Welcome to the Website of the Obscenity Prosecution Task Force (OPTF) of the U.S. Department of Justice. Created in 2005, the Task Force is dedicated exclusively to the protection of America's children and families through the enforcement of our Nation's obscenity laws.

The Task Force's trial prosecutors and law enforcement agents partner with the Nation's 93 United States Attorneys to initiate and conduct investigations and prosecutions under federal statutes prohibiting obscenity crimes involving the transportation of obscene matter via the mails, common carriers, interactive computer services, or other means or facilities of interstate or foreign commerce. Many of these cases arise from complaints by citizens who have been offended or harmed by the spread of hardcore pornography over the Internet, as well as through the U.S. Mail and retail outlets.

The Task Force also draws upon the resources and expertise of several other components of the Department's Criminal Division, including the Organized Crime and Racketeering Section, the Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section, and the Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, which assist in prosecuting complex criminal cases. The Task Force is also supported by the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section’s High Tech Investigative Unit, which employs computer and forensics experts with knowledge of the Internet and other interactive computer systems such as peer-to-peer networks and the Internet.

The Obscenity Prosecution Task Force investigates and prosecutes the producers and distributors of hardcore pornography that meets the test for obscenity, as defined by the Supreme Court of the United States.

Task Force prosecutors work in coordination with the FBI, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Internal Revenue Service, the Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement Office, and other federal and local law enforcement partners.

The Task Force is strongly committed to protecting free speech, as well as prosecuting obscenity crimes.  The right of ordinary citizens - and of the press - to speak out and express their views is one of the greatest strengths of our Country, but the Supreme Court has ruled that the First Amendment does not protect obscene materials and federal law makes it a felony to use the streams of commerce for trafficking in obscenity. The U.S. Supreme Court has stated, “This much has been categorically decided by the Court, that obscene material is unprotected by the First Amendment. Miller v. California, 413 U.S. 15, 23 (1973). Enforcement is necessary in order to protect citizens from unlawful exposure to obscene materials. The welfare of America's children and families demands the vigorous enforcement of obscenity statutes, as traffickers in illegal adult obscenity employ advancements in technology and marketing to extend their unlawful and harmful influence.

The Task Force is drawing upon its expertise to pursue innovative solutions to the threat posed by those who violate obscenity laws and is mounting a determined effort to coordinate resources at all levels of government to give people the protection the laws are intended to provide.