US rules all porn is child porn By Lucy Sherriff Published Friday 24th June 2005 12:47 GMT http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/06/24/us_law_2257/
All pornography in the US is now effectively classified as child pornography, unless providers can prove the ages of everyone taking part. The law, which requires porn producers to hold copies of all actors' photo ID for seven years, has been in place for some time, but as of 23 June, the rule was extended to cover online pornography as well. This includes online forums, adult personals sites and any other place where adult material may be published. < snip > While the law is designed to protect minors, and prevent exploitation, some free speech campaigners argue that the law gives authorities an awful lot of power to close down site they don't approve of, even if that was not its original goal. They point out that the Patriot Act was used to prosecute people for offenses that were not terrorist offenses shortly after it became law. The Free Speech Coalition is already preparing a legal challenge to the law, and says it has already won some concessions from the government. Meanwhile, others still warn that the law could even leave some performers, such as women operating webcam shows from their homes, open to stalking and harassment, because the law requires that they publish their physical addresses online. See more on that here. You can plough through the text of the legislation here. http://straylight.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/uscode18/usc_sec_18_00002257-- --000-.html You are a subscribed member of the infowarrior list. Visit www.infowarrior.org for list information or to unsubscribe. This message may be redistributed freely in its entirety. Any and all copyrights appearing in list messages are maintained by their respective owners.
