FOSTA Passes Senate, Making Prostitution Ads a Federal Crime

[Drukpa Kunley]

FOSTA - SESTA

FOSTA Passes Senate, Making Prostitution Ads a Federal Crime


The U.S. Senate just passed one of the worst bills in recent memory, the so-called "Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act" (FOSTA) that cleared the House of Representatives in late February.

This is the measure that would make online prostitution ads a federal crime and decimate Section 230, the federal provision shielding web publishers and platforms from legal liabilities for the things that users post. It's largely portrayed as a response to Backpage, but its reach goes far far beyond that.

Under FOSTA, attempts by a website to filter out bad content could lead to more legal liability. The only way for companies to stay safe may be to completely give up on content moderation.

And we haven't even touched on the damage FOSTA will do for sex workers, who will lose their ability to find and screen clients electronically making them more vulnerable to violence and exploitation. They will also lose the ability to warn each other about dangerous customers on sex-work message boards.

As Alana Massey noted recently at Allure, "these bills target websites that are widely and inaccurately believed to be hubs of sex-trafficking activity when it is precisely those websites that enable people in the sex trades to do their work safely and independently, at the same time as they make it easier for authorities to find and investigate possible sex-trafficking cases."

In a lengthy Senate floor speech on Monday, bill sponsor Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio) told a series of whoppers about U.S. sex-trafficking, starting with an assertion that "there is a federal law that now permits sex-trafficking online."

There isn't. And when it comes to federal law enforcement, Section 230 doesn't even apply.

Without any changes to existing law, those who commit federal crimes such as sex-trafficking of children, sex-trafficking via force/fraud/coercion, knowingly advertising a victim of trafficking, paying for sex with someone under age 18, forced labor, debt bondage, and all sorts of related activities are fully prosecutable, and Section 230 has nothing to say about it.

In defense of his bill, Portman also cited an increase in the number of "sex-trafficking cases" reported to a national hotline run by Polaris Project—an entity that counts any call, text, or email as a "case" of sex-trafficking (even though the vast majority are simply requests for information or unsubstantiated "tips") and that has spent the past decade lobbying for state laws requiring all sorts of businesses to post their hotline number at their business for public display.

But the worst part of Portman's defense was this attempt at an argument:

Unbelievably, for years, these websites have gotten away with sex-trafficking because when parents...file a lawsuit for damages to try to stop what is going on, they are told: We are immune. When the prosecutors in these local communities step up and ask: "How could this illegal activity be going on? This is illegal to do on the street corners, certainly it is illegal to do online," the judges say: We are immune.

And yet, Portman isn't introducing legislation to hold the street corners—or the government entities who own them—accountable as sex traffickers when prostitution takes place there.

"In the absence of Section 230, the internet as we know it would shrivel," warned Senator Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) from the Senate floor Wednesday. "Civic organizations protecting their right to free speech could be ruined by their more powerful political opponents" and "there would be an enormous chilling effect on speech in America." That's why big companies like Facebook like efforts like this to weaken it, Wyden added.

The measure will "make it harder, not easier, to root out and prosecute sex-traffickers," said Senator Ron Wyden (D-Oregon), who voted no on FOSTA.



Elizabeth Nolan Brown
Reason Magazine

https://reason.com/blog/2018/03/21/senate-passes-fosta-sex-trafficking-bill

[Drukpa Kunley]

The U.S. Senate Just Passed a Bill That Puts Sex Workers In Danger

The SESTA-FOSTA bill makes website platforms liable for their users’ speech.

The internet just became a more hostile place for sex workers, victims of sex trafficking, and fans of internet freedom.

The U.S. Senate voted 97-2 to pass SESTA - FOSTA on Wednesday, making websites liable for what their users say and do on their platforms.

The bill is a mashup of the Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act (FOSTA) and the Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act (SESTA).

This bill punishes website platforms for users’ behavior—specifically, discussions of prostitution and sex trade—internet freedom groups have vocally opposed the language of the bill.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation called it a “win for censorship.”

[marsean]

The U.S. Senate Just Passed a Bill That Puts Sex Workers In Danger

The SESTA-FOSTA bill makes website platforms liable for their users’ speech.

The internet just became a more hostile place for sex workers, victims of sex trafficking, and fans of internet freedom.

The U.S. Senate voted 97-2 to pass SESTA - FOSTA on Wednesday, making websites liable for what their users say and do on their platforms.

The bill is a mashup of the Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act (FOSTA) and the Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act (SESTA).

This bill punishes website platforms for users’ behavior—specifically, discussions of prostitution and sex trade—internet freedom groups have vocally opposed the language of the bill.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation called it a “win for censorship.”

Move this shit to the political category where it should go.

[NicetoKnow]

Move this shit to the political category where it should go.


Yes. ADMIN.? I know you can delete shit. Can you move it?

[marsean]

Yes. ADMIN.? I know you can delete shit. Can you move it?

Admin, oh Admin...

[Drukpa Kunley]

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┌∩┐┌∩┐

[pumpagain69]

Getting the finger from a banned member Libertine is not cool.

