around a bit, but generally, the longer you commit, the cheaper the monthly rate. Expect to pay around $27.95 for one month, about $20.95 per month for three months, or roughly $14.95 per month if you go for a full year. Credit: Screenshot: AdultFriendFinder The site shoves other add-ons at you, too, including features like "Voyeur" for enhanced viewing, "Interaction" for better messaging (yes, paying extra to message better), "Chat Plus," and "Advanced Search." These layer on costs, meaning the price you see for Gold might not be the actual price of a usable experience. AdultFriendFinder also gives members the option to confirm their identity with ConfirmID. If you do this, the site promises to give you two weeks of Gold for free. The ConfirmID works by entering your legal first and last name, home address, gender, and date of birth, and uploading a copy of your driver's license, passport, or other government-issued ID. If you spend more quality time on the site than expected, springing for a paid membership is definitely something to consider. Once you're paying, you basically become royalty on the site: Your profile will appear way higher in searches, you can use the most advanced searches, unlock profiles with private photo albums, check out video profiles, and message to your heart's content. A general rule is that increased involvement and payment on your end generally equals more success on the website, as your constant activity and heightened searchability make it easier for others to find you. Once you get past the in-your-face sexplosion of naked profile pictures, horny AIM-era profile names, and explicit videos, the big question is: Does AdultFriendFinder actually work? Like, can you realistically log on and find what you're looking for? The short answer is... maybe, but probably not as well as you'd hope. Let's put it this way: AFF might work if you are very open-minded, specifically looking to blow off steam with casual sex or explore niche kinks, and you're completely over the slow pace of traditional dating sites. It has a ton of activities, ranging from direct messaging, sending virtual gifts and tips, watching live videos of people in your feed, joining adult chat rooms that can get very niche, or entering photo contests. Aside from the NSFW content, the website is relatively straightforward (albeit ugly). Every feature is advertised in big letters, notifications are displayed clearly with labels, and you don't really have to click around to find anything. This makes it super accessible for users of all ages, even those who aren't tech-savvy and can't even figure out Facebook. Buttons are all over the place, but you figure it out after messing around for a few minutes. AdultFriendFinder is like a PornHub that you can interact with. Think of AdultFriendFinder as the dating site version of New York City — it never sleeps. It's like that booty call who's always awake when you text them. Or at least that used to be the case... 10 years ago. What was once a hot site that a few Reddit users were quick to hype up is now one of the dating sites that Reddit users can't help but diss — in the few instances that AFF is even being discussed at all. It's notable that, on a site where online dating is such a mammoth topic of discussion, AdultFriendFinder has rarely been mentioned in a positive light since the early 2010s. The Reddit community is diverse and open-minded; if a dating site exists, someone on Reddit has used it and has an opinion. When an innocent soul does ask if it's legit, AFF usually gets dragged for sketchy pricing and being riddled with fake profiles. However, some Reddit members have praised AFF as a site for men meeting men. Even so, the site's still buggy and isn't exactly great for meeting real people who aren't, as one Reddit user so eloquently put it, "busted and unstable." SEE ALSO: Is Bumble Premium worth it? I tried it for 2 months to find out. Stating the obvious, AdultFriendFinder is a space for people who want to bang with no strings attached, people who are in a sexual rut, people who are tired of porn, and people who find sites like eharmony boring. Getting to know someone for weeks before meeting up can be exhausting, and sometimes, you want to skip the small talk and do the dirty with a random. It's gonna get kinky out there, and that's great for those who are dying to blow off steam and want someone who will respond well to a brusque, sexy message. As with all dating sites, catfishing is a big buzzkill. Your chances of being pursued are way higher if you have a lot of pictures of the same person (AKA you), videos, and a genuine profile that lets people know they're not dealing with something sketchy. Even if you've had bad luck with online dating in the past, AdultFriendFinder is the place to be honest. SEE ALSO: What is consensual non-monogamy? If you're a cynic, conservative by any means, get sketched out easily, or aren't a fan of dick pics, you'll probably hate it. Similarly, if you appreciate a well-crafted, aesthetically pleasing website that feels safe, no matter how badly you want to have sex, one glance at the landing page likely signals that it's not for you. AdultFriendFinder is not the place to be if you're trying to