Further, Twitter is being used to advertise prostituted persons and sex trafficking victims for purposes of commercial sexual exploitation, often via pornographic images or webcamming. Sometimes these tweets include offers to meet in person for “escorting” services, and sometimes they ask users to follow and pay for nude images, videos, or live streaming.  

It has been documented by law enforcement that pimps and sex traffickers often either coerce trafficking or child sexual abuse victims into making such social media or advertising posts or create the posts themselves in their victim’s name. This is what was found to happen on Backpage.com—the notorious classifieds ads website that was recently shut down by the Department of Justice for knowingly facilitating sex trafficking.  

Survivors’ and other experts’ concerns about Twitter’s platform are only exacerbated with the Super Follows function. Super Follows allows people to pay a subscription fee in order to follow their favorite Tweeters and receive extra and specialized content. With little to no monitoring or regulation, the Super Follows feature more closely resembles OnlyFans, a highly problematic pornography platform that law enforcement note for child sex abuse material, sex trafficking, prostitution and host of other crimes. Not only does it create another potential space for the proliferation of child sexual abuse materials, but it provides an avenue for pimps and pedophiles to pursue their illegal behaviors behind the security of a paywall (making it even harder to access). 

Twitter is filled with pornography that supports rape myths, normalizes adult-with-teen-themed and incest-themed exploitation, and reinforces degrading racially charged sexual stereotypes. These include ads for prostitution, webcamming, and in-person encounters.  

Disturbingly, news reports, studies, and NCOSE’s own investigations show that pedophiles are actively using Twitter to share information about accessing child sexual abuse images (i.e., child pornography).  

Twitter is responsible for doing its part to curb sexual exploitation, yet the company has by default shifted responsibility to report sexually graphic tweets or accounts onto the individual user. As a result, the pornographic and prostitution-centric material on Twitter is beyond any user’s ability to avoid.  

Whether an individual is “followed” on Twitter by a pornographic account, or sees pornographic images in “trending” topics, it is virtually impossible for a regular Twitter user to avoid sexually explicit content.  

In March of 2017, Twitter began blocking several pornography-related search terms from direct searches in the “Photos” and “Videos” section of the social media platform. This is a commendable step in the right direction, although searches using the same keywords in the general search tab are not blocked and turn up reams of sexually graphic and exploitive images and videos.  

Further, in December of 2017, Twitter announced it would better enforcing its rules about abusive and hateful content. Twitter now intends to block “hateful content” as well as content that is degrading or abusive or promotes “sexist tropes” or that “reduce someone to less than human.”  

In 2019, Twitter noted that “Media depicting sexual violence and/or assault is also not permitted.” This includes non-consensually shared sexual content,  upskirting,  deepfake pornography, and more. However, a Twitter spokesperson stated “Accounts that simply post adult content either to express their sexuality or their interests will not be suspended.” Considering the fact that it’s incredibly difficult to prove that pornography was consensual, and that it’s easy to sell and monetize pornography (even sex trafficked pornography) with a thin veil of ‘self-expression,’ this is an anemic policy without any real-world effect.   

The most recent change Twitter has made (late in 2021) was a revision to their private information policy. This update is aimed at posted content that violates a person’s privacy. Twitter promises that if they are notified that a Tweet contains unauthorized private media (posted without a person’s consent), they will take action that is in line with their enforcement options. However, since it has been in place, the policy has failed to target sexual harassment because of its broad language.  

Unfortunately, Twitter’s efforts have not been enough to stem the rising flood of sexual exploitation on this platform. 

Twitter’s willful disregard of exploitive and explicit content on its platform has drawn attention in the past. For example, U.S. Congressman Chris Smith has urged that Twitter be investigated for its potential role in the sexual exploitation of women. Twitter has also raised the ire of government officials in Korea who formed a special task force against online distribution of pornography. They were especially concerned about a police investigation which caught 117 people distributing explicit sexual content via Twitter―33 of the distributors were elementary school children. Even the UK has recognized that Twitter is a purveyor of pornography and adult content. As such, Twitter must comply with their country’s age verification requirement for sites containing pornographic content.  

It is past time for Twitter to be held accountable for helping fuel the growing epidemic of child sex abuse material and sexual harassment against women, as well as the public health crisis that is pornography. The most vulnerable of our citizenry are the ones falling prey to Twitter’s inaction. It is time for Twitter to tenaciously step towards real proactive change that protects children, women, and minorities from further exploitation.