speedrn1 said:

dk621 said:
Altogether we all need to contact the governor and tell them this is a bad idea if enough comments get through they will doubt the bill and veto it to keep their position safe. For the long term we will need to push a safer alternative to government if laws, maybe we can make a push for free and easy to use parental monitoring software with no government links, something that any old parent can use without confusion. That way when politicians try to pass another 2112 bill the idea would sound overreaching in comparison. We would need to spread a formof this idea to our communities and keep the idea going long enough that it takes root. If people resist the idea remind them of those times companies got all there data looted from a hack and link that unsafe feeling to there own identification data to, if that doesn’t work remind them of government incompetence and drive in that wedge of doubt people and make it sound better there the power to be in there hands rather than a politician. This may sound ridiculous but hey if ridiculous bills like 2112 could make it this far then there’s a chance we could pull it off

But then you're expecting parents to do something that I'm sure 90 odd% don't even bother doing you know "parenting" properly. Trying to push parental software would just be a waste of time.

Would not it make sense to have a bill that allows parents to sue themselves (or each other) for not taking proper care of their kids? This is not entirely a joke.

Also, depending on the wording of that parental control software bill, it could have unintended consequences for libre software.

https://www.aol.com/news/exclusive-gop-bill-seeks-sledgehammer-163353436.html

Honestly, it's long past time for e621 to leave the US, period. end of story. FULL STOP. Now there's a federal ban on the horizon.

amontillado said:
https://www.aol.com/news/exclusive-gop-bill-seeks-sledgehammer-163353436.html

Honestly, it's long past time for e621 to leave the US, period. end of story. FULL STOP. Now there's a federal ban on the horizon.

That would have a far wider and deeper impact than age verification bills.

siberwolf_729 said:
Oh boy. The American populace is already dissatisfied enough from all the things that have been transpiring recently. Lots of citizens are feeling the strain & use pornography as a means for escape and to temper their fears, especially so right now.

They are messing with the Circus part of the famous phrase "Bread and Circuses"; the maintenance of civil order in a society necessitates a steady supply of food and entertainment.

I dare them to pass this bill. I DARE them. If it indeed comes to pass, we shall sit back, cross our furry/scaly legs, and observe from afar what happens next. That which follows will be worth watching with our very own eyes.

It will be a most interesting state of affairs.

Very interesting.

aspy_dragon said:
...call it something like “furries against fascist oligarchs” or something...

That name sounds too woke.
We need a name that does not repel the average person and reflects more our views on privacy and freedoms.

So how likely is this to pass because I got the notification that its being concidered in Michigan and I'm frankly horrified

There is something i'm sure about: We need to make more people aware about this kind of bills and how they would affect them regardless of whether they are furries or not.

Spreading awareness exclusively online is not enough, we need to go outside and do things like handing flyers and talk to people in addition to the online stuff.

I know many of you would feel ashamed to talk about this topic, but let's accept it; we watch porn, so does the vast majority of people between 18 and 40. Of course, you don't have go around telling everyone what kind of porn you watch.

amontillado said:
https://www.aol.com/news/exclusive-gop-bill-seeks-sledgehammer-163353436.html

Honestly, it's long past time for e621 to leave the US, period. end of story. FULL STOP. Now there's a federal ban on the horizon.

apparently this is the third time this guy has tried to get this particular bill passed? lmao. he tried in 2022 and 2024, got sent to committee both times and went nowhere

not saying this isn't something to keep an eye on, but it looks like some kind of "i'm more based than you lib" stunt atm.

hiddenbird said:
apparently this is the third time this guy has tried to get this particular bill passed? lmao. he tried in 2022 and 2024, got sent to committee both times and went nowhere

not saying this isn't something to keep an eye on, but it looks like some kind of "i'm more based than you lib" stunt atm.

While that's a faint glimmer of hope, it's extremely faint.

Remember, we had a Democrat in the White House and a Democratic-majority Congress in 2022 and 2024.

The only real hope we have of stopping this is if we push how much it goes against the GOP's policies of states' rights that they've used to justify pretty much every law they pass. This is explicitly taking power away from state governments. That's the only aspect it's even possible that they'll listen to.

The news post needs to be updated. This is a threat to all furry websites worldwide. Unlike other nations, when the US finds a website that's objectionable, they don't block it. They seize it and shut it down.

amontillado said:
https://www.aol.com/news/exclusive-gop-bill-seeks-sledgehammer-163353436.html

Honestly, it's long past time for e621 to leave the US, period. end of story. FULL STOP. Now there's a federal ban on the horizon.

