Internet censorship

Pornhub notified performers this week that the platform is requiring proof of consent from anyone featured in its videos moving forward, according to emails seen by 404 Media Thursday. The policy update is Pornhub’s latest effort to verify that its performers are not being abused or sexually trafficked.Remake this Sci-Fi Film with Peter Capaldi!“On January 23, 2024, in addition to providing approved Co-Performer IDs, we will also require proof of consent, such as Signed Release Forms, when a new Co-Performer is added onto…

After months of edging, Montana and North Carolina lawmakers have finished off Pornhub. Users in those states lost access to the adult site on Jan. 1 as new laws require people to verify their age to watch porn. That would have meant uploading a picture of your ID before you watch sorority sisters figure out how to pay the pizza delivery boy. To spare us all, Pornhub’s parent company, Aylo, just removed access to its adult sites for those states altogether.Let’s Eat a Chocolate Xbox Controller“As you may know, your…

Google’s office in Kitchener, Ontario.Photo: JHVEPhoto / Shutterstock.com (Shutterstock)Google has reached a deal with the Canadian government over a controversial new law that will force tech companies to pay news publishers when their content is shared on online platforms. Google and Meta previously threatened to block links to news content in Canada altogether in response to the law. The deal is the first sign of compromise between Canada and Silicon Valley. If it works out, it could set a precedent for similar laws…

VKontakte (VK), Russia’s homegrown Facebook clone and its biggest social network, saw a whopping 30-fold increase in censorship requests from government officials during the eight-month period following the Russian military’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, according to a new report. The findings, revealed in a report by the University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab, are some of the clearest examples yet illustrating Russia’s aggressive effort to use its ground war to justify even greaterclampdowns on online political…

People in Pakistan are facing significant, ongoing restrictions to their internet access following political protests and the arrest of the country’s former prime minister. The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) confirmed that it intentionally cut off mobile internet service beginning Tuesday, according to Geo News—a Pakistani outlet. The blackout has continued into Wednesday, and mobile internet will remain “suspended for an indefinite period” on instruction from the interior ministry according to a second Geo…

The Italian Data Protection Authority announced a temporary ban of ChatGPT after alleging that the chatbot violated European Union data privacy laws. Image: Iryna Imago (Shutterstock)After Italy temporarily banned ChatGPT and announced an investigation into OpenAI, residents of the country apparently grew interested in VPNs. After the Italian Data Protection Authority announced the ban and investigation, search volume surrounding the VPNs reportedly spiked in Italy—likely in an attempt to research how to circumvent the AI…

Sam Bankman-Fried, far left, was last in court Feb. 9. Prosecutors were concerned the failed FTX founder has been trying to communicate with encrypted messaging apps like Signal.Photo: Michael M. Santiago (Getty Images)Federal prosecutors are squinting pretty hard, trying to keep an eye on what the failed FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried has been doing while he’s been ordered by the court to live under his parents’ roof. The young crypto founder has reportedly been accessing the internet using a VPN, and the U.S. Attorneys…

Image: Temitiman (Shutterstock)WhatsApp is launching a proxy server to combat censorship in some countries and will allow users to circumvent internet blocks. Access to the app is currently banned in several countries including China, North Korea, Syria, Qatar, and Iran. The shift to proxies on WhatsApp was announced following the protests in Iran that prompted the local government to block access to the app in September.“For people with government restrictions on internet access, such as was the case with Iran, usage of…