Section 230: Sex Workers, Advocates Warn Against Sen. Warner's SAFE TECH Bill

Section 230: Sex Workers, Advocates Warn Against Sen. Warner's SAFE TECH Bill

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Adult performers and other sex workers are warning against a new legislative attempt to expand on the harms to the community effected by FOSTA-SESTA by further eroding Section 230 protections.

In a piece published today by Vice’s Motherboard vertical, sex worker groups spoke out against the Safeguarding Against Fraud, Exploitation, Threats, Extremism, and Consumer Harms Act — or SAFE TECH Act.

The bill was re-introduced to the Senate in February by Democratic Senator Mark Warner (Virginia) and co-sponsored by Senators Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn).

“Supporters of the SAFE TECH Act want to further limit the scope of Section 230, making companies responsible for policing user speech on online platforms,” explains Vice’s Lauren Crosby Medlicott in the article, quoting a March interview with Warner when he was promoting the bill.

“What I don't want is to have these giant providers continue to use Section 230 as this immunity, a kind of ‘get-out-of-jail-free’ card,” Warner said.

However, Medlicott continues, “sex workers and free speech advocates warn that eliminating these liability protections means greater censorship of online platforms as companies try to reduce the risk of landing in legal trouble as a result of third-party user content.”

A Bill That Would 'Inevitably Harm' Marginalized Groups

"The SAFE TECH Act would mean I can’t afford to run my own website and will lose income from many other sites," said performer and activist Mary Moody. "It will impact any social media platforms I use for marketing.”

Other voices in the sex work community also spoke to Vice about their concerns.

Jason Kelley, a digital strategist at digital rights advocacy group Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), explained that Section 230 “underpins much of the internet, offering legal protections for companies, news organizations, creators of all stripes, political activists, nonprofits, libraries, educators, governments and regular users.”

”Without it, any online service that did continue to exist would more than likely opt for censoring more user-generated content — and that would inevitably harm marginalized groups more than others,” Kelley added.

Sex workers, Medlicott wrote, “would be one of those marginalized groups affected by SAFE TECH, and many fear that their work and safety will be compromised if the bill passes.”

SAFE TECH's Downstream Effect

Blair Hopkins, deputy director of sex worker advocacy group SWOP Behind Bars, told Vice she’s  dreading the “inevitable” Section 230 reform.

“Section 230 protects sex workers in a kind of ancillary way because it allows them to conduct their business on platforms without interruption from the platforms,” she added, expressing concern that SAFE TECH will have “a downstream effect of unintended consequences.” 

According to Medlicott, “while FOSTA was touted as a way to curb human trafficking by creating liability for platforms that facilitated trafficking, it simply didn’t work. In fact, the increased vulnerabilities of sex workers resulting from FOSTA, combined with the new difficulties police had tracking traffickers, actually meant that FOSTA increased cases of human trafficking."

To read “Sex Workers Explain Why the SAFE TECH Act Will Break the Internet,” visit Vice.com.

Main Image: Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-Va.).

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

Chaturbate Announces 2025 Music Contest Winners

Chaturbate has revealed the winners of its 2025 music competition.

2026 XBIZ Exec Awards Pre-Noms Open With Debut of New 'Impact' Honors

XBIZ is pleased to announce that the pre-nomination period for the 2026 XBIZ Exec Awards, the adult industry’s premier career honor, begins today and runs through Oct. 14.

MYM Launches New Traffic System

German creator platform MYM has launched a new traffic system for its members.

Ukrainian Content Creators on Hook for Nearly $10M in Back Taxes

Content creators in Ukraine owe the equivalent of $9.3 million in back taxes, according to the country's State Tax Service.

European Patent Office Board of Appeals Revokes EIS GmbH Patent

The European Patent Office (EPO) Board of Appeals last week ruled in favor of pleasure brand LELO in the company's ongoing dispute with Satisfyer parent company EIS GmbH.

Eroutique Relaunches Site Through YourPaysitePartner

Eroutique has relaunched its official website through YourPaysitePartner (YPP).

Update: Pornhub Will Not Block Ohio, Despite AV Law

Pornhub parent company Aylo will not block access to its websites in Ohio, despite new state age verification rules that came into effect Sept. 30.

Pineapple Support, Pornhub to Host 'ADHD-Friendly' Support Group

Pineapple Support and Pornhub are hosting a free online support group for performers with ADHD.

Judge Dismisses Some Claims in 'Children of Pornhub' Trafficking Suit

A United States district judge on Friday dismissed some but not all claims against Aylo in a long-running case involving CSAM allegations featured in the influential 2020 New York Times article “The Children of Pornhub.”

FSC Sets Key Dates, Qualifiers for December Board of Directors Election

The Free Speech Coalition (FSC) today announced key dates and qualifiers for its upcoming Board of Directors election.

Show More