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Potential League of Legends patching problems due to porn filters
Will the UK's anti-sex law cause issues with patching League of Legends? According to LoL's subreddit, some members are seeing an effect from the filters UK Internet service providers have in place by default to block pornographic content for new customers; specific update files that happen to have "sex" in the wording -- VarusExpirationTimer.luaobj and XerathMageChainsExtended.luaobj -- have been blocked. Riot Games informed Eurogamer that there are no reported incidents of this law interfering with the game, but the studio is monitoring the situation. If players run into a problem, they should contact LoL support for help.
Apple under fire in China over pornography
After recently apologizing for its warranty practices, Apple is again facing criticism in China, says a WSJ report. This latest mention of Apple in state media focuses on pornography and is part of a larger crack down on porn in the Asia nation. According to the WSJ's China Real Time Report, Apple has been included in a list of app stores and companies that are disseminating pornography in the country. The list was published in Wednesday's edition of the People's Daily. Apple is not singled out by the government newspaper, and the article is not front page news, but many believe this is the start of another government campaign against the Cupertino company. Apple doesn't allow pornographic content in its App Store, but its interpretation of what constitutes objectionable content may differ from that of the Chinese government. Apple may be following down the same path as Google, which faced similar criticism over porn in 2009. Google eventually left mainland China for Hong Kong after a high-profile 2010 hack attack against the company.
Apple takes on porn sites in domain name dispute
Apple has filed a complaint with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) against seven domain names featuring the word iPhone that forward to mobile porn sites -- including one site called iPhone4s.com. The latter is especially worrisome, since it matches the name of Apple's new and best-selling handset. The iPhone4s.com site was registered in August of 2008, well before the unveiling of the iPhone 4S in October of 2011. Apple owns domains for iPhone4.com, but iPhone3GS and iPhone 3G are actually non-Apple sites. Some of the other domains targeted in the WIPO complaint include iphonecamforce.com, iphonecam4s, and porn4iphones. All are hardcore sites that Apple does not wish to be associated with, plus they use Apple's product name in the domain name. Apple has used WIPO successfully in domain name disputes, most recently when the organization ordered the owners of iPods.com to transfer the domain name to Apple. Apple doesn't always resort to WIPO in these situations. Last year, they spent a rumored US$4.5 million to purchase the domain iCloud.com from Swedish cloud computing firm Xcerion. But in this case, the company obviously doesn't want potential customers to get a surprise when they're just looking for information about iPhones, so they're going to WIPO for satisfaction.
UK Gov wants opt-in system for adult material, imagine a boot stamping on a trackpad, forever
Looks like Prime Minister David Cameron's not content with just shuttering the internet during social unrest (whilst condemning others who do the same). He's declared that four of the UK's biggest ISPs have entered into an opt-in system for adult material. The move is backed by the Mothers Union but has been flatly denied by the ISPs, who insist they're offering McAfee parental controls with new signups rather than Government-level web filtering. (Probably a massive let down to those eagerly waiting to delegate their parental responsibilities.) Of course, given the flaky nature of web filtering, any sanguine word that contained an expletive (the word "arsenal", for example) could be impossible to access until you had an awkward conversation with someone over the phone.
ICANN's .XXX domain names have arrived, Frankie says relax
Let's try to be sensible about this. When one or more persons love each other very much -- no, erm, let's start again. The controversial move to segregate websites of an adult nature to the .XXX domain has begun. The process is staggered across three months to ensure nothing untoward can happen. On September 7th, the 50-day "Sunrise A & B" programs began, Sunrise A is where adult website and trademark holders can claim their domains as the legitimate owner; At the same time, Sunrise B lets non-adult websites like The Weather Channel claim their domain names to prevent it being used for a very different sort of forecast. There will then be an 18-day Land Rush period, where non-trademarked sites can register and conflicts are resolved with auctions. By December 6th, registration opens to everyone -- just in time for XXXMas.
