The election process for the 2025 Free Speech Coalition Board of Directors election will begin on November 5, 2025. In order to participate in this election, either as a voter or a nominee, you must be an FSC member as of Friday, October 3, 2025. Directors serve two-year terms (2026-27) and are tasked with oversight and growth of the organization. Duties include attending quarterly board meetings, assisting with fundraising and initiatives, and serving as ambassadors for FSC. Below are the key dates and requirements for participation in this year’s election: 

Date by which you must be a Free Speech Coalition member in good standing in order to participate in the election. Those who wish to become FSC members can do so here. Existing members who wish to confirm their standing to vote can do so by logging into their member account here.

Two nominations from FSC members are required in order to get on the election ballot. Individuals are permitted to nominate themselves. Nominations close at midnight on November 19. 

Voting begins on December 3 and ends at midnight on December 10. Results of the election will be shared later that week.  

New age-verification laws took effect last week. Arizona’s HB 2112 began enforcement on September 26, and Ohio’s HB 96 followed on September 30. Sites accessible in these states should review requirements carefully to avoid litigation.

Businesses facing potential liability should review the full text of these laws and consult legal counsel. FSC members can access additional guidance in our Age-Verification Toolkit. 

“’The prosecution is going to immediately ask for model releases, IDs and all the other things we do to remain…viable,’ writes Mike Stabile, policy director at the Free Speech Coalition, an organization representing the porn industry. ‘We're not a get out of jail free card,’ he adds—and the sex industry is not ‘some weird netherworld just over the county line where normal rules don't apply.’” Read more on Reason...

“‘The rollout has been fairly disastrous,’ Mike Stabile, the director of public policy from the Free Speech Coalition, which represents the adult entertainment in the US, said. He said that traffic had moved from compliant to non-compliant sites. ‘VPNs have surged; people have not been compliant; we’re seeing traffic go to pirate sites … I don’t think Ofcom would look at this and say: ‘This is what we wanted.’” Read more on The Guardian...

Ohio’s new age-verification law took effect September 30, but Pornhub has not blocked access in the state. While the site has pulled out of other states over similar laws, its parent company Aylo says Ohio’s statute exempts “interactive computer services” under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. That means Pornhub does not currently fall under the law’s verification requirements. Aylo reiterated its support for age verification in principle, but stressed that any law must protect both children and user privacy. Read more on Mashable...

Bluesky has begun rolling out age verification for users in Ohio to comply with the state’s new law, effective September 29. The platform is using the Kids Web Services (KWS) system, which also powers its compliance in South Dakota and Wyoming, allowing users to verify through ID scans, credit cards, or Social Security numbers. Unlike larger competitors, Bluesky has warned that such laws place a heavy burden on smaller platforms, even leading it to suspend services in Mississippi. Critics argue these requirements could stifle innovation and deter users while doing little to meaningfully protect children online. Read more on Tech Crunch...

Strike 3 Holdings has filed a federal lawsuit accusing Meta of pirating nearly 2,400 of its copyrighted adult films to train AI models, alleging the company has been torrenting and distributing the content since 2018. The complaint claims Meta sought pornographic material for visual angles and long, uninterrupted scenes that aren’t found in mainstream media, all to advance its AI “superintelligence” ambitions. The case could become a major test of copyright and AI training practices.  Read more on Wired...

Brazil has passed the “Adultization Bill,” a sweeping new law that will require platforms to impose age verification, parental controls, and strict limits on minors’ online activity. While framed as child protection, the law bans self-declaration and mandates robust age checks, with details still undefined, raising serious concerns about surveillance, data collection, and digital exclusion. Companies that fail to comply face fines of up to 10 percent of their revenue in Brazil, capped at 10 million dollars per violation. Critics warn the law could expand state control of the internet and set a precedent for broader restrictions on free expression. Read more on Court House News...