Political Attacks

KABUL, Afghanistan — The Taliban has cut off internet access across large parts of northern Afghanistan, a move it says is intended to curb “immoral activities.”

According to Reuters, the shutdown initially targeted five provinces — Kunduz, Badakhshan, Baghlan, Takhar, and Balkh — and blocked all fiber-optic connections. Reports later suggested the blackout had expanded to as many as 10 provinces. While mobile internet technically remains available, service is unreliable and in many areas largely inaccessible.

Taliban officials have long expressed concerns over pornography, framing it as a justification for stricter online controls. “This measure was taken to prevent immorality, and an alternative will be built within the country for necessities,” Haji Attaullah Zaid, a spokesman for the Taliban government in Balkh province, told the Associated Press.

Critics, however, argue the ban is far more sweeping than necessary. Former U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad noted that many Islamic countries filter explicit content without imposing a nationwide blackout. “If pornography is really the concern, it can easily be filtered,” he wrote on X.com, warning that the Taliban is using the issue as a pretext to limit access to information.

“The justification for the decision is absurd and insulting,” Khalilzad added. “It will damage not only the province’s economy but the country’s prospects as a whole.”

Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai also condemned the move, calling it part of the Taliban’s broader assault on women’s rights. “Shutting down the internet is the Taliban’s latest attempt, under their brutal system of gender apartheid, to cut Afghan women and girls off from the world,” she wrote.

The internet restrictions deepen concerns that Afghanistan is becoming increasingly isolated under Taliban rule, with significant consequences for its economy, education system, and civil society.

NEW YORK — State officials are moving forward with plans to require age verification on social media platforms as part of new child protection measures. The proposal, unveiled Monday by the office of Attorney General Letitia James, stems from the SAFE for Kids Act, passed by lawmakers during the 2023–2024 legislative session.

“Children and teenagers are struggling with high rates of anxiety and depression because of addictive features on social media platforms,” James said in a statement. “The proposed rules released by my office today will help us tackle the youth mental health crisis and make social media safer for kids and families.”

The draft regulations call for age assurance systems, a range of tools designed to determine users’ ages without necessarily requiring government-issued IDs. These measures have been endorsed by the Age Verification Providers Association (AVPA), a trade group representing companies that develop such technology.

“As an organization that represents more than 30 companies that provide privacy-preserving age assurance technology, we are certain the preliminary rules issued by Attorney General James establish a meaningful but flexible standard that online platforms can meet with existing solutions,” said AVPA executive director Iain Corby, praising the proposal as both practical and economical.

He added that AVPA hopes other U.S. states will follow New York’s lead.

The AVPA has been a vocal advocate of stricter online age checks, often clashing with free expression advocates and adult entertainment stakeholders who argue that such measures threaten privacy and First Amendment rights.

If adopted, the regulations would directly affect the country’s largest social media platforms, including X, Instagram, TikTok, Reddit, and Snapchat — networks that are also widely used by adult content creators for marketing and audience engagement.

LOS ANGELES — Twitch has begun verifying the ages of users logging in from United Kingdom IP addresses, according to a Tuesday report from Dexerto.

The streaming platform is the latest to implement strict age verification procedures following the rollout of the Online Safety Act. Under the new rules, U.K. regulator Ofcom requires digital platforms to ensure users pass either a facial scan or submit personal information before gaining access.

“Twitch and k-ID (a third-party vendor we partner with to verify your age) do not store your face scan video selfies,” the company explained. “The video selfie used for facial age estimation is analyzed entirely on your device and will never leave it.”

The move has already drawn backlash. Some Twitch users described the measure as “dystopian,” while others suggested they might stop using the platform altogether.

Adult content creators have long used Twitch to expand their mainstream reach. One prominent example is Amouranth, who streams on both Twitch and Kick and is also an award-winning adult content creator.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has filed lawsuits against Aylo and Segpay in the 12th Judicial Circuit Court of Florida, alleging noncompliance with HB3, the state’s age verification law.

One complaint targets Gethins Limited, Toccata Inc., Segpay Gateway LLC and Segregated Payments Inc., collectively doing business as Segpay, which the filing identifies as the operator of the adult-themed video game platform Lusty Heroes.

The second lawsuit names multiple Aylo subsidiaries, citing Nutaku.net, SpiceVids.com, Pornhub.com, RedTube.com, Tube8.com and YouPorn.com for allegedly failing to meet the law’s requirements.

