WASHINGTON — A familiar accusation in American politics has landed back in the spotlight, this time with subpoenas attached.

Former Fox News anchor and federal prosecutor Jeanine Pirro, now serving as U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, issued broad subpoenas this week to several major financial institutions as part of an investigation into whether customers were unlawfully denied banking services because of their political beliefs, ideological affiliations or professions.

The inquiries center on allegations that banks discriminated against people because they identified as politically conservative or were connected to organizations such as conservative Christian groups or activities that some civil society organizations have classified as right-wing extremism.

According to multiple reports, institutions including JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America and Wells Fargo received subpoenas. Pirro and federal prosecutors are reportedly exploring potential sanctions and charges under the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act of 1989, a law that gained prominence during efforts to hold banks accountable following the 2008 mortgage crisis.

Given the legal approach being taken, the investigation is drawing attention within the adult industry, where concerns about debanking and unequal access to financial services have persisted for years. For many in that space, the issue isn’t theoretical. It’s part of doing business.

The Free Speech Coalition, a trade organization representing the adult industry, has spent years urging Congress and federal officials to adopt fairer banking policies, particularly for people engaged in legal, consensual sex work or occupations connected to the adult sector. The group has also highlighted areas of overlap with conservative activists who have raised similar complaints involving firearm retailers, check-cashing businesses, pawn shops, religious organizations and other industries they say have faced restrictions from financial institutions.

The coalition is also pursuing plans to establish a federally chartered credit union dedicated to serving the adult industry. The goal is to provide an alternative to major banks and reduce the effects of debanking. The broader issue remains contentious and heavily debated. Still, investigations conducted by news organizations and advocacy groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union, have prompted calls for reforms from federal regulators and self-regulatory bodies overseeing banking and payment processing.

It is important to note that Pirro’s subpoenas could only be issued on behalf of preferred groups and individuals.

The New York Post cited allegations connected to a lawsuit brought by President Donald J. Trump against JPMorgan Chase. According to those claims, a former bank executive informed Trump and members of his family that certain accounts would be closed following the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Pirro has also been outspoken in her criticism of what she characterizes as institutional bias against conservatives and right-wing figures within the financial sector.

Even so, federal law requires banks to provide equitable access to financial products and services. Previous reporting noted that the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, which operates within the Treasury Department, found that nine of the nation’s largest banks had limited services to some clients operating in industries considered controversial.

Early in his administration, President Trump signed an executive order directing the OCC to examine allegations of debanking. Preliminary findings from that review indicated that institutions including JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Citibank, Wells Fargo, U.S. Bank, Capital One, PNC Bank, TD Bank and BMO Bank had engaged in debanking practices.

While it’s probably not what the man is most remembered for, Charles Humprey Keating Jr. was a seminal figure in the early days of the War on Porn in the United States. A staunch proponent of censorship, Keating was one of the founders of Citizens for Decent Literature (“CDL”), a group established in 1958 in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Over the years, CDL rebranded several times, including as “Citizens for Decency through Law,” but the mission remained the same: To advocate for reading ‘the classics,’ as opposed to “smut” – and to vigorously enforce the nation’s obscenity laws, of course.

CDL would grow into an organization with over 300 chapters across the country, claiming membership of over 100,000 people. Over the years, the group would go on to mail tens of millions of letters advancing its agenda and submit amicus curiae (“friend of the court”) briefs in numerous cases that went before the Supreme Court. The group also counseled municipalities on prosecuting retailers who sold pornographic material and lobbied legislatures around the country on how to amend and strengthen their obscenity laws.

Keating believed pornography was the root of many societal ills, including a variety of criminal behaviors. In testimony he gave before the House Judiciary Committee on mail-order porn in 1958, Keating asserted that pornography was “capable of poisoning any mind at any age and of perverting our entire younger generation.” Seeking to tie porn to another animating fear prevalent in the late 50s, Keating also quoted a Senate Committee report which claimed that “part of the Communist conspiracy was to print” pornographic material.

In 1969, Keating was appointed to the President’s Commission on Obscenity and Pornography, which had launched under Nixon’s predecessor in the Oval Office, Lyndon Johnson. (The Commission also included members of Operation Yorkville, subject of another Origins of the War on Porn article.)

