Wednesday, July 26, 2006
In first-ever inspection, FBI checks porn co for §2257 records
On Monday, FBI agents visited the offices of porn producers Diabolic Video to inspect the company's recordkeeping for 18 U.S.C. §2257, according to company owner Greg Allan. One agent told Allan that a total of ten companies were on the to-inspect list, but would not say which companies. Monday's visit was the first time any adult business had ever been inspected in the 11 years that the regulations have been in effect. Critics argue the laws expose adult porn performers to serious personal security risks, and create unfair burdens for porn companies that amount to a form of de facto government bullying. The regulations -- and the newly initiated inspection roundes -- also affect "secondary producers," as they're known in porn biz jargon: websites that display sexually explicit photos or videos that were produced by other companies. Snip from AVN report:
[T]he FBI did not disclose the other names on the list, but knowledgeable sources say that the agents are interested in examining the records of 23 video titles from various producers. That list was not made available to AVN.com.Link. Here's a related report: Link. Previous coverage of 2257 laws on BoingBoing: Link. (Thanks, Violet)At least one attorney had speculated that the inspections might be connected with the rumor, some months ago, that a fairly new performer by the name of "Seduction" had made features and posed for explicit photos while underage, but knowledgeable sources say that the current investigations have nothing to do with that performer.
posted by Xeni Jardin at 07:10:07 AM permalink | Other blogs' comments
