Fact or Fiction? The Truth About Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act
Sex trafficked by a predator who contacted her on Instagram. Coerced into sending sexually explicit images by pedophiles on Kik. Groomed by a convicted predator on Snapchat who eventually shows up to her home.
These are stories of minors who have been exploited at the hands of social media. And in all of these cases, the tech platforms involved faced no accountability for their role in actively facilitating this exploitation. That’s courtesy of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.
Despite the active role that many social media platforms play in facilitating the exploitation of children, Section 230 grants them broad immunity from being held liable.
With the growing discourse around Section 230, Big Tech is continuing to push fallacies in an attempt to prevent even the slightest reforms to this harmful law. Here are some of the myths they are pushing and why these arguments are void of merit.
📝 Read more about Section 230 and why it must be repealed in this blog. |
Blaze Media: Porn's dark empire is collapsing — here's how the fight is being won Pornography is having a moment — and not in the way purveyors of pornography would like. As a matter of fact, the foundations of the commercial sex industry are starting to disintegrate. Exhibit A: In a historic decision last month, the Supreme Court upheld the Texas age verification law protecting children from easily accessing harmful pornography online. Pornography is having a moment — and not in the way purveyors of pornography would like.
As a matter of fact, the foundations of the commercial sex industry are starting to disintegrate.
Exhibit A: In a historic decision last month, the Supreme Court upheld the Texas age verification law protecting children from easily accessing harmful pornography online.
It's proof the tide is finally turning against the pornography industry.
✍️ Read the full op-ed in Blaze from NCOSE President and CEO Marcel van der Watt. |
Terrifying New Court Ruling Threatens to Silence Survivors
When 19-year-old Katelyn Faber accused Kobe Bryant of rape, she faced a hostile public that was more invested in protecting the reputation of the beloved NBA star than supporting a survivor and fairly evaluating claims of abuse. Public support for Bryant was overwhelming; fans and commentators questioned Faber’s credibility, suggesting ulterior motives such as financial gain or attention.
Since Andrew Tate and his brother, Tristan Tate, were charged with sex trafficking and rape, many in the public have rushed to their defense. Tate supporters flood social media with harassment toward the survivors, threatening to hurt or kill them. One even went as far to post the address of a survivor’s place of work. The Tate brothers themselves have viciously defamed the survivors and sued them for millions of dollars, in an attempt to intimidate them into silence.
In the sex trafficking trials of music mogul, Sean “Diddy” Combs, the survivor witnesses were publicly humiliated on the stands before being denied justice. The defense engaged in predictable victim blaming, and even forced the survivor witnesses to read out aspects of their sexual history to the court. What do all of these stories have in common? In each case, female survivors who were victimized by a man in a position of power were harassed, smeared, humiliated, and even threatened.
⚖️ Read here to learn about an unjust court ruling given to NCOSE lawyers, requiring a survivor of sex trafficking to reveal her identity. |
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Washington Examiner: AI intimacy is turning abusive. Congress must act. Imagine having a friend who is always available, constantly affirms you, and is never critical.
Those are just a few of the reasons teenagers are turning to artificial intelligence chatbots as “companions.” A recent Common Sense Media study found that 72% of U.S. teenagers aged 13 to 17 have used AI companions, and 52% are regular users. Adults have been drawn to AI companions as well, with one man excitedly detailing how xAI’s chatbot Ani became his girlfriend. Other adults describe their AI chatbots as “family.”
The rise of synthetic intimacy with bots can appear harmless or even silly at times. But increasingly, AI chatbot companions can take teenagers (and yes, even adults) down dark paths and put them in harm’s way, especially as these bots begin mimicking sexual relationships.
And in the race for AI dominance, tech companies are emphasizing engagement and profits instead of safety and human flourishing.
🤖 Read what NCOSE Executive Director, Haley McNamara, has to say on AI companions and why synthetic intimacy is dangerous. |
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5 Myths About Sex Buyers
Aria (pseudonym), a Nigerian woman who immigrated to Denmark in pursuit of a new career, was cruelly tricked into prostitution and sex trafficked for years. What she thought was a job opportunity as a care taker for senior citizens led her to Copenhagen’s red-light district, and escape seemed like an absurd thought.
Her traffickers told her she owed them 42,000 euros in regular installments and she was forced to swear to pay the money and not reveal her traffickers. If she did not comply, she and her family members would be harmed, they told her. Aria recalls several instances where she was almost killed by sex buyers, including one man who forced her to sit in the bathtub, completely naked, while he poured buckets of ice on her. It was the middle of winter. This egregious behavior by sex buyers is not uncommon.
All of this took place in Denmark, where, it should be noted, prostitution (including sex buying) is legalized.
The pro-prostitution lobby attempts to obscure the reality of the practice by proliferating myths about sex buyers. This article will debunk common myths about sex buyers that often go hand-in-hand with arguments in favor of legalizing or decriminalizing prostitution.
‼️Learn the truth behind the reality of the sex trade by reading the full blog. |
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