When the Commission eventually published a report holding that porn isn’t degrading the morals of adults or causing crime – and recommending that existing obscenity laws that prohibited adults from obtaining and possessing obscene materials be repealed – Keating was incensed. He went so far as to obtain a temporary restraining order on publication of the report until he could prepare a rebuttal. Keating was granted the TRO and two weeks to craft his response.

“At a time when the spread of pornography has reached epidemic proportions in our country and when the moral fiber of our nation seems to be rapidly unravelling, the desperate need is for enlightenment and intelligent control of the poisons which threaten us – not the declaration of moral bankruptcy inherent in the repeal of the laws which have been the defense of decent people against the pornographer for profit,” Keating wrote. “One can consult all the experts he chooses, can write reports, make studies, etc., but the fact that obscenity corrupts lies within the common sense, the reason, and the logic of every man.”

Keating’s participation in the Commission boosted his standing and gave him a platform for continuing to push for censorship and prosecution of obscenity crimes. He and CDL would go on to lead efforts to block the screening of Russ Meyer films, prevent the performance of theatrical releases like Oh! Calcutta! and push for the censorship of publications like Playboy and other softcore adult magazines.

Keating’s name would come to resonate in the public consciousness quite differently as the decades wore on. While he maintained his fight against “indecency,” what he became better known for, arguably at least, was his role in the country’s nationwide “savings and loan crisis,” in which Keating’s company, the Lincoln Savings and Loan Association, played a central role.

The facts surrounding Lincoln Savings and Loan scandal and the eventual prosecution related to it are complicated and well beyond the scope of this article. But to make a long story somewhat shorter, the savings and loan crises eventually metastasized into fiasco with an impact of over $500 billion and even a summarized version of the tale presents a winding road.

In September 1989, Regulators filed a $1.1 billion action against Keating and his associates for fraud and racketeering. Keating was later indicted on 42 counts in California, accusing Lincoln of fooling customers of ‘junk bonds’ pertaining to the American Continental Corporation, which had gone bankrupt in April,1989. Keating was sentenced to 10 years in prison by Judge Lance Ito, the same jurist who presided over the infamous O.J. Simpson double-homicide case.

In January 1993, a federal conviction followed his state crime conviction and Keating was found guilty on 73 counts of fraud, conspiracy and racketeering. He was given a 12.5-year sentence and ordered to pay restitution of $122 million.

Keating’s convictions were later overturned on appeal, but he also entered into a plea agreement in a federal case in which he admitted to four counts of wire fraud and bankruptcy fraud. Prosecutors dropped the other charges against Keating and his son, and Keating was sentenced to time served.

Charles Keating died in Phoenix, Arizona, in 2014 at the age of 90. Until the end, he maintained his innocence in the savings and loan fiasco (a claim that didn’t square particularly well with his admission of guilt in the plea bargain) – and continued to rail against sexually explicit expression.

In the end, it appears Keating’s definition of “decency” didn’t include a need to stick to fair dealing in business, or to take accountability when his reckless actions harmed tens of thousands of his customers.

Protecting children from harmful online content may seem like a simple goal. Yet questions continue to surface about whether age verification systems can achieve that objective without creating new concerns of their own. As the UK moves toward stricter age checks for social media access, some technology policy experts argue that the measures could introduce unintended consequences while leaving broader issues unresolved.

A Technological Solution Under Scrutiny

Critics of age verification requirements say the systems depend heavily on collecting personal information, raising concerns about privacy and long-term data storage.

The Foundation for Information Policy Research (FIPR) submitted evidence arguing that mandatory age verification is unlikely to address many of the issues parents worry about most, including harmful content and platform features designed to encourage prolonged use. According to Ben Collier, chair of FIPR, it can be tempting to look for “magic technological fixes,” but he said such approaches may increase the influence of major technology companies while shifting attention away from wider social and platform-related concerns. The UK’s Online Safety Act establishes the legal basis for these requirements and gives regulators authority to enforce age-assurance measures across a range of online services.

Privacy Concerns Remain Central

Supporters and critics alike agree that online verification differs significantly from traditional age checks conducted in person.

Many age verification systems rely on methods such as facial analysis, government-issued identification uploads, or credit card information. Unlike presenting identification briefly in a physical location, digital verification can create records connected to online activity. FIPR pointed to Facebook’s use of security phone numbers for advertising purposes in 2018 as an example of how information collected for one purpose can later be used differently. The organization also noted that some verification technologies may be less effective for minority groups and people with disabilities, potentially creating barriers to access for certain users.