make friends unless "with benefits" is tacked onto the end. Every inch of the site screams: "This website is used to have sex," and you should really listen to that. As illustrated by the flood of artsy activism guides on Instagram in recent years, it's clear what content appeals to young people on the internet: Something aesthetically pleasing, shareable, and digestible. The "shareable" part doesn't totally apply to online dating, but apps like Hinge and OkCupid closely follow this design trend by limiting the number of words (and ads) in each tab, steering clear of endless scrolling, and ensuring that important info isn't cluttered with flashing clickbait. We're not knocking a quick hookup or no-strings-attached relations. This isn't about morals. Genitals are quite literally in your face from the moment you make an account, and that's just not cute. There are chiller ways to go about insinuating that this is a hookup website without feeling like you're trapped in a sex dungeon with strangers. I could not get past the fact that the entire site looks like it's about to invite five viruses to your computer. We're talking terrible graphics that look like they were made on Microsoft Paint and pictures of women who look like they're from Pornhub in 2007. (That's when AdultFriendFinder was officially sold and rebranded from its original parent company.) Reddit user Snoo53279 summed it up in a comment from July 2020: "The people on AFF are definitely real, but there is a huge smattering of bots that also get in the way, so it can be a bit of a PITA to use." If they're not bots, they could be men posing as a couple to seem less threatening. The parade of women on the landing page is questionable for two reasons. This shouldn't even need to be clarified, but not everyone is looking for a woman. At the least, the advertising isn't inclusive — but this crosses into fetishization territory. The cherry on top is that the women in the photos (unsurprisingly) probably aren't even members of the site, according to a disclaimer at the bottom of the landing page. SEE ALSO: What is cockfishing? Why some men lie about their size on dating apps. AdultFriendFinder's overall outdated vibe goes past an aesthetic annoyance — it's downright problematic at times. The lack of inclusivity for the LGBTQ+ community is nearly unforgivable, and we'd be scared to see some of the related rhetoric that AFF users feel comfortable spewing. Without even a dash of social awareness, it's hard to see how anyone who's not an out-of-touch straight cis man would feel comfortable on this site. Attempting to navigate the shoddy design might be enough to smother your horniness. Three main issues can make the site borderline unusable: It looks shady as hell, an alarming portion of the user base is made up of bots and spam accounts, and the user interface itself is outdated and rife with bugs. Adding to the sketchiness, a network hack in 2016 exposed around 412 million accounts, including "deleted" accounts that weren't actually deleted from the database. If this is enough reason for you to fall back on Tinder for finding a friend with benefits, we don't blame you. Signing up with a burner email and avoiding using your real name as a username are wise moves (pick a naughty word and add 69 to the end, IDK), though keeping your personal information private is hard when credit cards are involved. In 2007, AFF was involved in a lawsuit with the FTC over allegations that the site used malware to send explicit pop-up ads to computers owned by people who hadn't signed up for the service. Though we haven't seen reports like this recently, so we're hoping those ridiculous ads you see are at least confined to people who actually use the site. Given AdultFriendFinder's... challenges... you're probably wondering where else you can look for casual connections or kink exploration online. While AFF might feel slightly more "legit" than sites with names that scream spam (you know the ones), there are definitely much better places to spend your time and money. Here are a few alternatives that offer a significantly better experience: Pure: Think of Pure as a more modern, less eyeball-assaulting option for no-strings-attached hookups. It has a sleek, "hella-millennial" design (way better than AFF's retro mess) and features like self-destructing messages and profiles that disappear after an hour, giving it a casual, in-the-moment feel. It's basically a sexier, more private Snapchat for hookups. Feeld: If you're a single or couple looking for group sex, polyamory, or exploring LGBTQ+ friendly dynamics, Feeld is a much better bet than navigating AFF's often problematic space. It's designed for open-minded individuals and couples and is generally praised for being more inclusive (though it had some bugs after a recent update, which seem to be getting addressed). It skips the unicorn hunting and rampant fetishization found elsewhere. Mainstream Apps (like Hinge or OkCupid): While not strictly hookup-focused, even mainstream apps offer a more palatable and less spammy user experience. Their design is cleaner, there's less ad overload, and they prioritize clear information over flashing explicit content, which some users might find a relief