Rhode Island bill would charge residents $20 to unblock porn and 'offensive' content

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Lawmaker wants porn declared a public health risk

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A new bill aims to charge Rhode Island residents a one-off $20 fee to access sexually explicit content online and impose stringent rules on Internet providers that do not comply with the law.

Two state Democrats, Sen. Frank Ciccone and Sen. Hanna Gallo introduced a bill on Thursday that would mandate Internet providers to block “sexual content and patently offensive material,” The Providence Journal reported.

Consumers will be able to lift the block but only if they pay a fee of $20.

The fees would be collected by the state government and go to the state’s treasurer and fund the operations of the Council on Human Trafficking.

Some people expressed opposition to the bill, criticizing the lawmakers for conflating sex work with human trafficking.

“Want to propose action adverse to #sexwork or #sexworkers? Conflate human trafficking into discussion,” wrote on Twitter user.

“Sex work is not trafficking. I produce my content, I book my sessions, I make money from my sexwork. Nobody is forcing me into this, I enjoy this line of work,” tweeted another woman who claims to be a sex worker.

Under the new measure, if it passes the General Assembly, Internet providers would also face consequences if they do not comply with the law, according to the bill’s text.

The bill asks the providers to “establish a reporting mechanism, such as a website or call center, to allow a consumer to report unblocked sexual content or potentially offensive material or report blocked material that is not sexual content or potentially offensive.”

The text of the initiative does not specify what constitutes “offensive” material online.

But the companies could face monetary damages if they do not create effective reporting systems, allowing consumers and the state’s attorney general to sue for leaving offensive and sexually explicit content accessible with a block.

For every piece of content reported – but still accessible to the consumers – the attorney general or a consumer may file a civil suit against a provider and seek damages up to $500. The winning party may also ask the losing party to cover the legal fees.