I'm afraid this is the only solution, even considering the financial difficulties. If they are talking about a complete ban, there are no other ways out. Unfortunately, this bill has a high chance of passing now.

seems to only be a matter of time, unless something changes on the inside.

Taking away people's access to pornography isn't going to end well. That's all I'm gonna say.

electricitywolf said:
What if we turn e621 into a decentralized platform?

turning e6 into a peer to peer system sounds interesting

cka9se said:
Is this warning showing up for every American? Because I'm pretty sure my state hasn't introduced such a bill.

kalamata said:
This. I never even heard of such a bill coming to my state, the site doesn't even give me any specific legislation. I feel as though this clickbait is counter-intuitive, since when I go to one of the landing pages for tools, it says my state already passed such legislation. This reeks of fear tactics.

Yeah, according to both that site and StopOnlineChecks.org, 21 states already passed laws like this right under everyone's noses, including Indiana (note the use of strikeout with no explanation), Florida, and Texas. One thing that would be useful to know is which of these laws apply only to sites based out of the state, and which ones require all websites everywhere to solicit ID from citizens of the state. The popup kind of implies that all these impending bills are of the latter sort.

Can anyone from the tech team confirm or deny that users from these states are already being turned away?

This shit has me stressed to the point I feel like I'm gonna throw up.

kathyohneke said:
these laws are a lot more invasive. in order to comply youd need stuff like government ID, facial recondition software, or even stuff like your credit card info. All very intrusive stuff that hackers would be drooling to get a hold of and frankly most porn sites wont be able to get the security needed to protect that info. and even if things are "deleted" afterwards and just used to identify...its the internet, deleted information can be restored if it was there at some point for a long time afterwards. that last bit is the biggest issue with this people who are trying to force these bills through dont understand.

You're thinking too small in terms of repercussions.
Such a database could/would be accessed by the government.

Step 1: Tie everyone's porn accounts to their ID or Social Security or bank accounts.
Step 2: Outlaw 'obscene' porn (Basically: Anything they don't like. Including labeling all LGBTQIA+ content and discussions 'obscene' to keep people from getting much needed support).
Step 3: Monitor what you do, say, draw, comment on, or like.
Step 4: Target anyone 'obscene' & remove them from the public. 'For the children', of course.

errorist said:
Can anyone from the tech team confirm or deny that users from these states are already being turned away?

State bans are announced, like the North Carolina ban that happened
Also the "tech team" isn't going to be coming around here to confirm they aren't following laws they probably should be following

solomonextus said:
So how likely is this to pass because I got the notification that its being concidered in Michigan and I'm frankly horrified

I just got one on here today for Missouri that links here:
https://www.defendonlineprivacy.com/mo/action.php?utm_medium=modal&utm_source=e621.net

errorist said:
Yeah, according to both that site and StopOnlineChecks.org, 21 states already passed laws like this right under everyone's noses, including Indiana (note the use of strikeout with no explanation), Florida, and Texas. One thing that would be useful to know is which of these laws apply only to sites based out of the state, and which ones require all websites everywhere to solicit ID from citizens of the state. The popup kind of implies that all these impending bills are of the latter sort.

Can anyone from the tech team confirm or deny that users from these states are already being turned away?

I'm not the tech team but I can read github (https://github.com/e621ng/e621ng/pull/1097/)
The popup code is from the Free Speech Coalition, so basically if your state is on this map (https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/age-verification-bills/) you're getting a popup whether the law is actually "about to pass" or not.

So I'm going over this right as I just heard the news today, and I suppose the first initial thing I'm going to do is bring it up from the perspective of one who is Republican.

One of the things worth mentioning is that this seems quite timely with similar approaches that have actually affected the UK, which if memory serves me right...is as far as it gets from establishing anything close to what Trump or the Republicans would propose. It's very globalist and left-leaning as we speak.

There are aspects of this Defend Online Privacy site that do resonate with me as a Republican. The defense of free speech is absolutely one of them, and declaring these bills as "unconstitutional" is another. These aspects do lead me with confusion of why Republican politicians would be for the bill, but it's also not surprising either. These politicians are very out-of-touch and tend to favor laws and ideas that restrict such things as adult art and even video games, as neither of these things resonate with them that dedicate their lives politically and not personally. We saw this in Trump's first term where a video leaked that showed how violent games are. It was so angering and absurd, and as I said...unsurprising for politicians as a whole.

And yes, I can bring Democrats to the table for this because Gootecks has shown that they've been VERY adamant about going against video games for its violence. I'll link the thread below for you to see:

https://x.com/gootecks/status/1481190808434798594

Anyway, that's my take on all this. It's frustrating seeing all this come to play regardless of where we stand politically. I think this is why it's good that we express ourselves openly against these bills. This wasn't our first rodeo...as at the end of last year a lot of us Republicans were disgusted with the H1-B simping that Elon Musk and even Trump had. Just because we support most of what these people have for us doesn't mean we won't express disapproval ever when Republicans attempt to abandon what free speech and the Constitution really mean.