Dead or Alive: Dimensions yanked in Sweden, Norway and Denmark
Dead or Alive: Dimensions won't be available in Sweden, because it potentially violates the country's child pornography laws. The title will also skip Norway and Denmark as a result -- all three territories are covered by the same distributor, Bergsala. Eurogamer Sweden has a joint statement from Nintendo and Bergsala in which they claim to "have decided not to release the game in Sweden, for various reasons." However, neither company wished to list the reasons. Allegedly, the genesis of the drama involves a forum poster noting that three of the DoA characters are under 18 years of age, which could violate Swedish law when placed in risque situations within the game's "Figure Mode." Animated images have been subject to child pornography laws in Sweden since 1980.
ICANN has .xxx domain names? Yes!
The controversial step to approve .xxx domain names has today been taken by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, paving the way for a whole slew of new addresses suffixed by the famous triplicate x. Funnily enough, before the decision was made today, opposition to it was proffered by both conservative groups opposed to pornography and adult entertainment companies fearing they'd be more easily compartmentalized and potentially blocked by overzealous governments. Moreover, every popular adult website at present will pretty much be forced to buy its .xxx version, which, for an industry famous for its frugality, will be an understandably tough pill to swallow. We are surprised not to see the people of Amsterdam consulted, however -- their city's emblem features three Xs too, shouldn't they have a say in this? A further meeting is scheduled by ICANN for June 20th to discuss opening up all possible domain name suffixes to registration, pending the validation of a set of guidelines for approval. That's looking quite likely to be passed too, as the AFP sagely notes that there's a celebratory party scheduled for two days after the event. URLs are about to get a lot more varied, it seems; they're certainly going to feature a lot more of the (English) alphabet's 24th letter, whatever the case.
Penthouse 3D channel to fill European screens with three-dimensional smut, starting today
Penthouse already promised its US audience a 3D channel in the second quarter of this year, but, for whatever reason, it's dishing the goods to Europeans even sooner -- as in, right now. March 1st marks the pan-European launch for Penthouse 3D, an all-new channel that will be composed of "100% Full 3D Native HD" content, which, judging by the preview videos available online, looks like a classic case of passive-glasses 3D. Still, Penthouse says it's been shooting in 3D since last summer in preparation for this launch, so we don't expect there to be a content shortage for those who prefer a little more depth to their adult entertainment. Full press release after the break.
Playboy Magazine coming to iPad in its uncensored form in March, including full back catalog
From its very first issue in 1953 to its latest incarnation, the full catalog of Playboy Magazine is coming to the iPad this March. And not only that, it'll be faithful to its original form by arriving to your Apple slate uncensored. Such is the word direct from the man responsible for that first copy, one Mr. Hugh Hefner. Anyone who's followed Apple's App Store rulings and Steve Jobs' forthright comments on the subject of keeping adult material off mobile devices will surely find this a bemusing, if not entirely inconsistent, decision. The details of how this slice of software will be delivered to the iPad (and what restrictions it may come with) will be most intriguing indeed. Update: Turns out Hugh forgot to mention a pretty important detail: Playboy's iPad version won't actually be encased within an app. It will be a web-based subscription service, which will serve up the uncensored content through a tailor-made website, thereby entirely bypassing the App Store censors.
British government wants all porn filtered out of the web, all fun sucked out of life
You can't be surprised at developments like these when you elect a political party whose very name is Conservative, but it's still rather sad to hear that the current UK government is putting pressure on ISPs to "protect children" by universally blocking access to porn websites. It's not outright censorship, you'll be able to "opt in" and restore your freedom to explore adult content (or anything else that's been inadvertently blocked), though it's all a rather misguided effort in our eyes. Claire Perry, one of the leading voices behind this push, cites stats noting that 60 percent of nine- to 19-year olds have found pornography online, yet she fails to elaborate on what's been so traumatizing or debilitating about the experience -- or why violent content is getting a free pass. We still think good parenting -- say, by using the local controls built into your OS or search engine -- is a much cheaper option than some complex censorship wall, but that won't prevent the Conservatives from pursuing legislation over the next couple of years if broadband providers don't figure out blocking mechanisms of their own. For shame, Britain.
