Bipartisan Act To Stop Internet Sexual Exploitation

I typically think of Congressmen as fairly useless. Don’t get me wrong they have a very important and respectable job, it’s just that most of them don’t seem to think so. They tend to be geriatric paperweights. Overpaid, entitled balls of stupid that speak publicly from time to time and accomplish as little as possible from one decade to another. Yeah, so not my favorite people.

Every now and then one of them actually does some work and I’m pleasantly surprised to know that A. they have the brain capacity to DO work, and B. they’re actually paying attention to what’s going on in the world.

Recently two senators from different sides of the aisle came together to accomplish something, and that’s damn near a miracle these days so I had to give them props.

Sens. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) have proposed the Stop Internet Sexual Exploitation Act to crack down on sites that make money off of revenge porn and child exploitation.

Some critics have complained that the Act is written broadly and will be a burden websites and sex workers that will now have to comply with producing consent forms, checking databases for verification, and paying penalties for violations. To that I say, having on OnlyFans account is not “work”, put away your butt cheeks and get a real job. I have no pity for your hardships.

They’re worried that internet porn will disappear completely or move to foreign severs or the dark web. And I’m perfectly fine with taking that risk. Porn will never disappear completely and it already exists on the dark web, but companies have been getting away with monetizing abuse, and not responding to victims for far too long. I recently wrote an  article about Pornhub facing repercussions and having to delete millions of videos after a DECADE of complaints. It’s past time for their feet to be held to the fire.

You can read a summary of the Stop Internet Sexual Exploitation Act here. It’s very short and to the point. The full text is available here. I didn’t see a problem with any of the components in the summary except that it will require sites to have more staff on-hand to verify consent, check the database, and remove content quickly if it is requested, and will eventually require software to block re-uploads of videos that have been removed.

If this is difficult I say get out of the porn business. The porn industry is valued at an estimated $10 billion each year and had been making money off of actresses paid and unpaid alike. If this protection cuts into the profits while removing videos of rape and abuse, it’s worth taking the hit.