Thread by @mikestabile

Germany is moving to block xHamster, YouPorn and other adult domains that don’t do stringent age-verification — including facial analysis and ID upload — FOR EVERY VISITOR. This is tremendously concerning. 1/ spiegel.de/netzwelt/netzp…

Not the least because it’s only the beginning. France has already threatened big sites with countrywide blocks (and prison!) if they don’t comply, and the EU has directed all of its member states to address the issue. The UK’s Online Harms Bill threatens more of the same. 2/

Adult content should be for adults, but for those of us who went through the process in the UK via the Digital Economy Act, we know the problems. Privacy, accuracy, and fear 3/

Simply put, a sizable percentage of the over 18 audience will not upload their ID to an adult site — or even a third party that promises discretion. Even those who are willing to use a credit card balk at ID uploads. Most have even more concern about a government database. 4/

So the state censorship we’re starting to see in Germany and the rest of the EU —by blocking them at the ISP level — terrifying. They’ve started with big, high-profile sites, but it’s just the beginning. And the move has huge unintended consequences. 5/

One thing we saw in the UK negotiations was the fear that all free adult content would shift to social media sites like @Twitter and @Reddit, which would then feel pressure to block adult — AVS is a non-starter for mainstream social — as the moral panic spread. 6/

And, most concerning, were threats from Visa/MC that a sites failure to comply with age-verification in the UK would result in ban on processing GLOBALLY. This led to sites discussing geoblocking the UK entirely, so as not to risk losing ALL processing. 7/

This does not yet seem to be the case yet in Germany, but the night is young. And unlike with the UK’s failed Digital Economy Act, this is all happening in non-English speaking countries. Meaning orgs like @FSCArmy @apag @apac @BIPOC_AIC aren’t being heard as loudly. 8/

We derailed the DEA because we were able to show all the problems with the plan, but from what I can tell Germany, France and the rest are planning in a vacuum. Thankful for @PaulitaPappel and the emerging @FSCEurope but still — dangerous times. 9/

And to clarify, the new German ISP blocks on adult sites aren't limited to tubes. Even if all NSFW content is behind a paywall, visitors still need to upload ID.

And when it comes to fan sites, the penalties apply to the creator as well as the platform.

Unfortunately, a lot of the rules — as we've come to expect from censorship, whether it's Germany, MasterCard or a District Attorney — is conflicting and vague. Doubly difficult to nav when you're dealing with multiple agencies in a foreign country.

I'm doing my best to piece some of this together, including the penalties, but no one I've spoken with, even those working directly with the German agencies, with seems to understand it fully.