Playboy releases not-so-discreet 250GB 'cover to cover' hard drive
Well, you can finally throw out that trunk in your grandfather's garage. Hugh Heffner's legacy has taken a cue from National Geographic -- in an arguably non-horrifying way -- and partnered with publisher Bondi Digital to release a (presumably Seagate-branded) 250GB external hard drive packed with every issue of Playboy released since 1953. Its $300 asking price is roughly four times what you'd pay for a fresh G-rated 250GB drive today, but compared to a 57-year subscription, the digital vault is certainly a bargain. In contrast to their trail blazin' efforts with the iBod though, thanks to the prominent placement of the brand's iconic bow tie-wearing bunny and name, there's no chance of using this device for practical tasks such as backing up TPS reports at the office. Like the decision to phase out DVDs in favor of VOD however, the move does prove the magazine isn't afraid of staying abreast of today's content consumption trends. Next stop, Nook Color?
Sex industry embraces FaceTime, world feigns surprise
When I first saw the iPhone 4 FaceTime demo, I knew it wouldn't take much time before rule 34 took effect. It was inevitable that Apple's video chat tech would be used by the sex industry as a new way to deliver live adult content to customers. Despite Steve Jobs' best efforts to keep the iOS platform porn-free, the sex industry continues to find ways to work around the edges. While the iOS platform may be carefully guarded in terms of adult-oriented applications, there's little Apple can do to make sure your phone calls, chats, videos and Safari browsing stay clean. Truthfully, for iPhone users who are consenting adults, it's not really Apple's business. Joel Schectman of the Associated Press reports that the 3 million+ device iPhone 4 ecosystem is already an attractive target for the porn industry. Porn companies are advertising for model positions specific to FaceTime in at least five different cities on Craigslist. Meanwhile, adult production studios like Pink Visual -- not coincidentally one of the first adult production companies to create an iPad optimized service -- says it will let customers video chat with some of the same models in their videos. Pink Visual's service will be released in the next few weeks and will probably cost around $5 to $6 a minute.
Internet content filters are human too, funnily enough
Algorithms can only take you so far when you want to minimize obscene content on your social networking site. As the amount of user-uploaded content has exploded in recent times, so has the need for web content screeners, whose job it is to peruse the millions of images we throw up to online hubs like Facebook and MySpace every day, and filter out the illicit and undesirable muck. Is it censorship or just keeping the internet from being overrun with distasteful content? Probably a little bit of both, but apparently what we haven't appreciated until now is just how taxing a job this is. One outsourcing company already offers counseling as a standard part of its benefits package, and an industry group set up by Congress has advised that all should be providing therapy to their image moderators. You heard that right, people, mods need love too! Hit the source for more.
Apple admits mistake over pulling of graphic novel
Apple has reversed a ban on the app version of Robert Berry's comic book edition of James Joyce's "Ulysses," which has nudity. Apple has also lifted a ban on a graphic that shows 2 men kissing in Tom Bouden's graphic novel of Oscar Wilde's "The Importance of Being Earnest." The Associated Press quotes Trudy Miller of Apple saying the developers had been "allowed to resubmit their original drawings" and use the original artwork. It was about 75 years ago that the U.S. Federal Courts ruled that "Ulysses" was not pornographic or obscene. The case did not go to the Supreme Court. The novel had also been banned in Britain, but was legalized in 1936.
The Virtual Whirl: The secret sauce
Virtual environments evince a significant lack of mainstream adoption. Relatively tiny percentages of the world population are involved in them in any way online. There's something clearly missing. At the present time, virtual environments simply lack any compelling reason to exist that motivates mainstream users and might drive mainstream adoption. There's no killer app, or secret sauce that gets large numbers of people thinking "I want to get me some of that!"