The Challenge of Circumvention

Experts also question how effective age verification systems will be when users actively seek ways around them.

Children and teenagers already use a variety of techniques to bypass age-detection tools, including image filters that alter appearance and AI-generated images capable of misleading verification systems. Markets for false identification and pre-verified accounts continue to exist, while technologies such as VPNs and the Tor network remain widely available. Some observers warn that if mainstream platforms impose strict verification requirements, younger users may migrate to less regulated services where content moderation is weaker and potentially more harmful material is easier to access.

Alternative Models Gain Attention

Some researchers argue that content-based controls may offer another path for protecting younger internet users.

FIPR has proposed a system based on content classification and filtering, similar to age-rating systems used for films. Under this approach, websites would label content categories, while devices or software settings controlled by parents—or by older children themselves—could restrict access to material deemed inappropriate. Supporters of the model say it focuses directly on the content being accessed rather than requiring users to verify their identity. As governments around the world consider similar policies, including recent social media restrictions in Australia, decisions about how these systems are designed and enforced are expected to play a significant role in shaping online experiences for families in the years ahead.

DES MOINES, Iowa — Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signed the state’s age verification legislation into law on Monday, approving a measure aimed specifically at pornography websites along with a number of other bills passed during the legislative session that concluded May 3.

The Iowa Senate had previously voted unanimously to approve a revised version of House File 864, legislation directed at websites and platforms that contain specified amounts of content deemed “harmful to minors.”

House File 864 is now law as “an act requiring persons who operate certain internet sites, applications, or a segment of an internet site or application that contains material pornographic for minors to perform reasonable age verification.”

The law grants enforcement authority to the Iowa Attorney General’s Office, led by Attorney General Brenna Bird. Under the measure, websites and platforms covered by the law may face penalties of up to $10,000 for each violation.

“The attorney general may bring a civil action to provide for civil penalties in an amount not more than $100,000” if a platform fails to comply with a court injunction, according to the legislation.

As with similar age verification laws enacted in other states, operators of online pornography platforms may use third-party providers to conduct what the law describes as reasonable age verification. Those providers are prohibited from retaining information collected through the verification process, although they must provide relevant data if ordered to do so by a state court.

BRASILIA, Brazil — Brazil’s National Data Protection Authority (ANPD) on Monday launched a new online portal that allows citizens to report potential violations of the country’s Digital Statute for Children and Adolescents, known as the Digital ECA, which requires adult websites to verify the age of users accessing content from within Brazil.

In a statement announcing the initiative, the agency said it will review all submitted complaints to identify companies and online platforms that may not be complying with the requirements of the Digital ECA.

Among the issues identified on the reporting portal as falling under ANPD oversight are the “absence or deficiency of age verification/checking mechanisms on platforms” and the “lack of adequate security mechanisms to prevent/mitigate access to inappropriate, unsuitable, or prohibited content.”

ANPD Superintendent of Inspection Fabrício Guimarães said that while the agency will not provide individual responses to every complaint, the information received will help determine whether a formal investigation into a specific company is warranted.

The Digital ECA requires adult content providers to implement age verification measures that go beyond simple self-declaration and applies regardless of where a website operator is located. ANPD has also outlined a phased approach to compliance oversight as enforcement efforts expand. The first phase, which is currently underway, includes public consultations aimed at broadening and refining compliance guidelines.

WARSAW, Poland — Poland’s Council of Ministers on Tuesday approved a proposed nationwide measure that would require websites and online platforms to verify users’ ages in an effort to prevent minors from accessing adult content online.

Deputy Minister of Digital Affairs Michał Gramatyka described the proposed Act on the Protection of Minors Against Access to Pornographic Content as “crucial.”

“Websites containing such content are currently not effectively protected against access, often accidental, by minors,” Gramatyka said.

According to a statement from the Ministry of Digital Affairs, the legislation “does not impose specific technical solutions on providers, but rather specifies which age verification mechanisms are recommended.”

The ministry is promoting the use of the European Digital Identity Wallet as part of the implementation of new age verification requirements, Deputy Minister of Digital Affairs Dariusz Standerski said.

“We plan to launch secure and anonymous age verification by the end of 2026,” Standerski said.

If enacted, the legislation would require telecommunications providers to block access to websites that do not comply with age verification rules. Companies that fail to meet the requirements could also face financial penalties.

