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By popular request I’m compiling a master post on SISEA, the bipartisan bill by @SenSasse & @SenJeffMerkley that would purge porn from social media and devastate sex workers’ income during a pandemic. THREAD. Plz RT.
This fantastic @XBIZ story goes over the basics. The TLDR:
1) The bill targets any online platform that "hosts and makes available to the general public" porn. This essentially ranges from OnlyFans to Twitter
https://www.xbiz.com/news/256391/senators-propose-far-reaching-new-adult-industry-regulations
1) The bill targets any online platform that "hosts and makes available to the general public" porn. This essentially ranges from OnlyFans to Twitter
https://www.xbiz.com/news/256391/senators-propose-far-reaching-new-adult-industry-regulations
2) The bill demands sites with porn institute strenuous verification and content moderation systems, such as a 24-hour platform hotline with a two-hour window to pull reported material. These strains will likely cause Twitter, OnlyFans, etc to dump porn over institute changes
3) Websites that violate these requests violate the Federal Trade Commission Act's "unfair or deceptive act or practice" rules. TLDR, this can lead to a settlement negotiation or a cease and desist order, which can result in civil penalties if violated.
https://epic.org/privacy/internet/ftc/Authority.html
https://epic.org/privacy/internet/ftc/Authority.html
4) Again: This creates a situation where legal liability and the cost involved in creating (borderline impossible) enforcement structures are so strenuous that most social media websites will simply remove NSFW content as opposed to micromanage it
5) A "covered platform" "hosts and makes available to the general public pornographic images," which are defined as "any visual depiction, including any photograph, film, video, picture, or computer or computer-generated image or picture" with sexually explicit conduct
This could be interpreted many different ways. It could, theoretically, introduce risk to sites that host pornographic illustrations, such as Patreon, Fur Affinity, and Pixiv. It could also introduce risk for sites and social media platforms that teens use for sexting.
Let's talk about the content moderation structure itself:
5) SISEA would require platforms with pornographic material to verify all uploaders' identities, age, & provide a signed consent form from all individuals appearing in porn. This includes past & present adult material.
5) SISEA would require platforms with pornographic material to verify all uploaders' identities, age, & provide a signed consent form from all individuals appearing in porn. This includes past & present adult material.
Meanwhile, 6) If you are a revenge porn victim and you want to make sure you do not appear on sites with NSFW material, you have to provide the federal government your personal information. It appears the database is all or nothing, shutting out sex workers from these protections
There are a few problems with these two measures:
1) Not all sex workers are documented. Instituting federal requirements introduces increased risk for migrant sex workers, who obviously do not want their personal information identified by the gov't
1) Not all sex workers are documented. Instituting federal requirements introduces increased risk for migrant sex workers, who obviously do not want their personal information identified by the gov't
2) This introduces severe staffing costs for sites that already have strong, ethical DIY porn scenes, like Reddit. Suddenly, if Reddit still wants to host GoneWild, it needs to feverishly document every single uploader's PI. It's creating new problems w/o solving old ones
3) This introduces increased security risks for performers, who now have to trust (the few remaining) platforms will safeguard their personal info. Data breaches happen. Not every site stores its personal info in safe, encrypted ways. This puts sex workers at increased risk
4) The database forces sites to cross-check new uploads with the database before allowing new content. The database only covers individuals who "do not consent to the uploading to any covered platform of any pornographic images" they appear in. Not just some. All or nothing.
As I mentioned above, the database doesn't account for the fact that many sex workers and non-sex workers alike want *nonconsensual* material of themselves pulled. The database creates a binary. Either you're a victim or you're a sex worker. You never get to be both.
So in short, this bill is dripping in whorephobia, creates impossible expectations and standards, doesn't solve online sexual exploitation, and instead creates an incentive to pull adult material from the web altogether, either via NSFW content purges or indie sites closing down
WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP:
This bill was introduced in the Senate. Every state has *TWO* senators. So this is easy. Use GovTrack to find your state, and contact your two senators.
For example, I'm in NYC, so here are my two senators.
https://www.govtrack.us/congress/members
This bill was introduced in the Senate. Every state has *TWO* senators. So this is easy. Use GovTrack to find your state, and contact your two senators.
For example, I'm in NYC, so here are my two senators.
https://www.govtrack.us/congress/members
KEEP TABS ON NEW UPDATES:
Besides following me ( @acvalens) there are a number of amazing sex workers who have been documenting these egregeious moves against us for years. Follow @themayamorena & @AshleyLatke, who have been on top of this stuff from DAY 1
Besides following me ( @acvalens) there are a number of amazing sex workers who have been documenting these egregeious moves against us for years. Follow @themayamorena & @AshleyLatke, who have been on top of this stuff from DAY 1
For the adult news industry keep tabs on @XBIZ & follow XBIZ's own @GustavoTurnerX, who has been on 
tweeting about this
tweeting about this
TO EXPAND ON THIS, I generally don't recommend templates to email/write/read out since it may be deprioritized as a template/letter campaign compared to messages that are new & written by yrself.
So let me provide some talking points to mention instead. https://mobile.twitter.com/acvalens/status/1340354399059775489
So let me provide some talking points to mention instead. https://mobile.twitter.com/acvalens/status/1340354399059775489
Call/write and state this bill will:
- Impact a marginalized constituency deeply economically impacted by the pandemic
- Harm your freedom of speech
- Is deeply important to you as a constituent. Your vote counts highly on your senator making the right decision here.
- Impact a marginalized constituency deeply economically impacted by the pandemic
- Harm your freedom of speech
- Is deeply important to you as a constituent. Your vote counts highly on your senator making the right decision here.
- That this bill deeply upsets you on the basis of your identity, and how it may impact other groups (i.e. how it could censor LGBTQ Americans if you are LGBTQ yourself)
- That this bill may hurt you, personally, if applicable
- Mention your senators' track record w/ SESTA-FOSTA
- That this bill may hurt you, personally, if applicable
- Mention your senators' track record w/ SESTA-FOSTA
UPDATE: Here's how to track the bill through Congress https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/5054?s=3&r=4
From @dailydot re SISEA:
"Even absent these financial penalties, the 24-hour hotline, two-hour removal window, and database requirements are so onerous and expensive that most, if not all, websites would be forced to stop hosting pornography altogether." https://www.dailydot.com/debug/sisea-internet-porn/
"Even absent these financial penalties, the 24-hour hotline, two-hour removal window, and database requirements are so onerous and expensive that most, if not all, websites would be forced to stop hosting pornography altogether." https://www.dailydot.com/debug/sisea-internet-porn/
