CHATSWORTH, Calif.—United Nations Special Rapporteurs Reem Alsalem and Ana Brian Nougrères co-authored a press release published Friday by the organization's Human Rights division calling for the criminal prosecution of Pornhub parent company Aylo and the mandating of "third-party age and consent verification for all user-generated pornography sites," among other heavy-handed actions.
In response, adult industry trade group the Free Speech Coalition (FSC) issued a strongly worded rebuke saying it is "appalled" by the rapporteurs' press statement and calling it "as disingenuous as it is ignorant."
The FSC's full reponse follows:
Late last week, two United Nations volunteers (known as Special Rapporteurs) issued a press release calling for the prosecution of adult platforms that allow user-generated content. They accuse adult platforms, without evidence, of human rights violations and complicity in criminal activity. The authors, Reem Alsalem and Ana Brian Nougrères, claim – despite clear and overwhelming evidence to the contrary – that adult platforms do not verify age or consent of the content creators who upload or publish there.
The statement is as disingenuous as it is ignorant. Unlike social media platforms or messaging services, adult platforms such as Aylo – which was accused by name in the press release – extensively verify age and consent of those appearing on their sites. Adult companies have led the online tech sector in the fight against exploitation, developing best-in-class tools for identifying, blocking and reporting illegal content. The attack on adult platforms is ideological, not factual.
In a previous report, Ms. Alsalem called for both production and possession of explicit content to criminalized, calling it “torture” and a violation of human dignity. Explicitly disregarding direct requests by sex workers for respect and dignity, she called the difference between sex work and trafficking “artificial” and insisted on using the term "prostituted women" to describe them.
Perhaps that explains why Ms. Alsalem and Ms. Nougrères’s statement focuses entirely on adult industry platforms such as Aylo rather than the mainstream social networks where the vast majority of non-consensual intimate images (NCII), child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and other illegal content is actually uploaded and distributed. This isn’t an honest effort to protect victims, it’s a pretext for punishing the legal, regulated industry that facilitates the autonomy and prosperity sex workers.
Unfortunately, as we’ve seen time and again, attacks on lawful adult platforms lead to more dangerous conditions for sex workers. Sex workers are not served by policies that deny them agency, deny them income and deny them dignity. The fight against illegal and non-consensual content can only be won by recognizing the right of sex workers to engage in legal, consensual labor.
We’re appalled that the United Nations continues to platform and advance paternalist, pro-censorship policies that disenfranchise and imperil the lives of sex workers under the guise of fighting exploitation. FSC will continue to fight for policies grounded in evidence, dignity, and the actual voices of sex workers.