Ron Jeremy: games 'far worse' for kids than porn
We should warn you guys: The subject of this story is ... well, he's a man named Ron Jeremy. We know you guys probably haven't heard of this man before, but ... well, he's an actor. You definitely haven't seen him in anything, because ... he does adult films. Yes, pornography. We're sorry we had to take this post in such a blue direction, but we felt it important for you to be informed. Mr. Jeremy, the pornographic actor, recently appeared on a CES panel which debated the effects of adult entertainment in the Internet era. As a riposte to an attack on his industry, Mr. Jeremy said, "we don't want kids to watch porn, though if they do, there are far worse influences out there - like video games. Studies have found that violent video games are much bigger a negative influence on kids." Oh, yeah? Then why is it acceptable to enjoy video games in public venues? Game, set and match, sir.
Vivid Entertainment wants more porn on your PS3
We were just as shocked as you are -- people will pay to watch what now?! Copulation, you say? Apparently it's a booming business! As well as one that could be expanded with streaming access via the PlayStation 3, Vivid Entertainment head honcho Steven Hirsch told MCV recently. He believes companies like Japan's DMM are paving the way for streaming adult content on the PS3.Though his company has yet to formally request its content be available on Sony's console, DMM has already proven such a thing is possible through the console's web browser. Unfortunately, this is one of those awkward moments where we have to inform the idea men behind this that so is ... the rest of the Internet. Let's hope enough people are ready to shell out their dough for the sheer convenience of it all.
Suspected pedophile targets Texas girl using PS3 and camera
Texas ABC affiliate ABC-13 is reporting that a 24-year-old Kentucky man, named Anthony Scott O'Shea, was using his PlayStation 3 to request nude self-pictures from an 11-year-old Texas girl. According to police, Mr. O'Shea did not own a computer and was solely employing his PS3 and the PlayStation Network to speak with the girl. When she refused to take them, he supposedly threatened to remove her from his friends list, saying, "Friends do things for each other. You're on my friends list. If you don't, I'm gonna remove you." Using a camera attached to her PS3, the Texas girl then sent Mr. O'Shea the pictures which, according to police, Mr. O'Shea distributed through email "across the country." Parents of the 11-year-old girl notified authorities immediately when they found out about the actions, but apparently their daughter remained steadfast in her opinion of Mr. O'Shea, asking police, "Why is my friend going to jail?" Mr. O'Shea is being charged with: Sexual performance of a child Online solicitation of a minor Promotion of child pornography Those sound like three pretty good reasons right there. According to GamePolitics, Sony provided technical assistance to the Texas police in helping to track down O'Shea.[Thanks, Gian S.!]
Porn addiction more accepted than WoW?
Would you say that in a normal conversation, if you were to bring up the fact that you're addicted to porn, that would be more acceptable than if you were to say that you're addicted to World of Warcraft? In a recent interview with Dr. Jerald Block, a psychiatrist who specializes in internet addictions, he says that his clients are usually more shameful about a World of Warcraft addiction than a porn addiction. Block says, "As a society we understand that porn is something people do, and you can see a psychiatrist and get treated for it. But gaming is hard to describe to anyone else. So these people can't explain their situation to friends. In fact, it's hard to give you an example of what my clients talk about, because gaming is enormously complicated."One of the major problems that Block feels he can tackle better than other therapists is the fact that most therapists have no idea what a guild is or what it means to hit max level. For this reason, many times the players who feel they need professional help end up turning to the wrong resources such as online support groups rather than seeking true mental health professionals.[Via CVG]
Utah lawmakers condemning open WiFi networks
We've already seen where mooching off an open WiFi signal can land you in Singapore, but are we really to that point here in the US of A? Apparently, Utah lawmakers are considering "penalizing those who leave their wireless networks open" as they trial "various methods of quelling free speech controlling questionable internet content." The paranoid officials are seemingly attempting to "reward ISPs that self-police access to pornography," as the primary concern seems to stem from open signals leading to unmonitored porn surfing by kiddos under 18. Interestingly, one proponent of the plan actually goes so far as to criticize the "unregulated internet," presumably suggesting that a world of controlled, censored, and dictated material would create a much more amicable environment. Still, one (level-headed) local ISP owner stated that shutting down free WiFi zones would damage Utah's reputation, as it would appear as a locale that "is restricting technology rather than expanding it." Truthfully, we tend to agree.[Via Wired]
