A.G. WINS Fight to Stop Porn Industry From Contacting Kids

For Immediate Release
From the Office of the Attorney General

Utah has won the battle to keep the porn industry from contacting children through e-mail or text messages.  Attorney General Mark Shurtleff announced today that the lawsuit filed by a coalition representing members of the porn industry against the Utah Child Protection Registry has been dismissed.

“The door is officially shut to anyone who wants to send porn to families and children in Utah,” says Shurtleff.  “The registry actually helps business owners if they truly want adult-oriented material to only go to adults who are not registered with the state program.”

U.S. District Judge Clark Waddoups dismissed the lawsuit with prejudice after a stipulated agreement was reached by both parties.  The suit challenged the registry, a state website that allows parents to keep pornographic pictures and solicitations from going to their child’s e-mail, cell phone, Instant Messaging accounts and fax numbers.  Assistant Attorney General Thom Roberts represented Utah in the litigation.

The Child Protection Registry at www.donotcontact.utah.gov is similar to the do-not-call list and can be used for children or anyone who does not want to receive adult-oriented messages.  More than 340,000 Utahns have signed up for the free service to block their addresses.  Schools are also using the registry to stop inappropriate messages from reaching students.

Businesses that send adult-oriented messages are required to pay a small fee and scrub their lists of any addresses on the registry.  Marketers who fail to remove registered addresses can face felony charges and substantial civil and criminal fines.

“My goal now is to take the registry nationwide,” adds Shurtleff.  “This legal victory means other states will follow Utah’s lead and stop pornographers from contacting children.”

Michigan also has the registry and numerous states have shown interest but wanted to wait until the lawsuit was over.  Shurtleff plans to talk about the registry at the February meeting with the National Association of Attorneys General.

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