compared to AFF's chaos. Ultimately, you have options that are more modern, more inclusive, and simply less likely to make you feel like you need a virus scan after logging on. SEE ALSO: Best hookup apps and dating sites to find casual sex with no strings attached AdultFriendFinder is a low-pressure way to find a friends-with-benefits situation without insulting anyone. Everyone is pretty much there for the same reason, and though it'll feel pretty unorthodox if you've only ever used Tinder to scope this type of thing out, AFF's blunt advertising at least means you won't have to explain that you're not looking for a relationship. It's niche-friendly and has a ton of interactive outlets to indulge your primal urges. But that freedom comes with a price — the price is feeling like one of those people who fall for the ads that pop up before a free Pornhub video. It's not that a site dedicated to sex and sexting is inherently scammy — it's that AdultFriendFinder drowns you with explicit photos on profiles that might not even be real people while asking you to pay for a subscription with every click. Unfortunately, no matter how in the mood you are, some people aren't cut out for the nothing-left-to-the-imagination approach with grammar mistakes all over the place. It wants to be sex-positive so badly, but the language the site has used in reference to the trans community is the furthest thing from that. The site's functionality and safety aren't where they need to be in 2025. If security measures were tightened, graphics and photos were cleaned up to feel more relevant, and decision-makers behind the scenes were given a lesson in inclusivity and pronouns/identities, AdultFriendFinder could be a handy tool to find attachment-free hookups and connect with a community that's down for anything. This isn't a dating or hookup site we would personally use, but if you're feeling brave, you can register for AdultFriendFinder here. Just don't try this at work. Opens in a new window Credit: AdultFriendFinder AdultFriendFinder Learn More
Scottish Sun
7 days ago
- Politics
- Scottish Sun
Civil servants let off with ‘slaps on the wrist' after being caught watching porn on government laptops
The Scottish Government has admitted there have been six attempts to log on to Pornhub since November alone GOV STAFF RAP Civil servants let off with 'slaps on the wrist' after being caught watching porn on government laptops Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) CIVIL servants caught watching porn have been let off with 'slaps on the wrist', we can reveal. Only two have received formal written warnings since 2018 for accessing X-rated websites on their taxpayer-funded laptops. Sign up for the Politics newsletter Sign up 2 The revelation comes after a written question to Nats ministers from Douglas Lumsden Credit: Getty Yet the Scottish Government has admitted there have been six attempts to log on to Pornhub since November alone. Scottish Tory MSP Douglas Lumsden said: 'It's completely inappropriate for publicly funded equipment to be used to access dodgy websites or for other non-work purposes. 'But it's typical of the SNP government's reckless disregard for taxpayers' money that abuses of this sort, whether by ministers or civil servants, result in no more than a slap on the wrist.' The revelation comes following a written question to Nats ministers from Mr Lumsden. In it, SNP chiefs reveal the two formal disciplinary cases against civil servants accessing porn on government devices resulted in two written warnings. One was for six-months, and the other was for a year. But Benjamin Elks, of the TaxPayers' Alliance said: 'Anyone caught using government devices to access pornography should be sacked without hesitation. 'Scottish taxpayers will be rightly disgusted to see what their civil servants have been up to.' Just days ago John Swinney approved civil servants being forced to work in the office at least two days a week in a bid to boost productivity. And it comes after it was confirmed many government officials - most of whom were working from home - spend their time streaming their favourite Netflix shows. SNP balsted by opposition over MORE FERRY FIASCO delays Ministers said the number of attempts to log onto the streaming channel is too high to calculate. The latest revelations follow Health Secretary Michael Matheson having to resign after he racked up an £11,000 bill on his work iPad while abroad on a family holiday - and charged it to the public purse, before he resigned his position and agreed to pay it back. A Scottish Government spokesperson said: 'Any attempt to access, download, display, store or distribute pornographic, racist or other offensive material, or material relating to illegal activities is considered a disciplinary matter, as outlined in the Scottish Government's IT Code of Conduct. Action is taken in line with Scottish Government disciplinary policy where concerns are identified. 'Scottish Government staff can use devices for personal use if this is within their own time, for example during the weekend or a lunchbreak. This is subject to restrictions on certain activities such as running a personal website or attempting to access inappropriate material online.'
