War on Sex Work
FSC Meets With Congress Over Banking Discrimination
FSC staff this week met with key House and Senate offices in a series of meetings discussing banking discrimination against the adult industry.
Instagram Launches New Tool Notifying Users Who Have Been Shadow-Banned
In a move away from Meta’s longtime policy of denying the existence of "shadow bans," Instagram has launched a new tool to let users know if their posts are “barred from being recommended to other users.”
TikTok Sex Censorship Results in Rise of Euphemistic 'Algospeak'
Online trend watchers have been flagging a noticeable rise in the use of “algospeak,” euphemistic terms used to avoid sex-related censorship on popular platforms like TikTok and Instagram.
Elon Musk Announces New Shadow-Banning Policy for Twitter
Twitter owner Elon Musk this morning announced an official shadow-banning policy, aimed at limiting the visibility and profitability of what he termed “negative/hate tweets.”
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.
The Daily Dot Surveys New Efforts to Include Sex Worker Voices in Academia
A Daily Dot article out today highlights the movement to make sure academic research on sex work reflects the voices and experiences of actual sex workers, a goal of which mainstream academia has historically fallen short.
OnlyFans Creator Titus Low Jailed in Singapore for Obscenity
Titus Low, one of Singapore’s top OnlyFans creators, has been sentenced to a prison term and fined for violating the country’s draconian laws against “obscenity.”
Canadian Sex Workers Challenge Constitutionality of 'Nordic Model' Law
A coalition of sex workers and sex work advocacy groups is fighting in an Ontario court to have an anti-sex-work law repealed in Canada.
Pornhub, Adult Content Creators Confront Instagram Over Discriminatory Practices
Led by Pornhub, a group of adult content creators, companies, organizations and sex workers have co-signed an open letter to Mark Zuckerberg, Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri and other Meta staffers, condemning what the signers label as Instagram's discriminatory moderation practices.
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.
APAG's Alana Evans Pens Daily Beast Op-Ed on Financial Discrimination
APAG President Alana Evans has penned an opinion piece for the Daily Beast, outlining the details of a recent instance of alleged financial discrimination that Evans says she and other sex workers suffered at the hands of Wells Fargo.
Lawsuit Sponsored by Anti-Porn Lobby Aims to Shut Down Las Vegas' Sapphire Club
Religiously motivated anti-porn and anti-sex-work lobby NCOSE has filed a lawsuit aiming to shut down one of Las Vegas’ premier strip clubs, Sapphire Las Vegas.
UK Activist to Fellow Radical Feminists: 'Less TERF, More SWERF'
U.K. lawyer, activist and cultural commentator Charlotte Proudman penned an opinion piece for The Independent newspaper today, urging fellow radical feminists to disavow transphobia and instead renew the campaign against “pornography,” following the lead of SWERF icons Catharine MacKinnon and Andrea Dworkin.
Former Adult Performer Awarded $1.7M in Discrimination Lawsuit
An Oregon jury has awarded more than $1.7 million to Nicole Gililland, a former nursing student who sued her school for discriminating against her because of her adult performer past.
Spain's Adult Creators Issue Manifesto Against Censorship Proposal
A group of leading Spanish and Spain-based independent adult content producers has released a manifesto urging action against the total censorship of adult content proposed by the governing PSOE as part of its new anti-sex-work legislation.
9th Circuit Sets New Date for Backpage.com Appeal
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals this week scheduled for September 2 oral arguments regarding a lower court’s refusal to dismiss the Backpage.com case, following the notorious 2021 mistrial declared by an Arizona judge.
Spanish Legislators Move Forward With Proposal to Re-Criminalize All Sex Work
Spain's Congress of Deputies moved forward Tuesday with a proposed new law backed by the ruling party, aiming to “prohibit pimping in all its forms” with the final aim to “abolish prostitution.”
Spanish Politicians Try to Outlaw Consensual Sex Work, Including Porn
Spanish sex workers and adult industry figures are sounding the alarm about a proposed new law, supported by politicians from both the ruling and opposition parties, aiming to outlaw all forms of paid sex work — including commercial pornography.
The Atlantic Explores Social Media 'Shadowbanning'
The Atlantic has published an article analyzing the phenomenon of “shadowbanning," including its deployment against sex workers by social media platforms, labeling the practice “Big Tech’s big problem.”
Sweden Threatens 'Mandatory Jail' for Clients of Sex Workers
The European Sex Worker Alliance (ESWA) is circulating a petition in solidarity with Swedish sex worker activists fighting a politically motivated attempt to require mandatory jail time for their clients.