“Florida is committed to being the best place to raise children,” Uthmeier said in a statement. “We passed strong legislation to keep kids from being exposed to harmful and toxic material, and instead of following it, these platforms ignored it. We are taking them to court to make sure they cannot continue bypassing Florida’s common-sense safeguards.”

Under HB3, violations can result in fines of up to $50,000 per infraction. The suits ask the court to compel the defendants to comply with state law and seek temporary or permanent injunctions to prevent further violations, including under the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act.

The filings follow a similar action Uthmeier brought in August against several European adult websites over alleged noncompliance.

Adult industry attorney Corey D. Silverstein, representing Segpay, said the company has not been formally served and does not comment on pending or threatened litigation. Aylo has not yet responded to requests for comment.

LANSING, Mich. — Michigan lawmakers have introduced legislation that would criminalize the distribution of pornography over the internet within the state.

HB 4938, introduced last week by six Republican members of the state House of Representatives, seeks to “prohibit the distribution of certain material on the internet that corrupts the public morals.” While pornography is the primary target, the bill also includes provisions that would criminalize depictions of transgender people.

The proposal defines “pornographic material” broadly, covering “any content, digital, streamed, or otherwise distributed on the internet, the primary purpose of which is to sexually arouse or gratify, including videos, erotica, magazines, stories, manga, material generated by artificial intelligence, live feeds, or sound clips.”

Although the bill appears to exempt material protected by the First Amendment, its language leaves unclear how such a ban could be legally enforced, given that pornography is considered constitutionally protected speech. The legislation states that “prohibited material” refers to content not shielded by the First Amendment, but its wording raises concerns about vagueness and potential overreach.

First Amendment attorney Corey D. Silverstein suggested the bill attempts to tie enforcement to the “Miller test,” which determines whether material is legally obscene. However, he noted the language is “poorly written,” making the proposal “vague and ambiguous” and possibly an effort to weaken the established legal standard.

Penalties under the proposed law are severe: up to 20 years in prison, fines of up to $100,000, or both, with additional civil fines of up to $500,000 per violation. The bill also requires internet service providers to deploy “mandatory filtering technology” to block Michigan residents from accessing prohibited material, monitor and block circumvention tools, and restrict specific websites when ordered by a court.

To enforce the measure, the bill calls for the creation of a “special internet content enforcement division” within the state attorney general’s office, staffed with digital forensic analysts, legal experts, cybersecurity specialists and investigators.

Silverstein expressed skepticism about the bill’s future, citing the state’s political landscape. “This bill has virtually no chance of going anywhere, given the current makeup of the Michigan legislature and its far-left Democrat governor,” he said. “The bill is unconstitutional at every turn. Regardless, it is alarming that this type of thinking and government waste continues to occur.”

The bill has been referred to the Committee on Judiciary.

Debates over online pornography bans have intensified in recent months. Earlier this year, Senator Mike Lee (R–Utah) introduced federal legislation that would redefine nearly all visual depictions of sex as obscene, aligning with proposals outlined in the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025, a policy blueprint that has influenced the Trump administration’s agenda.

LONDON—Ofcom, the U.K.’s digital communications regulator, announced Thursday that it has opened new enforcement investigations into 22 adult tube sites accused of failing to implement mandatory age-verification measures. The platforms are operated by five parent companies based across multiple countries.

“These sites have been prioritized based on the risk of harm they pose and their user numbers, including where there have been significant increases in their user numbers since the 25 July deadline,” Ofcom said in a statement. Together, the sites attract more than 8 million unique U.K. visitors each month.

The companies now under investigation include Cyberitic, LLC; Web Prime Inc.; Youngtek Solutions Ltd.; ZD Media s.r.o.; and the operator of xgroovy.com. Many of the websites under scrutiny appear to be iterations of master scripts used within the affiliate marketing sector of the adult industry, designed to drive and monetize traffic.

For instance, Web Prime Inc. runs multiple tube sites—anysex.com, fapality.com, mylust.com, xcafe.com, and yourlust.com—two of which share nearly identical designs. Such duplication is a common tactic among affiliates seeking to maximize reach.

Ofcom also confirmed that it has expanded existing probes into two additional parent companies, 8579 LLC and Itai Tech Ltd. Norwich-based Itai Tech operates Undress.cc, a deepfake “nudify” app. Like other operators under review, 8579 LLC also runs a series of clone-style sites.

“In addition to assessing their compliance with age-verification requirements for pornographic content, we are now investigating whether these companies have failed to respond adequately to statutory information requests from Ofcom,” the regulator said.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo.—Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway, a Republican, announced Thursday that the state’s age verification regulation for online adult platforms will officially take effect on November 30, 2025.