So yeah, don't be shy to share disapproval of this bill. As politically biased as this may seem, plenty of Republicans out there will be there to support you as "we the people".

amontillado said:
https://www.aol.com/news/exclusive-gop-bill-seeks-sledgehammer-163353436.html

Honestly, it's long past time for e621 to leave the US, period. end of story. FULL STOP. Now there's a federal ban on the horizon.

well unlike age confirmation laws this pretty much has no way of passing from what Ive been able to research. First of all this guy tosses up this bill every few years and even when they got the lead republicans dont even do anything with it just let it die on the vine without a single vote. Secondly? its basically a constitutional amendment. meaning they'd need a huge chunk of democrats to be on board with it. This is just sabre rattling.

brigadeer said:
So I'm going over this right as I just heard the news today, and I suppose the first initial thing I'm going to do is bring it up from the perspective of one who is Republican.

One of the things worth mentioning is that this seems quite timely with similar approaches that have actually affected the UK, which if memory serves me right...is as far as it gets from establishing anything close to what Trump or the Republicans would propose. It's very globalist and left-leaning as we speak.

There are aspects of this Defend Online Privacy site that do resonate with me as a Republican. The defense of free speech is absolutely one of them, and declaring these bills as "unconstitutional" is another. These aspects do lead me with confusion of why Republican politicians would be for the bill, but it's also not surprising either. These politicians are very out-of-touch and tend to favor laws and ideas that restrict such things as adult art and even video games, as neither of these things resonate with them that dedicate their lives politically and not personally. We saw this in Trump's first term where a video leaked that showed how violent games are. It was so angering and absurd, and as I said...unsurprising for politicians as a whole.

And yes, I can bring Democrats to the table for this because Gootecks has shown that they've been VERY adamant about going against video games for its violence. I'll link the thread below for you to see:

https://x.com/gootecks/status/1481190808434798594

Anyway, that's my take on all this. It's frustrating seeing all this come to play regardless of where we stand politically. I think this is why it's good that we express ourselves openly against these bills. This wasn't our first rodeo...as at the end of last year a lot of us Republicans were disgusted with the H1-B simping that Elon Musk and even Trump had. Just because we support most of what these people have for us doesn't mean we won't express disapproval ever when Republicans attempt to abandon what free speech and the Constitution really mean.

So yeah, don't be shy to share disapproval of this bill. As politically biased as this may seem, plenty of Republicans out there will be there to support you as "we the people".

that’s the one thing i can say that’s been good about this whole fiasco - the right and left coming together to bash these fools in power.

i personally sit way on the left side of things… naturally for an empath and a furry, and it’s been a treat to hear stories of right wingers turning and “bidenfreude” hitting those who don’t.

potentialgoat said:
I'm not the tech team but I can read github (https://github.com/e621ng/e621ng/pull/1097/)
The popup code is from the Free Speech Coalition, so basically if your state is on this map (https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/age-verification-bills/) you're getting a popup whether the law is actually "about to pass" or not.

Well at least the Michigan ones aren't far yet. I'm hoping we'll be smart enough to stop them

deterioratedstarcell said:
that’s the one thing i can say that’s been good about this whole fiasco - the right and left coming together to bash these fools in power.

i personally sit way on the left side of things… naturally for an empath and a furry, and it’s been a treat to hear stories of right wingers turning and “bidenfreude” hitting those who don’t.

yeah. it is too bad that many are coming to these realizations now, after the fact (or nearly after the fact), and not when the issues would've been easier to deal with, though.

Everyone who lives in the United States, write to your representatives. But be smart about it. Look up the representatives' specific histories and platforms. (There's no use bringing up the impact this will have on LGBT+ communities to an "anti-woke" politician, for instance.)

If we want to stop the SCREEN Act, we need to think like them and coax them into backing our side on their terms.

Some points that even more hardline alt-right legislators might consider:

1. Federal overreach. This bill explicitly takes power away from state governments and gives it to the federal government. This is not a conservative bill.
2. The proposed new definition of obscenity is so broad that even mainstream, corporate-backed media will be impacted. (It's difficult to argue, for instance, that Game of Thrones did not have an "objective intent to arouse, titillate, or gratify". And though it crashed and burned in its later years, that was a media titan and made millions upon millions for HBO in its prime.) Nobody wants to be "pro-porn"; they're much more likely to be "pro-major studios".
3. By making all adult content risky, existing regulations (such as age of consent) will be undermined, giving a boost to the... point is, when something is legal, it can be regulated. When something is illegal, those regulations become meaningless. The same thing happened during Prohibition; there's no "underage drinking" when all drinking is illegal.