Indianapolis Star
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Indianapolis Star
Pornhub is offline in Indiana. Republicans want to ban porn everywhere.
Are you worried about paying your bills? Affording health care? Or watching democracy crumble like a Nature Valley granola bar? Well, never fear, Utah Sen. Mike Lee is here to protect you from the real threat: your incognito tab. Yes, Lee and fellow Republican Rep. Mary Miller's Interstate Obscenity Definition Act would criminalize all pornography. Opinion: As Pornhub exits Indiana, online porn is still easy to find The bill would create a national definition of obscenity under the Communications Act of 1934 and amend the Supreme Court's 1973 'Miller Test' for determining what qualifies as obscene. Content could be deemed obscene if it depicts or describes 'actual or simulated sexual acts with the objective intent to arouse, titillate or gratify the sexual desires of a person.' That's a definition so wide it could sweep up a whole lot of HBO shows with it. Beyond that glaringly wide net of a definition, this seems like just another virtue signaling culture war proposal that will never actually make it to President Trump's desk. But, then again, who knows. One of Project 2025's many goals was to permanently criminalize all pornography. So if this legislation were to actually gain momentum, we could witness the GOP alienate one of its newly secured voting blocs: chronically online young men. Since the November 2024 election, the conversation about young men's shift to the right has been written about ad nauseum. So much so, 'manosphere' is likely in the running for Webster's 2025 Word of the Year. We know that young men helped elect Trump. They're enmeshed in online political discourse. And yes — many of them are consumers of exactly the content this bill targets. The modern right wing movement has spent years cultivating this audience: through podcasts, YouTube influencers, 'anti-woke' crusades and appeals to grievance politics. These young men have been told, repeatedly, that their frustrations with feminism, social progress and a rapidly changing culture are valid — and that the right will fight for them. But this bill does the opposite. It tells them: You, too, are the problem. It's hard to overstate how deeply ingrained online adult content is in the digital ecosystem these voters inhabit. Platforms like OnlyFans, PornHub and other streaming sites have become — whether we like it or not — a major outlet for young men who feel disconnected from traditional relationships and left behind economically. Taking that away, without offering anything in its place, is a recipe for alienation and backlash. And it's not just about habits or personal freedom. This is a policy so extreme that it risks turning a culture war into a self-inflicted political wound. Banning all porn doesn't just raise enormous First Amendment concerns — it invites backlash from libertarians, moderates, and yes, the online foot soldiers of the 'anti-woke' movement. Instead of focusing on real issues — economic insecurity, mental health, loneliness, sex education — this proposal feels like a distraction. A symbolic gesture that ignores root causes in favor of moral posturing. There are serious debates to be had about online content, consent, exploitation and mental health. But making millions of Americans potential criminals for what they watch in the privacy of their homes isn't policy. It's performative politics. Opinion: Trump secured the border. Legal battles distract from his success. And for a party that, until recently, struggled to connect with younger voters, it's a risky move to send the message: 'We trust you with guns— but not with Google.' The question isn't whether porn is good or bad. The question is whether the government should be the arbiter of morality and obscenity in the digital age. And if the GOP insists on fighting that battle, they may find their greatest casualty isn't just the adult entertainment industry — it's part of their own voter base.