[marsean]

Getting the finger from a banned member Libertine is not cool.

Oh, I thought it was a guilded Empire State building and a random bs Clint good humor pic. Ehhhh...you know Clint can't have much to say about FOSTA.

It's going to be all about slipping and sliding your way to good times SANS any negotiating or bear the consequences.

Wakey wakey!

[Drukpa Kunley]

reoccurring dream phallic symbol for you ?

"All elongated objects, such as a gilded Empire State Building, are comparable to an erection and stand for the male penis." ~ Sigmund Freud

[mikesan1]

Dude,
You're just monopolizing and consuming the available space with your BS we don't care about.
Y? We dont crap on ur lawn.

[tangmaster]

yup, craigslist shut down all of its "dating" sections

[Drukpa Kunley]

“Free speech means the right to shout 'theatre' in a crowded fire.” ~ Abbie Hoffman

[Drukpa Kunley]

Cityvibe is gone

The Erotic Review (TER) removed all U.S. escort ads

Craigslist closed the entire classifieds dating section



? R maps today

[Inspector_Lee]

This sort of thing is something we should all care about, because it's directly related to the hobby. It's not just some snarky Democrat vs. Republican name-calling horseshit. It's not "someone else's problem," it's something that can affect everyone on this site, either in terms of how the Internet can be used for info and networking, or in terms of personal liability for users of sites like this. Did any of you read what happened to that board in Seattle, and to at least some of its members? Hobby sites are going down and people are going down with them. These new laws will make it even easier for The Man to cast a wide net and fuck with anyone they want, in this case, especially us. We should be alarmed, and should be re-thinking how we participate in the hobby, especially online. I have had issues with Libertine/Drukpa Kunley in the past, but we should all thank him for calling our attention to this.

[OkiOpai]

This sort of thing is something we should all care about, because it's directly related to the hobby. It's not just some snarky Democrat vs. Republican name-calling horseshit. It's not "someone else's problem," it's something that can affect everyone on this site, either in terms of how the Internet can be used for info and networking, or in terms of personal liability for users of sites like this. Did any of you read what happened to that board in Seattle, and to at least some of its members? Hobby sites are going down and people are going down with them. These new laws will make it even easier for The Man to cast a wide net and fuck with anyone they want, in this case, especially us. We should be alarmed, and should be re-thinking how we participate in the hobby, especially online. I have had issues with Libertine/Drukpa Kunley in the past, but we should all thank him for calling our attention to this.

A reasoned position - maybe if we can all interact with each other as grown adults, we can discuss some constructive approaches to convince the general public why this is a personal freedom issue that should concern everyone. Until we can get to that point, all we do is sound like a bunch of crybaby mongers whining about their whore sites being taken down.

OO

[Hugh G. Rexion]

HX and Seeking arrangement are whats left and what I was using anyway. I do see a handful of straight up P4P girls profiles on SA. HX is drying up a bit recently with fewer ads especially from the asian places. I did see a Korean chick yesterday and the booker seemed to really want my business.

I need to get into snapchat and wechat. I have wechat but no idea how to use it.

[mikesan1]

HX and Seeking arrangement are whats left and what I was using anyway. I do see a handful of straight up P4P girls profiles on SA. HX is drying up a bit recently with fewer ads especially from the asian places. I did see a Korean chick yesterday and the booker seemed to really want my business.

I need to get into snapchat and wechat. I have wechat but no idea how to use it.

What is SA?

Backpage is still up too but no user friendly anymore and the last time I tried it I though it mighta been a tranny so I just left. HPlex is still up and kicking.

[Inspector_Lee]

A reasoned position - maybe if we can all interact with each other as grown adults, we can discuss some constructive approaches to convince the general public why this is a personal freedom issue that should concern everyone. Until we can get to that point, all we do is sound like a bunch of crybaby mongers whining about their whore sites being taken down.

OO

There's little... no, actually, there's nothing we can do to convince the general public, AKA the sheeple, that this is a personal freedom issue that affects even them. They will continue to sleepwalk until all their freedoms are gone, because the gubmint will tell them that they are protecting children and that anyone who objects is probably guilty of dastardly deeds themselves.

This is just a wake-up call to all complacent mongers who have become accustomed to casually discussing illegal activities on sites with virtually no guarantee of privacy or anonymity, after years of getting away with it, thanks to LE's slow adaption to technology. As many have said, the hobby will never die, because it's dictated by human nature. Every move by the cat (them) is met with another by the mouse (us), and so it goes. Like pushing mercury around. It ain't going away, it's just going somewhere else. Well, fellas, we're the mercury, and it's time to start packing.

[astroslide]

One must use encryption for all devices and drives including micro SD cards. Use burner phones. Don't use your home internet for anything monger related.
Encrypt all your external hard drives and usb sticks, etc. Use TOR browser.

However, this hobby requires one's physical presence. One may get caught in a dragnet during a session and that's the big risk.

[Drukpa Kunley]

from LE officials in news media interviews:

Police and prosecutors have begun to focus on prostitution “hobbyists” and targeting the operators of online review boards.