“This rule is a milestone in our effort to protect Missouri children from the devastating harms of online pornography,” Hanaway said. “We are holding powerful corporations accountable, respecting women and victims of human trafficking, and helping ensure that minors are shielded from dangerous, sexually explicit material.”

The measure, grounded in Missouri’s consumer protection laws, finalizes a regulatory process first initiated by Hanaway’s predecessor, Andrew Bailey. Bailey’s attempt to advance the rule faced criticism for disorganization and for relying on technology that experts said did not exist.

In April, AVN reported that Bailey had advanced a version of the regulation requiring “dual-level” age verification for all websites deemed harmful to minors—a category that includes sexually explicit material. But according to Iain Corby, executive director of the Age Verification Providers Association, dual-level verification remains technically impossible. While Bailey’s regulation was published in the Missouri Register, the final text omitted references to that requirement.

Industry stakeholders, including the Free Speech Coalition (FSC), had predicted the earlier version of the rule would not take effect by the projected August 30 deadline, noting that “the final rules were not published in time.”

Hanaway has now completed the rulemaking process, making Missouri the first state to mandate age verification for adult websites through regulatory action rather than legislation.

The American Enterprise Institute (AEI), a conservative think tank, has raised concerns about the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in Free Speech Coalition et al. v. Paxton. In a briefing published on Tuesday, Clay Calvert, a nonresident senior fellow at AEI for technology policy studies, laid out the basis for the criticism.

Calvert argued that the Court’s conservative majority created a carve-out in First Amendment protections for controversial forms of expression, such as adult content.

“To grease the skids for a decision that burdens First Amendment rights, it helps to denigrate the group that’s fighting for free speech subtly,” Calvert wrote in his AEI blog post.

Calvert is professor of law emeritus at the University of Florida’s Levin College of Law and Brechner Eminent Scholar Emeritus at the College of Journalism and Communications, with expertise in First Amendment case law and communications policy.

He noted that the Free Speech Coalition (FSC)—which describes itself as “the trade association of the adult entertainment industry based in the United States”—was characterized differently in the Court’s opinion. While FSC’s website does not use the socially stigmatized term “pornography,” Justice Clarence Thomas, writing for the majority, referred to it as “a trade association for the pornography industry.”

“Semantics matter because under U.S. law, there are three distinct categories of sexual speech: obscenity, child pornography, and variable obscenity,” Calvert explained. “Notably, pornography is not a legal term; it’s just a disparagingly loaded word. Thomas unloaded it against the FSC, making it just that much easier for adults to stomach a decision burdening their own First Amendment rights.”

The Office of the eSafety Commissioner announced Tuesday that age verification will now be required for users accessing pornography platforms in Australia’s digital space.

eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant introduced nine new industry codes aimed at shielding minors from what she described as “lawful but awful” content—material that is legal but potentially harmful, such as online pornography and sexual artificial intelligence companions.

“We’ve been concerned about these chatbots for a while now and have heard anecdotal reports of children—some as young as 10—spending up to five hours per day conversing, at times sexually, with AI companions,” Grant said. “We know there has been a recent proliferation of these apps online and that many of them are free, accessible to children, and advertised on mainstream services, so these codes must include measures to protect children from them.”

Under the new rules, parent companies behind adult content platforms must implement “appropriate age assurance measures.” Acceptable methods include identity checks, credit card verification, biometric age estimation powered by AI, and similar technologies.

Noncompliance could result in civil penalties running into the millions of dollars. Companies are also required to test and monitor the effectiveness of their age verification systems on an ongoing basis, according to reports from News.com.au and Crikey.

Bluesky confirmed Wednesday that it has begun implementing age verification for users in Wyoming and South Dakota, citing compliance with newly enacted state-level statutes on age checks and social media safety.

“Bluesky users in South Dakota and Wyoming can choose from multiple methods to verify their age. We believe this approach currently strikes the right balance,” the company said in a statement. “Bluesky will remain available to users in these states, and we will not need to restrict the app for everyone.”

The platform added that it intends to keep its community informed as it adapts to shifting regulatory requirements.

To manage compliance, Bluesky is utilizing Kids Web Services (KWS), an age assurance system developed by Epic Games, the company behind Fortnite.

The move follows last month’s announcement that users in Mississippi would be blocked from accessing Bluesky altogether due to legal challenges surrounding the state’s social media age verification law, which is currently the subject of federal litigation.

Bluesky has become a favored platform among adult creators and studios, in part because of its relatively permissive approach to nudity and explicit content.