The nine original sponsors of Adult Sites Against Child Pornography – AVN Online, Epoch, Sex.com, XBiz, Advertising Revenue Service, ATK, MaxCash, TopBucks, and Adam & Eve – have agreed to continue their sponsor support for another year.
ASACP executive director Joan Irvine said their initial financial support let ASACP accomplish many goals in 2003, including getting the government to make note of the adult Internet's self-regulation by way of ASACP's Approved Member program.
"Each of them have contributed more than money," Irvine said of the nine sponsors. "They have contributed their time and expertise. They are always available to discuss the various issues about how to combat child pornography."
"There is no greater cause than the eradication of child pornography, and no more important time spent than that which furthers that end," said AVN Online editor-in-chief Tom Hymes. "AVN Online is proud of its support of Adult Sites Against Child Pornography, and even more proud of all the other members and supporters who have helped make it such an effective tool in the global fight against the proliferation of child pornography. It is our hope that the coming months and years will see more cooperation between adult online professionals and federal, state and local governments, resulting in more prosecutions; and we continue to pledge our support in any way we can."
Co-founder Alec Helmy said the group remains pleased that the adult Internet comes together to support ASACP and its cause. "Because of the contributions from the industry, ASACP has been able to focus on building the resources required to better combat child pornography on the Net, as well as establishing stronger relations with government agencies," said the Helmy Enterprises president and XBiz mastermind. "When we established ASACP seven years ago, we knew that its mission was important – both the battle against child pornography and the reputation of the professional adult industry."
Sex.com chief executive officer Gary Kremen said that the big supporter-sponsors are significant, but ASACP could not have expanded its influence and results without hundreds of others. "We are doing a great job on our core mission of helping children ... (we) continue making inroads into governments and other stakeholders to wipe out the scourge of child pornography," Kremen said.
ATK, in fact, increased their sponsorship to the Title Sponsor level. "The battle against child pornography is obviously an extremely important one, and so we would like to encourage other sites to provide support to ASACP," said president and chief executive officer Kim Nielsen. "ASACP has a noble charter, and by supporting them we can all help in eradicating these heinous crimes against children and help ensure that only adults are involved in adult entertainment."
Epoch director of corporate communications Rand Pate said they've been happy to see ASACP's success and progress as a "reputable organization where they may report suspected abuse of children online. We applaud its success over the last year in its efforts to help protect children and fight abuse of children online." MaxCash vice president of marketing Alyssa Smythe said the "abiding support" of ASACP sponsors helps fight the battle and stir confidence "that progress will be swift." And Quentin Boyer, marketing director for TopBucks.com parent Cyberheat, said ASACP's strides in the last year make the group an "excellent" adult Internet industry representative.
"As our industry comes under increasing scrutiny from the federal government, it is more important than ever that we present a strong, united voice opposing the exploitation of children, and ASACP is leading the way," Boyer said.
ARS vice president of marketing and customer service John Valigorsky said "an effective and credible" ASACP is crucial to winning the child porn battle and protecting the "responsible" adult Internet's legality. "Heinous acts against children are unacceptable and negatively affect all of us in the adult industry," Valigorsky said.
