LOS ANGELES (April 19, 2011) — The Association of Sites Advocating Child Protection (ASACP) regrets to announce that its CEO, Joan Irvine, has resigned her position effective immediately.

Irvine said she has been proud of leading online child protection efforts for the group, which has grown substantially through the years.

“It has been my honor to serve ASACP, child protection, and the industry for the last nine years,” Irvine stated. “When I started in 2002, ASACP was a grassroots, volunteer-based organization. Since then with the support of its Advisory Council and the industry, ASACP has grown into an internationally recognized online child protection non-profit that has implemented award-winning programs.”

One ASACP program under Irvine's tenure, in particular, has made great progress in the group's mission.

“I am most proud of the Restricted To Adults (RTA) program,” Irvine added. “More than 4.5 million websites have self-labeled with RTA, which proves that the adult industry is concerned about keeping children away from its sites.”

Alec Helmy, who founded ASACP and is president and publisher of XBIZ, said that while he was surprised by Irvine's decision to leave the organization, ASACP will continue on with its goals.

“News of Joan Irvine’s unexpected resignation surprises and saddens all of us involved with the organization,” Helmy said. “It takes an extraordinary leader to turn a grassroots project into a world-renowned association, and Joan Irvine did just that.

“With a rock-solid foundation built by its tireless staff and passionate industry contributors, ASACP will forge ahead, building upon nine years of remarkable achievements and successes,” Helmy added. “We wish Joan the best in her future endeavors.”

Kim Nielsen, owner of AT Kingdom and a long-time member of ASACP, stated that he has "much admiration for the capabilities and vision she brought to ASACP”

“I wish Joan the very best in her future role and thank her for the tremendous contribution she has made in transforming ASACP from a fledgling organization into the industry's definitive leader in the battle against child pornography,” Nielsen said. “We look forward to the challenge of finding a suitable replacement that is able to continue to build upon the work that Joan performed so passionately for the past nine years."

Tim Henning, a digital forensics expert who has managed the development of ASACP’s infrastructure and reporting hotline as vice president since 1996, will serve as its interim director.

“It has been a great experience to work with Joan for the past nine years. I have learned a great deal from her during that time,” Henning said. “I am going to miss her endless energy, and the strength of conviction and purpose she brought to the ASACP mission.”

Irvine has accepted a position with the International Foundation of Online Responsibility (IFFOR), the regulatory body of .XXX, as its new executive director.

“It was a hard decision to make since ASACP has been so much part of my life and I’ve made many friends,” Irvine concluded. “However, I felt it was important that someone who understands the industry, compliance, and legislation, to take an important place at the table and be a part of the policy development process to assure industry interests are best served, which is the goal of IFFOR.”

About ASACP
Founded in 1996, ASACP is a non-profit organization dedicated to online child protection and is comprised of two separate corporate entities: Association of Sites Advocating Child Protection and the ASACP Foundation. The Association of Sites Advocating Child Protection (ASACP) is a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization. ASACP manages a membership program that provides resources to companies in order to help them protect children online. The ASACP Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. The ASACP Foundation battles child pornography through its CP Reporting Hotline and helps parents prevent children from viewing age-restricted material online via its Restricted To Adults (RTA) website label (www.rtalabel.org). ASACP has invested nearly 15 years in developing progressive programs to protect children, and its relationship in assisting the adult industry’s child protection efforts is unparalleled. For more information, visit www.asacp.org.