WASHINGTON—On the same day it was announced that the top two executives of porn giant MindGeek had resigned, religiously-based "anti-trafficking organization" Exodus Cry—which has been largely responsible for recent attacks against MindGeek for the alleged proliferation of explicit non-consensual and underage material on Pornhub and other sites it owns—issued a press release announcing it is asking Congress to pass legislation that would require "safeguards on porn sites" including mandatory age verification and child safety filters.
Exodus Cry said in its release that it delivered a petition last week with "nearly 100,000 signatures" to U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi that calls for "effective safeguards to help curb online sexual exploitation and Congress to help stop child sexual exploitation with practical policy solutions."
The petition, dubbed "Protect Children Not Porn," specifically asks for three measures to be taken:
1. Websites hosting pornographic content must require visitors to verify their age with a government-issued ID, validated by a third-party platform.
2. All internet-accessing devices sold must come with safety filters turned on (adults can disable).
3. Pass legislation requiring effective safeguards be put in place to protect children from online porn exposure.
It remains unclear what "safeguards" item three entails outside of those spelled out in items one and two, but Exodus Cry CEO Benjamin Nolot is quoted in the release as saying, "Millions of children are just a few clicks away from the most graphic and violent sex acts imaginable, and their early exposure to porn can produce life-altering consequences. That's why we are raising awareness about this horrific issue and urging U.S. lawmakers to take action. Big Porn and Big Tech platforms which host pornographic content have shown reckless disregard for kids, and it's time to unite in calling for effective online safeguards to protect children, not the porn industry."
This petition was delivered to Pelosi's office, the Exodus Cry press release noted, following a symposium it held on Capitol Hill June 13 in collaboration with fellow anti-porn and religiously-entrenched activist group the National Center on Sexual Exploitation (formerly known as Morality in Media). Titled "Child Sexual Abuse, Sex Trafficking, and the Pornography Industry: Toxic Online Criminatlity," the symposium consisted of 13 speakers expounding upon "how critical it is for Congress to take action to fight for a world free of all forms of sexual abuse and exploitation to protect children and other vulnerable people," according to the Exodus Cry release.
Exodus Cry and the National Center on Sexual Exploitation were identified as two main drivers of the ongoing offensive against MindGeek in a story last week by The New Yorker that has drawn fierce censure from both adult industry trade group the Free Speech Coalition and performer Cherie DeVille, the latter in a June 15 op-ed for The Daily Beast.
Photo By Kmccoy / Wikimedia Commons
