Pornography laws by region
The Pornography laws by region vary across jurisdictions in terms of definitions and restrictions on pornography. The production, distribution, and possession of pornographic films, photographs, and similar material are activities that are legal in many but not all countries, providing that any specific people featured in the material have consented to being included and are above a certain age. Various other restrictions often apply as well. The minimum age requirement for performers is most typically 18 years.
Pornography is usually expressed as obscene material by law and the meaning and range of obscenity differ from country to county. Most western countries allow hard-core pornography showing genitals and actual penetrations while other countries only allow soft-core pornography without showing genitals and actual penetrations. There are countries that ban pornography completely. It is illegal only to distribute and sell pornography in some countries, while in some countries it is even illegal to possess and watch it.
This article excludes material considered child pornography or zoophilic pornography. In most cases the legality of child pornography and the legality of zoophilic pornography are treated as separate issues, and they are usually subject to additional, specialized laws. Specialized laws to address the emerging phenomenon of "deep fake" pornographic content became an active subject of law-making and litigation in the 2020s, although fictional and semi-fictional pornography have existed throughout history. However, this news is subject to litigation.
Summary of pornography laws
This is a summary table of laws and their enforcement by governments. The subsequent sections contain more detail on each of the jurisdictions.Africa
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 Asia
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