New Senate Bill Would Let Sex Trafficking And Revenge Porn Victims Sue Websites Like Pornhub

A group of bipartisan senators led by Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) introduced a bill Wednesday that would give victims of crimes like revenge porn, sex trafficking and sexual assault the option to sue websites like Pornhub in civil court for hosting illegal content depicting them, the latest ramification for the adult entertainment giant after the New York Times reported the site hosted and profited from footage of child abuse and sexual assault.

KEY FACTS

• Hawley first signaled his intention to introduce what would later become the Survivors of Human Trafficking Fight Back Act of 2020 last week, after the New York Times ran a scathing column featuring testimony from underage girls and trafficking victims who said they struggled to have videos they did not consent to removed from Pornhub.
• If passed, the bill would criminalize knowingly hosting or distributing images that depict forced or coerced sex acts and footage shared without participants’ permission, and allow victims to sue websites that do.
• It would also require websites to have procedures to flag and take down any illegal content, ensuring that victims “can promptly have their images removed from the internet.”
• After public outcry and pressure from credit card companies, Pornhub announced Tuesday it would pursue significant operational changes to its platform, including allowing only verified users to post content, banning downloads and doubling down on their moderation efforts.
• “If true, then Pornhub has nothing to fear from my legislation allowing victims of fraud, coercion, and sex abuse to sue them,” Hawley tweeted in response to Pornhub’s announcement.

To read the full story by Carlie Porterfield on Forbes: Click Here

Category: US Government