"They might not comprehend its complexities but the good folks who make the laws understand that the World Wide Web has real life consequences."

Everyone’s against us. No matter what we do. No matter where we turn. They’re all after us. They want to shut us down. They don’t want to shut us down. They just want our money. They don’t want our money. They don’t need us at all. The world got along fine before Internet porn came along and it will do fine if it goes away. They are coming for us and they won’t stop until we’re wiped of the web. They hate us. They despise us. They. They. They. Them. Them. Them. Us. Us. Us. Blah. Blah. Blah.

We’ve had quite a year. Our tops have gone turvey and our bottoms seem to be perpetually in the upright position. VISA fucks us. Acacia fucks us. PayPal fucks us. Then VISA fucks us in the ass and gives us a dirty Sanchez. It’s been a hell of a year and it’s not over yet. By the end of 2003 some of us might as well give up and open up for Dugmore’s fishhook.

The latest blows to the industry are the new regulations being set forth in VISA’s typical piecemeal fashion. Chargeback limits have been changed for merchants processing through IPSPs. Before there was a 2% limit on allowed US chargebacks. If more than two percent of your customers charged back on their credit cards, then you were in big trouble. According to statements from some IPSPs, come October 2003, the chargeback limit for high-risk merchants will be lowered to one percent. In other words, if you have 1000 paysite members and ten of them dispute the charges and receive refunds, you’re fucked. Thank you VISA. May I have another?

I can’t even talk about what the legislators want to do to us. Okay, maybe I can. Lawmakers the world over weren’t looking and got sideswiped by a social revolution they don’t understand. Lawmakers, moralists, advertisers, filmmakers, music company executives, credit card consortiums, nobody saw this coming.

It’s been almost ten years since the wave of the Internet took hold. It’s been barely twenty since DARPA made it public. It’s as if it was yesterday when Matthew Broderick almost blew up the planet with his cradle modem. It’s really been two decades since then.

While I can’t say that lawmakers truly understand the web, they have definitely come to realize its importance. They might not comprehend its complexities but the good folks who make the laws understand that the World Wide Web has real life consequences.

Computer viruses and server hacks result in calculable financial damage. Credit card fraud has risen tenfold on the net in comparison to the brick and mortar world. Because of/in spite of the Internet’s anonymity our dirty little secrets are leaking out to the globe. Out of the shadows have come the haters, the pedophiles and a whole new form of con artistry.

Denizens of cyberspace spew forth beliefs and ideologies beyond the imaginings of the simple man. As a society, the Internet shows us our true faces. Humanity is waking to a new reality because of the web. If a corporate server gets hacked, it's financially devastating. When monsters prey on kids in chatrooms, it's emotionally devastating. When a medium has the capacity to destroy lives, businesses and bank accounts, it needs regulation.

Am I afraid? No. Am I worried? Always. I believe the web is here to stay. I know for a fact that porn is here to stay. I am pretty sure Internet porn is here to stay. Other than that, I have no predictions.

I can imagine all sorts of worst-case scenarios for the adult Internet. I can see it passing from the hands of the small business owner and into the greedy paws of corporate communications. I could foretell a future where the affiliate/sponsor business model becomes a fond memory. I can tell of eminent times when banks stop processing for us and the free adult site becomes a criminal one.

I might spin horrific tales of hunted smut peddlers escaping imprisonment for daring to alter the supposedly puritanical norm. I won't commit to any perceived notions about the future of the adult Internet. I believe the web is here to stay. I know for a fact that porn is here to stay. I am pretty sure Internet porn is here to stay. Other than that, no predictions.

Is the sky falling? No. Are things changing? Yes. Can we forecast the outcome? Not yet. The last several months have presented our industry with staggering changes but we're not dead yet. The next few years probably won't get any easier but it doesn't mean we're all doomed. We have an opportunity here I hope we take. We have the chance to stand strong and survive the future if we stand together and change from within.