The proposal must still be considered by Poland’s parliament and receive approval from President Karol Nawrocki, who earlier this year vetoed legislation that would have implemented the European Union’s Digital Services Act, including provisions related to age verification.

Poland has fallen behind several other European Union member states in implementing Digital Services Act requirements and could face action from the European Commission for failing to enforce the regulations.

KYIV — Ukraine’s parliament failed to approve a proposed measure that would have decriminalized pornography across the country.

Since gaining independence following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Ukraine has maintained laws prohibiting pornography and obscenity, even as the nation’s adult-content industry has continued to expand.

“It’s very unfortunate,” said Ruslan Stefanchuk, chair of the Rada, according to the Ukrainian News Agency. “I would have liked to see real liberalization, but apparently the Soviet mindset is still firmly entrenched.”

Member of Parliament Yaroslav Zheleznyak spearheaded the effort to repeal the country’s longstanding Soviet-era restrictions on pornography. The law is “nothing short of stupidity,” Zheleznyak told Kyiv Post journalist Kateryna Zakharchenko in an August 2023 interview. The bill ultimately received 207 votes, falling short of the 226 needed for approval.

Ukraine’s Ministry of Internal Affairs said it had no objections to the wording of the legislation. Despite that position, supporters of the measure were unable to secure enough votes for it to pass.

The failed vote comes as Ukraine’s Security Service and other law enforcement agencies continue investigating an alleged corruption scheme involving regional police officials. Authorities say the officials accepted bribes in exchange for ignoring illegal pornography production operations and adult-content creators operating in several parts of the country.

U.K. regulator Ofcom has fined adult site operator Youngtek Solutions a total of 600,000 pounds, or more than $800,000, after determining the company failed to meet age-verification and information request requirements under the Online Safety Act.

In a statement released Wednesday, Ofcom said Youngtek did not comply with its Online Safety Act age-verification obligations from July 25, 2025, through Sept. 22, 2025.

The regulator launched its investigation in September 2025 in connection with several sites operated by Youngtek. A provisional ruling in the matter was issued in February.

Ofcom has now confirmed that ruling, issuing a 500,000-pound penalty for failing to implement age checks and another 100,000 pounds for “ignoring legally binding information requests.” The enforcement action covers the sites empflix.com, imagefap.com, moviefap.com and TNAflix.com.

According to the statement, the company has since added age-assurance measures across all of the sites involved in the investigation.

“We will continue to monitor these sites to ensure that their age checking methods are highly effective at preventing children from accessing pornographic content,” the statement reads.

The regulator also stated that it can pursue recovery action if penalties are not paid.

“Where appropriate, we can also seek a court order for ‘business disruption measures,’ such as requiring payment providers or advertisers to withdraw their services from a platform, or requiring Internet Service Providers to block a site in the U.K.,” the statement reads.

In the first article in this Origins series, we looked at the role of the Comstock Act in the American anti-porn effort. Today, we consider “Operation Yorkville,” the socially conservative activist group that later changed its named to “Morality in Media” and finally the “National Center on Sexual Exploitation,” the group’s current moniker.

Established in New York back in 1962, Operation Yorkville was the brainchild of three New York-area clergymen who worried about the deleterious effect of pornography and magazines the group had determined to be “salacious.” 

The group was initially fronted by Father Morton A. Hill, who was appointed to President Lyndon B. Johnson’s “President’s Commission on Obscenity and Pornography” in 1969, shortly after Operation Yorkville renamed itself “Morality in Media.”

The appointment and opportunity to chime in on obscenity policy at the highest level didn’t dull Hill’s censorial zeal one bit. In fact, Hill eventually became convinced the commission was packed with people who supported loosening obscenity laws, a view that was vindicated somewhat when the Commission issued a report recommending the repeal of “adult” obscenity laws.

Incensed, Hill crafted and published the “Hill-Link Minority Report,” which was developed in concert with Dr. Winfrey C. Link, another member of the clergy who sat on the commission, as well as Charles Keating, a truly lovely character who will likely rear his head again in a future post in this series.

While ostensibly dedicated to fighting pornography, Morality in Media certainly didn’t limit their efforts to the realm of porn. Among their other quixotic efforts was encouraging the Federal Communications Commission to bring the hammer down on the Pacifica Foundation in the “Seven Dirty Words” kerfuffle surrounding a radio broadcast of the famous (and fucking hilarious) George Carlin standup comedy bit.