"Prostitution review websites are a prolific corner of the illicit online sex trade. Websites like the TnA Board and The Erotic Review."

“We are charging people who put the content on the review website with a felony charge of promoting prostitution.”

“Men go on the website, and they post reviews, and they share information. It goes beyond just writing a review. They give their recommendations."

Felony charges against people who are simply posting reviews on a website has never been attempted before in the United States.

"For us, it is part of a philosophy of focusing on the demand side of the prostitution industry, targeting the users instead of the suppliers."

"The main focus for us is on dismantling these website networks of online buyers who are creating this vociferous demand for exploited women."

[Drukpa Kunley]

Nightshift has closed down

TER removed all U.S. escort ads

Cityvibe is gone

Craigslist removed the dating section

Eros is banning some providers using VPN.
they're closing down some accounts.

Google drive is deleting explicit content

Microsoft is changing its terms of service

attached is today’s update for many sites

[Drukpa Kunley]

Nightshift statement is attached or read it here

https://www.nightshift.co

[Drukpa Kunley]

Hours After FOSTA Passed, Reddit Banned 'Escorts' and 'SugarDaddy' Communities

attached is a notice from Reddit

[Drukpa Kunley]

Microsoft bans 'offensive language' and 'inappropriate content' from Skype, Xbox, Office and other services, claiming it has the right to go through your private data to 'investigate.' Skype can record and review your calls. Nudity appearing on Skype calls will get the provider and you banned. The ban hammer could also fall on you if Cortana is listening at the wrong moment or if documents and files hosted on Microsoft services violate Microsoft’s amended terms of service.

Reports of Twitter shadowbanning provider's accounts.

Google Drive has frozen and is locking out provider's access to their videos, images, and files.

[Thrasymedes]

Check out this article on the funding for the war on hobbyists:

https://theintercept.com/2018/03/24/demand-abolition-sex-work-nonprofit-prosecutors-king-county/

The sound of jack boots goose stepping across the U.S. get louder, and louder.

from LE officials in news media interviews:

Police and prosecutors have begun to focus on prostitution “hobbyists” and targeting the operators of online review boards.

"Prostitution review websites are a prolific corner of the illicit online sex trade. Websites like the TnA Board and The Erotic Review."

“We are charging people who put the content on the review website with a felony charge of promoting prostitution.”

“Men go on the website, and they post reviews, and they share information. It goes beyond just writing a review. They give their recommendations."

Felony charges against people who are simply posting reviews on a website has never been attempted before in the United States.

"For us, it is part of a philosophy of focusing on the demand side of the prostitution industry, targeting the users instead of the suppliers."

"The main focus for us is on dismantling these website networks of online buyers who are creating this vociferous demand for exploited women."

[marsean]

Check out this article on the funding for the war on hobbyists:

https://theintercept.com/2018/03/24/demand-abolition-sex-work-nonprofit-prosecutors-king-county/

The sound of jack boots goose stepping across the U.S. get louder, and louder.



From the article from the Interecept.com contributed by Thrasymedes:

“The story of how King County prosecutors may have crossed a professional line can be traced back to the fierce determination of one woman: Texas oil heiress Swanee Hunt. The heiress — who still refers to herself as Ambassador Hunt on her personal website, owing to the four years she spent as ambassador to Austria under the Clinton administration — became convinced that the only way to end the sexual exploitation of women and underage youth was to end the demand for prostitution. Under the umbrella of her nonprofit, Hunt Alternatives, which is generously endowed with millions of dollars from Hunt herself and other smaller donors, Hunt established Demand Abolition.”

I wonder if Daddy had his way with Swanee or is she perhaps one of those rare birds who cannot seem to ever experience a Big “O”?

What the heck is the driving force behind her thought process?

Emasculation of men stemming from the way she was treated at a young age? Who knows, who cares?

Just keep in mind all the info pouring out that fills in the “background gap” of this process as we move to the future.


So, a couple of things. For there to be no demand for “exploitation” or “prostitution” means that there will be no sex anymore or that women won’t be allowed to expect to use their assets as a means for any support or source of income?

The first one is not likely as it closes off procreation.

The second goes totally against human nature!

So that would mean, as alternative, legal behavior and legal allowed conduct:

1. that there would be mandatory free sex on demand, ignoring any value assessed to it?

Somehow that seems to devalue personal space, freedom and individual rights and where is the protection for a multitude of personal issues and choices? Or that:

2. that getting married would stop a woman’s ability to bargain for benefits by use of her sex?

I’m all for it but not only would this cause a whole Rethink for Women, but for Men too.

Somehow I do not think this will ever happen, regardless of the persistence of Swanee Hunt.

Somehow I do not think that is what Swanee Hunt had in mind when she got behind her movement.

Maybe however, her movement was also behind this action that congress has taken?


From erstwhile sexpert Drukpa Kunley:

“Felony charges against people who are simply posting reviews on a website has never been attempted before in the United States.” Thank goodness for small favors.


It’s good to think these things through and get more comments.