Corporations Making Changes: 2020 Victories to Celebrate
February 9, 2021 is the global observance of Safer Internet Day. Safer Internet Day focuses on the idea that everyone plays an important role in making the internet better. To protect children online, and create a space where all are free from the harms of sexual abuse and exploitation, we all—families, corporations, governments—play an important…
Twitter Profited from Sex Trafficking of Young Boy via Child Sexual Abuse Material
When John Doe was only 13 years old, a tragic series of events unfolded that he was powerless to stop and Twitter made money off his most traumatic moments. It is on behalf of John Doe and countless other survivors like him that the National Center on Sexual Exploitation Law Center—along with The Haba Law…
Accusations Against John Weaver a Reminder of the Sexual Exploitation Faced by Boys and Men
The accusations of sexual harassment—including allegations which appear to describe the grooming of a teenage boy—leveled against John Weaver, co-founder of The Lincoln Project, represent yet another tragic reminder of a reality which has long gone underreported even as far too many people have lived it: 1) sexual abuse and exploitation are perpetrated in all…
VICTORY: TikTok’s New Privacy and Safety Features for Children
In January 2021, TikTok announced several enhanced privacy and safety settings for minors, making it more difficult for children to be groomed, sexually exploited, or abused through this extremely popular platform. TikTok’s announcement states “As young people start their digital journey, we believe it’s important to provide them with age-appropriate privacy settings and controls.” We couldn’t agree more. Since the…
How to Protect and Empower Kids Online: An Interview with Wired Human
In a world increasingly ruled by technology and instant information, it can be tempting to move toward progress and enjoy the benefits without stopping to think how it affects one of our most vulnerable populations: children. In their new book, The Glass Between Us, authors Jason and Lisa Frost of Wired Human put children and…
Rose Kalemba and Pornhub: How MindGeek Exploited the Sexual Assault of a 14-Year-Old
At the age of 14, Rose Kalemba was beaten, stabbed and raped while her attackers filmed the entire harrowing experience. The videos of her violent rape were then uploaded to Pornhub, one of the world’s largest pornography “tube” sites which is owned by MindGeek, where Rose’s assault was immortalized for the millions of viewers the…
Millions of abuse videos removed in hours! NCOSE named as major reason.
BREAKING: Pornhub has removed at least 10.6 million abuse videos and counting as of December 14, 2020. MindGeek is also saying that they plan to do the same across all of their related websites. This is another major win in our fight towards a world free from sexual abuse and exploitation. Take a moment to…
Pornhub Falling: Visa and Mastercard Cut Ties with MindGeek’s Cash Cow
With Visa and Mastercard’s closely-spaced announcements about cutting ties with Pornhub (Visa’s technically only committed to suspending payment processing for Pornhub pending an outcome in Visa’s own investigation) on December 10, 2020, the façade of impunity surrounding MindGeek’s internationally known and inherently exploitative cash cow has begun crumbling in earnest. Visa and Mastercard have made…
No, Pornhub Cannot Be Improved or Reformed
Pornhub has announced so-called improvements in the wake of its criminal nature being further exposed by Nicholas Kristof in his blistering piece for the New York Times entitled “The Children of Pornhub” which pulled the curtain back on Pornhub’s profiteering from child sexual abuse material. The announced updates from the MindGeek-owned “porn tube site” would…
PROGRESS! Instagram Takes Step Forward via Improved Reporting and Direct Message Tools
Instagram has made significant improvements to address the sexual exploitation and abuse that occur on its platform. The National Center on Sexual Exploitation has been communicating and working with Instagram for over a year. We are grateful to report regular positive developments from this collaboration following meetings with an international campaign led by Australian Collective…