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by caskstrength 806 days ago
Care to explain what exactly "may be illegal" in this case?
1 comments

the writing

please read the post before asking questions in bad faith

Bad faith? Erotic writing "may be illegal" in the US? o_O
Explicit writing without some sort age verification may be in a gray area. The classic "smutty writing magazines" of old were still on the over 18 shelf in the magazine store.

Some states may further restrict this and go after the distributor or publisher ( https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2024/3/BillText/er/PDF )

    (e) "Material harmful to minors" means any material that:
    1. The average person applying contemporary community
    standards would find, taken as a whole, appeals to the prurient
    interest;
    2. Depicts or describes, in a patently offensive way,
    sexual conduct as specifically defined in s. 847.001(19); and
    ...
Media type is not defined - text may be interested to fall within that definition.

Google is also a multi-national company and would need to comply with laws in other countries too. If the individuals are represented as being minors (again, changes with jurisdictions) this gets into further complications in many places.

That share links are neither checked for age nor jurisdiction, google would be liable for knowingly distributing sexually explicit material without proper checks in place to limit consumption by minors or in jurisdictions where such content is restricted.

> Google is also a multi-national company and would need to comply with laws in other countries too. If the individuals are represented as being minors (again, changes with jurisdictions) this gets into further complications in many places.

Why is this particular example is being singled out? Calling current conflict in Ukraine "war" or "invasion" is also illegal in one particular jurisdiction. Would Google also ban me for distributing draft of a book about it via Drive? How about a fantasy novel about adventures on Winnie-the-Pooh in China?

> That share links are neither checked for age nor jurisdiction, google would be liable for knowingly distributing sexually explicit material without proper checks in place to limit consumption by minors or in jurisdictions where such content is restricted.

As far as I understood the draft was shared with particular group of people. It is not like author uploaded porn video on youtube and made it public.