I'll start researching my own representatives after I stop throwing up from stress.

lendrimujina said:
2. The proposed new definition of obscenity is so broad that even mainstream, corporate-backed media will be impacted.

Following is a creative writing exercise using quoted post as an inspiration and by no means should be viewed otherwise:

And therefore reducing revenue and profits of USA-based media corporations, therefore reducing or outright eliminating USA global dominance in media sector, therefore allowing China more influence, therefore undermining and contradicting explicit Presidential agenda of doing everything possible to make America self-reliant and denying China any real or potential leadership in any and all industries possible.

In most severe case there is a risk of eliminating any and all industries directly or indirectly linked to visual, sound or interactive media.

There is also the issue of trafficking: A ban on pornography would increase the power and influence of Mexican cartels in the United States of America by giving them yet another thing to smuggle. In the aforementioned scenario, the lives of millions of Americans would be at risk, and so would the stability and integrity of all levels of the government as well.

the_shinx said:
I got one here in NY.

Same here in NY

electricitywolf said:
There is also the issue of trafficking: A ban on media of pornographic and erotic character would increase the power and influence of Mexican cartels in the United States of America by giving them yet another category of items to smuggle. In the aforementioned scenario, the lives of millions of Americans would be at risk, and so would the stability and integrity of all levels of the government.

This would also lead to increased influence of cartels on the economy of the USA and its territories by taking out money that would otherwise go directly towards American products.
Additionally, as such distribution channels (i.e. cartels) lack any age restriction or quality control, this would lead to increased risk of children being exposed to large quantities of uncontrolled and unregulated obscene materials of unknown quality, therefore potentially damaging children's psyche and/or promoting un-American values in young generations.

This is better than almost any RP/collective creative writing thread I've seen so far. Shame it's spawning reason is so pessimistic.

electricitywolf said:
There is also the issue of trafficking: A ban on pornography would increase the power and influence of Mexican cartels in the United States of America by giving them yet another thing to smuggle. In the aforementioned scenario, the lives of millions of Americans would be at risk, and so would the stability and integrity of all levels of the government as well.

Why in the internet era would people turn to physical media rather than vpns, tor, or any other means to bypass filtering besides physical media that costs money, and is both more difficult and more dangerous to obtain

nin10dope said:
I got the Pop-Up which specified my state as well

Same, though time will tell if it dies in the Senate or not.

These types of bills seem pretty hard to enforce though. I haven't heard much come out of the states where these types of bills already passed, outside of sites like Pornhub pulling out. It makes sense, since those are the only ones the average anti-porn boomer is likely to know about at all, and thus are the only ones under any immediate threat. A site being centered in one of those states certainly changes the game, though.

justkhajiit said:
And therefore reducing revenue and profits of USA-based media corporations, therefore reducing or outright eliminating USA global dominance in media sector, therefore allowing China more influence
(...)
In most severe case there is a risk of eliminating any and all industries directly or indirectly linked to visual, sound or interactive media.

electricitywolf said:
There is also the issue of trafficking: A ban on pornography would increase the power and influence of Mexican cartels in the United States of America by giving them yet another thing to smuggle

justkhajiit said:
This would also lead to increased influence of cartels on the economy of the USA and its territories by taking out money that would otherwise go directly towards American products

I really hope you guys aren't being serious with these takes.

I know that every good and excellent thing in the world stands moment by moment on the razor-edge of danger and must be fought for.

Freedom of speech and expression is a wonderful thing. We all take it for granted and don't do anything until it's too late. I don't post often, but I think this along with the 20 other bills I've seen warrants it. This along with every bill like it is pure, distilled, fascism, as overused as that word has become. Start with porn, an easy target. 99.9% of the adult population has consumed it, yet out of embarrassment or shame don't stand up for it. Then its LGBT sites, can't have kids learn about gay history. Trans sites groom children. Get DEI out of here, no more black history. Violent games corrupt the children, violent movies too, then its media against party values as well, until all that's left is Nazi propaganda films or AI generated videos of Supreme Leader Trump.

It's always about the children. They're so addicted to talking about children its basically second nature to use them as pawns to criminalize anything they see fit (note the lack of litigation against churches). Never forget in West Virginia, cons passed a bill that allows doctors to "verify a child gender" without their parents consent. Pure psychopathy, hypocrisy, and just disgusting in general. As it's probably been parroted 20 thousand times by now, it's never about the children.

