Donald Trump has signed the first-ever internet anti-porn presidential pledge, promising to enforce long-ignored obscenity laws to stop the explosion of hard core sex videos that studies show are rewiring teen brains and feeding violence against children.
The Republican presidential candidate signed the pledge from the internet safety groupEnough is Enough with no questions asked, but Democrat Hillary Clinton didn't.
Enough is Enough President Donna Rice Hughes told Secrets that the Clinton campaign cited a policy of not signing pledges. But, she added, "Clinton agrees with the goals of the pledge. It's a good step."
On Trump, she added, "I applaud Mr. Trump's leadership and commitment to uphold the rule of law as demonstrated by his signing of The Children's Internet Safety Presidential Pledge. Making the internet safer for children and families is a critical step in making America safe again."
For over 20 years, Hughes and her non-partisan group have pressed administrations to enforce obscenity laws, but many presidents have looked the other way. "President Obama has not enforced the laws at all," she said.
In an interview, she cited an explosion of hard core pornography on the internet and studies showing that porn has "rewired teen brains" and is getting more and more perverted. She said that much of what is available on the internet is illegal, but the Justice Department isn't enforcing laws.
Hughes added that porn producers regularly push legal limits and are ready to pull back if threatened by the government. England recently targeted online porn and it has been curbed, she said.
Enough is Enough has a successful record of fighting porn and recently persuaded McDonald's to filter porn from free wifi. In a release heralding the fast food company's change, Enough is Enough noted that Starbucks had rebuffed their plea. Within weeks, Starbucks changed course and announced a worldwide ban on porn on wifi in stores.
Hughes said she hopes the Clinton campaign makes a similar change in its anti-pledge policy. "I'm an optimist," she said. "I'm hoping they will decide to make an exception to sign it."
Independent presidential candidate Gary Johnson hasn't signed the pledge either.
Hughes said that her group wrote the pledge "so that it would be easy to say yes to."
It does not require action, but instead encourages moves to fight porn, including the creation of a presidential commission to study the issue.
They key provisions of the EIE Pledge:
If elected President of the United State of America, I promise to:
1) Uphold the rule of law by aggressively enforce existing federal laws to prevent the
sexual exploitation of children online, including the federal obscenity laws, child
pornography laws, sexual predation laws and the sex trafficking laws by:
— a. appointing an Attorney General who will make the prosecution of such laws a
top priority in my administration and,
— b. Providing the intelligence community and law enforcement with the resources
and tools needed to investigate and prosecute Internet crimes involving the
sexual exploitation of children.
2) Aggressively enforce the Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA) requiring schools
and public libraries using government eRate monies to filter child pornography and pornography
by requiring effective oversight by the Federal Communications Commission.
3) Protect and defend the innocence of America's children by advancing public policies
that prevent the sexual exploitation of children in a manner that is consistent with the
government's compelling interest in protecting its most vulnerable citizens, within the limits set
forth by the First Amendment.
4) Give serious consideration to appointing a Presidential Commission to examine the
harmful public health impact of Internet pornography on youth, families and the American
culture and the prevention of the sexual exploitation of children in the digital age.
5) Establish public-private partnerships with Corporate America to step up voluntary
efforts to reduce the threat of the Internet-enabled sexual exploitation of children by the
implementation of updated corporate policies and viable technology tools and solutions.
Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner's "Washington Secrets" columnist, can be contacted atpbedard@washingtonexaminer.com
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