CHATSWORTH, Calif. - While there are numerous groups advocating children's safety on the Internet, newly launched AdultSafe works for the protection of adults.
AdultSafe.org was launched Friday to protect the rights of consumers of online adult entertainment and help them avoid identity theft. The site was founded by XBIZ Editor Stephen Yagielowicz, who has worked in the adult industry for 14 years.
Yagielowicz said he works with industry groups, companies and agencies such as the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to provide the industry and the government a clearer understanding of consumer-safety issues.
"A lot of damage is being caused by misguided legislation," he said. "We want to improve it in the future and give Americans their rights they deserve."
The Association of Sites Advocating Child Protection (ASACP) is among AdultSafe's supporters.
"We are two different organizations with two different missions," ASACP Executive Director Joan Irvine said. "However, AdultSafe does support the work of ASACP, and, in the long run, will likely be promoting the websites of ASACP's members and sponsors, since they have all adopted our ‘best practices.'"
The AdultSafe site lists "best practices" for adult-entertainment websites. Yagielowicz said that adult-website operators following these practices are "doing the right thing" by complying with existing laws. This, he said, makes site users feel confident that their personal data and privacy are protected, they won't be exposed to child pornography and their computers won't be infected with viruses or spyware.
Among AdultSafe's list are recommendations that adult websites display a "warning page" free of sexually explicit images, clear terms of service, a privacy-policy statement and either a "Restricted To Adults" (RTA) or Internet Content Rating Association (ICRA) label. Visit the AdultSafe website to view the "best practices" list in its entirety.