Morality in Media also took aim at the Monty Python film Life of Brian, asserting that the movie was a “direct, aggressive, deliberate violation of the rights of believing persons.” How on earth a satirical comedy could violate someone’s rights is beyond me – and appeared to be beyond any prosecutors at the time, as well, since the only thing that came of Morality in Media’s campaign was an increase in the number of theaters screening Life of Brian. (A more delicious slice of irony is difficult to find, IMO.)

It’s probably fair to say Morality in Media reached its zenith of political influence in the 1980s, when the group found it had a particularly receptive ear from the Reagan Administration. In 1983, Hill led a group of anti-porn crusaders who met with Reagan at the White House. Hill and company recommended that Reagan appoint an “anti-pornography czar” to lead the federal crackdown on porn. A White House Working Group on Pornography was formed in June of that year, and in December, Reagan called for U.S. Attorneys around the country to begin more strictly enforcing federal obscenity law.

Through both terms of the Reagan Administration and George H.W. Bush’s single term in office, obscenity prosecutions took place at a fast clip and the group once known as Operation Yorkville appeared to have gained a foothold in its decency crusade. The group’s influence waned during the two terms Bill Clinton was in office, however, a fact that aided the rise of the online adult industry considerably, at least on American soil.

The group is still very active today under its National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE) moniker, celebrating each perceived victory. Of course, the modern NCOSE goes to great lengths to couch its efforts in terms of stamping out “sexual exploitation,” but make no mistake, the core of the group’s mission is still best captured by their second name, Morality in Media. Far from distancing themselves from their organization’s censorial roots, NCOSE celebrates those roots, albeit in terms that fit better with their current brand.

What’s next for the group once known as Operation Yorkville? One glance at their website yields an answer: They are going after “mainstream contributors to sexual exploitation,” a list that includes the likes of Amazon, Android, Apple, Alphabet (Google) – and we haven’t even advanced past the letter A yet.

One thing of which we can be sure: So long as a War on Porn is there to be fought, Operation Yorkville/Morality in Media/National Center on Sexual Exploitation will be there, fighting for “decency” – as they define the term, naturally.

The only real question is what they’ll be calling themselves when they unfurl their sigil.

BRASILIA, Brazil — Brazil’s National Data Protection Authority, known as the ANPD, on Friday opened a public consultation focused on age verification systems under the country’s Digital Statute for Children and Adolescents, or Digital ECA. The law requires adult websites to verify the ages of users located in Brazil, and regulators are now moving deeper into the details of how that process could work in practice. It’s the kind of policy rollout that sounds technical on paper, but behind the scenes, it touches everything from privacy concerns to platform compliance.

According to a statement released by the ANPD, the consultation began Friday and will continue through July 9. The process is intended to update the agency’s preliminary guidelines on age verification, which were first published in March. Regulators appear to be refining the framework as feedback continues to come in from companies, legal experts and members of the public.

ANPD Superintendent of Regulation Lucas Borges de Carvalho said, “The Age Verification Guide is an important milestone for the implementation of the Digital ECA. The guidelines presented to society in this consultation seek to establish the regulatory conditions for guaranteeing the rights of children and adolescents in the digital environment and to provide greater predictability and legal certainty in the implementation of the new rules.”

Earlier this year, the ANPD also sought public comment on the broader interpretation and application of the Digital ECA. That consultation, which remains ongoing until June 15, is aimed at clarifying how the law applies to suppliers of information technology products and services, including providers of adult content. Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva signed the legislation into law in March, setting the stage for a new regulatory framework that reaches well beyond Brazil’s borders.

The law requires providers of adult content to use age verification measures that go beyond simple self-declaration, and it applies regardless of where a website operator is based. Alongside the preliminary guidance on implementation, the ANPD has also outlined a phased compliance strategy as enforcement expands. Stage 1, which is currently underway, includes the public consultation process now taking place.

According to the ANPD, the final version of the age verification guide will build on the preliminary recommendations and address “the digital chain of responsibilities and specific requirements for the use of technical solutions such as facial recognition and document verification.” Those technologies have increasingly become part of the global conversation around online age checks — useful to some, concerning to others, and complicated for nearly everyone involved.

Individuals who want to submit comments, questions or suggestions through the consultation portal may still do so during the review period. Non-Brazilian participants using the system are required to provide passport information as part of the submission process.