You notice that every one of these two-faced fucks only seem to use AI art, like Trump as pope or a Jedi or whatever? It's because they lack the humanity to actually be creative, otherwise they wouldn't waste their time dictating what people do in their private time. I refuse to call them dumb because they know exactly what they're doing. We can post the "first they came for" poem all we want, doesn't change shit unless we stand up for what we enjoy, and for the rights of everyone.

You can say I'm overreacting and I'm venting on a niche porn site (true), but we all know where all of this is heading. At what point do we stand up to defend our rights. If not now then we might as well pack up and forfeit it all, because it won't happen later.

I contacted my Governor over this bill, and you should too.

thegreatwolfgang said:
This thread is going to get insta-locked again like the last thread (i.e., topic #55668) if you guys start ranting about politics again.
The mod has already warned about handing out records if anybody continues down this path.

GASP - You're telling me people got political in a thread talking about a bill, something that's inherently political?! DEAR GOD, MAN!

sanity_dance said:
GASP - You're telling me people got political in a thread talking about a bill, something that's inherently political?! DEAR GOD, MAN!

Talking about politics is one thing - ranting and raving about extremist ideas and actions, throwing blame, or just outright trying to pick a fight are entirely different things

lendrimujina said:
I'll start researching my own representatives after I stop throwing up from stress.

As I said, extremely unlikely to go anywhere. you shouldnt NOT worry about it but considering this guy's track record with these bills and the fact that its a constitutional amendment thus would need a huge chunk of democrat agreement it really has a snowballs chance. Already experts saying its pretty much impossible. but stupider things have happened.

donovan_dmc said:
Talking about politics is one thing - ranting and raving about extremist ideas and actions, throwing blame, or just outright trying to pick a fight are entirely different things

yeah last time it kinda went into stupid territoy instead of focusing on the bad laws that are dangling overhead.

kadachi-kun said:
I really hope you guys aren't being serious with these takes.

I'm not. Treating it as a free exercise in corpospeak creative writing and about same level of nonsensical logic (that is everywhere!).

kathyohneke said:
yeah kids shouldn't be allowed on the internet period. but we became a society dependant on it. Heck last time I worked at a school they wouldn't allow libraries for project references anymore and want everything done from research to submissions online so kids are pretty much forced to used the internet for school work now. the genie cant be put back in the bottle so its up to us to deal with things. Unfortunately? people are also dumb and lazy so they'd rather a higher authority deal with it rather than actually parent their kids.

Exactly, like many i survived the horrors of the early internet. It was mostly because of my own knowledge not my parents, many did with parents but not own knowledge and others survived without both simply because people around them would teach them. Nowadays the net is extremely safe and soft, so all these complaints seems like parents being even more lazy at doing the one job they have to do.

joeyski said:
No we aren't cause even if they were to pass, enforcing anything internet related is probably a nightmare waiting to happen

What's stopping from using a VPN?
What's stopping us from hosting outside the country come worst case scenario?
Finding, arresting, and process people for it would be a logistical nightmare to manage, and us prisons are already overloaded to begin with.
Like, we all have a right to be concerned right now, but admitting defeat is NOT an option.

Also it's a massive security risk. If laws like these become widespread, government IDs will effectively become useless because of the massive surge of identity theft through phishing scams.

Just a gentle reminder again to stay on topic and nothing else.
Comments are already being hidden with negative records handed out.

thegreatwolfgang said:
This thread is going to get insta-locked again like the last thread (i.e., topic #55668) if you guys start ranting about politics again.
The mod has already warned about handing out records if anybody continues down this path.

It's times like this when I'm reminded sometimes I need to disconnect from everything that makes me uncomfortable. That includes politics. Politics makes me uncomfortable. It's one thing to be informed, but it's another to let your life be determined by fear, and I refuse to let fear control my life.

This bill won't get passed. Plain and simple. Even if it does (which it won't), I'm sure the people incharge here have some kind of backup plan just in case. I'm not worried.

Can I go back to looking at porn now?

As someone who's been on both sides and affected by this, let me chime in.

From one side, you have to realize that they have a genuine desire to protect their children from "bad influences". I don't think many people here would argue that ten-year olds should be allowed to watch R rated movies.
On the other side, there's the understanding that the kind of censorship they want requires draconian measures...which will ultimately end up fruitless as people simply find a work-around or just buy fake-IDs.

The truth of the matter is that many "parents" simply don't care about their children and/or what they do. It's made worse by the far left and their desire to have "the state" control everything. In my opinion, the correct answer is a combination of parental interest and actual consequences for the minors that do it.