The Internet Freedom Association (IFA) announced today the official launch of its new Website at www.i-freedom.org. The new site offers visitors links to news stories about important industry-related topics, with an emphasis on Internet-related Free Speech issues. In addition to these important news updates, the new IFA site provides visitors with the opportunity to share comments on news stories, vote in opinion polls, locate free legal information, and find out more about the IFA itself.
"Launching this new Website was a very important step for the IFA," Connor Young, a member of the IFA's board of directors, told AVNOnline.com. "The IFA's old Website really stuck to offering information about the IFA itself, such as why the organization was formed, how to join the organization, and a few news tidbits here and there concerning the state of the IFA. Its features were minimal. The new site, which was launched on May 9, offers free informational services for adult Webmasters and adult Website users."
In addition to learning about the IFA, visitors to the new site can find online Free Speech news and adult industry legal information. The goal is to promote the IFA, but also to provide the industry and its fans with a valuable free resource that will work to keep them informed of important legal and political developments that stand to impact our business. The site is operated exclusively by IFA volunteers, and will be regularly updated with additional news and legal information.
The primary feature of the new IFA site is links to key online Free Speech news stories, with the option for registered users to comment upon and discuss each story. Other new features include opinion polls, free adult industry legal information provided by attorney Larry Walters, links to important and related online resources, and the option for user interaction. Many of the features require users to register for a free account, which is totally painless. Registered users can also help out by submitting links to relevant news stories.
"The goal for this new site is to give concerned Webmasters and adult Website fans one central place where they can stay informed about online Free Speech developments," explained Young. "The site is an absolutely free service that is provided by the IFA and its volunteers for the benefit of the adult online community. We would like to encourage Webmasters and other interested parties to bookmark this site and visit it often. With the recent indecency crackdown and the Justice Department's ongoing war on pornography, it is more important than ever to stay informed of online Free Speech developments, and we think this new Website will provide a place where Webmasters can make that happen."
Young is referring to Attorney General John Ashcroft recently announcing that the Justice Department intends on filing multiple criminal indictments against adult Webmasters across the country based on federal obscenity laws.
"As producers, publishers, Webmasters, and marketers of adult content online, it is our job to stay informed of the legal issues affecting the adult industry on a daily basis," opined IFA board of directors member Cynthia Fanshaw. "With pornography now classified as a 'threat to American families' we are no longer on the offensive, and the future of all our businesses is as stake. Business practices that fall under the protection of the constitution have learned that compliance can come down to not only what you know, but when you know it. The new IFA Website works to assist in the pursuit of knowledge, news, and compliance for those involved in any aspect of the adult industry."
"Our immediate goal is to keep adult Webmasters informed and educated about the issues that affect their online businesses," added Young. "This is an election year, and we are expecting a lot of dirty politics; traditionally the adult industry has been employed as a convenient distraction for politicians looking to draw attention away from their own moral or political failures. As new Webmasters enter the industry, we hope to help educate them as to the various legal issues that should concern them.
"Adult entertainment is not a field to enter into lightly or blindly. As an organization, we hope to stimulate and promote ethical business practices and provide the industry with a voice to combat the anti-pornography businesses that sometimes seem to dominate the mainstream news stories about the adult entertainment field. On a larger scale, the IFA also stands ready to step forward and assist where it can in important, precedent setting legal battles that affect our industry."
The IFA is an adult industry trade group dedicated to protecting the rights of adults to display and receive erotic, adult or controversial material online. The non-profit organization was formed in July of 2002 by a broad contingent of leaders in the adult Website community, and is under the legal guidance of First Amendment attorney Lawrence G. Walters of FirstAmendment.com.
