FOSTA
Politicians Aim to Study Effects of FOSTA-SESTA on Sex Workers
In an encouraging sign for sex workers, California State Representative Ro Khanna and U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts have reintroduced the SAFE SEX Workers Study Act, which aims to study the effects of FOSTA-SESTA.
Missouri Republican Behind FOSTA-SESTA Renews Attack on OnlyFans
Rep. Ann Wagner, the Missouri Republican legislator who was the original architect of FOSTA-SESTA, has renewed her call for federal action against OnlyFans.
Jury Reaches Mixed Verdict in Backpage Owner, Execs Trial
The jury in the federal retrial in Arizona of former Backpage.com owner Mike Lacey and some of the company’s executives reached a verdict Thursday, finding Lacey guilty on one count of international concealment money laundering.
Court Rules Against Woodhull in FOSTA Appeal
The District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday upheld the district court’s judgment against the Woodhull Freedom Foundation in its four-year legal battle to have FOSTA-SESTA declared unconstitutional, and rejected the strict scrutiny challenge proposed by free speech advocates.
EFF Podcast Explores How 'Safer Sex Work Makes a Safer Internet'
Electronic Frontier Foundation today released a new episode of its podcast “How to Fix the Internet,” titled “Safer Sex Work Makes a Safer Internet” and devoted to sex worker rights online.
Appeals Court Hears Arguments in FOSTA-SESTA Challenge
A federal appeals panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit heard arguments yesterday in the Woodhull Freedom Foundation’s four-year legal battle to have FOSTA-SESTA declared unconstitutional.
Woodhull Files New Reply Brief Challenging FOSTA
Woodhull Freedom Foundation has filed a reply brief with the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, the latest action in the organization's four-year legal battle to have FOSTA-SESTA declared unconstitutional.
Criminal Conviction Under FOSTA Triggers Adult Industry Worries
Wilhan Martono, a San Francisco-area man who owned the adult classified ads website CityXGuide, pleaded guilty and was sentenced by a Texas court on Monday to more than eight years in prison for violating FOSTA-SESTA, with a 60-month concurrent sentence for conspiracy to violate the Travel Act.
9th Circuit Panel Denies Double-Jeopardy Dismissal in Backpage.com Case
A three-judge Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals panel has upheld a lower court's denial to dismiss the case against the former owners of Backpage.com.
Woodhull Files New Brief Challenging Constitutionality of FOSTA-SESTA
Woodhull Freedom Foundation has filed an appellate brief with the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, the latest action in the organization's four-year legal battle to have FOSTA-SESTA declared unconstitutional.
Art News Site 'Hyperallergic' Tackles Instagram Censorship Over Bogus 'Sexual Solicitation'
Prominent art news site Hyperallergic has published an essay targeting Instagram's controversial practice of censoring sexual content by inaccurately labeling posts as “sexual solicitation.”
Woodhull Files Appeal in FOSTA-SESTA Challenge Suit
The Woodhull Freedom Foundation has filed an appeal in its suit challenging the constitutionality of FOSTA-SESTA.
DC Court Upholds FOSTA-SESTA, Rejects Free-Speech Challenge
The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia rejected a legal challenge to FOSTA-SESTA presented by First Amendment and free speech advocates, ruling that the U.S. government can continue enforcing the controversial legislation.
Digital Rights Activist Evan Greer Pens Op-Ed on 'Big Tech' Reform, Sex Worker Rights
Digital rights activist Evan Greer, deputy director for tech advocacy group Fight for the Future, has penned an op-ed for the Daily Beast arguing that politicians aiming to “fix Big Tech” should stop ignoring sex workers.
Democrats Introduce 'SAFE SEX Workers Study Act' to Review FOSTA-SESTA Effects
Last week, several Democratic members of Congress sponsored legislation, both in the Senate and the House, aimed at investigating the effectiveness of FOSTA-SESTA in its purported mission of fighting human trafficking.
Industry Attorney Stephan Ferris to Lead Queer-Focused FOSTA-SESTA Webinar
Adult industry attorney Stephan Ferris (aka performer Blue Bailey) is hosting a free webinar titled "F*ck Your Community Standards! SESTA-FOSTA, Social Media & Adult Content Online" Wednesday, August 4, at 7:30 p.m. (PDT).
Sen. Klobuchar Introduces First Major Section 230 Carve-Out Since FOSTA-SESTA
A new Section 230-eroding bill, the “Health Misinformation Act” (HMA), was introduced yesterday by Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) to create liability for platforms that allow third-party content that is deemed to spread “misinformation” about an “existing public health emergency.”
Texas Supreme Court Denies Section 230 Protection for Third-Party Content, Citing FOSTA/SESTAA
n a stunning 33-page decision, the Texas Supreme Court denied Facebook’s liability immunity for third party content based on Section 230 — the so-called “First Amendment of the internet" — with the majority opinion quoting FOSTA/SESTA to state that Section 230 “was never intended to provide legal protection to websites that facilitate traffickers in advertising the sale of unlawful sex acts with sex trafficking victims.”
Federal Oversight Office's Report Highlights FOSTA/SESTA's Failure
The Government Accountability Office (GAO), a top federal oversight body, released a report on Monday evaluating the effectivity of FOSTA/SESTA since its April 2018 implementation.
Texas Supreme Court Justice Probes Section 230 Immunity After FOSTA-SESTA
A Texas Supreme Court Justice questioned long-standing interpretations of Section 230 liability protections this week, while hearing a case that deliberately tests the exception to the so called “First Amendment of the internet” that was carved out by FOSTA-SESTA for alleged instances of human trafficking.