As we have described elsewhere, the EARN IT Act is a proposed new U.S. law that will appoint a government censorship committee, comprised predominantly of law enforcement interests, to decide on the "best practices" that Internet companies must implement in their efforts to prevent, reduce, and respond to online child exploitation. Prevention experts have criticized the law for treating the problem of child sexual abuse as one that Internet companies are best placed to solve—when they clearly aren't.

The Act doesn't set out what the best practices that companies must follow are, although there has been a lot of speculation about what they might be; one of the most feared "best practices" is that Internet companies will be prohibited from allowing secure encryption technologies in any services that can be used by children. Ironically, this would make children themselves less secure online, and could hamper investigators by forcing more illegal activity onto dark web platforms that are beyond the reach of law enforcement.

But although we don't know in detail what Internet companies will be required to do, we do already know all of the basic techniques are out there for addressing child abuse material online. They haven't changed much over the last decade, and the EARN IT Act's censorship committee aren't going to be able to improve on them. Here is a look at what they are, and the strengths and weaknesses of each: 

* Assuming compliance with the Santa Clara Principles. 

(If you don't see a table above, you'll need to load images in your mail program.) Out of the first three techniques, which are all automated, the only one that is accurate enough to be used without human review is the use of hash filtering technology to match already-identified images of child sexual abuse.

The other technologies should only ever be used in conjunction with a process of human review. This isn't always done. For example, Pinterest uses keyword filtering to censor any search for the term "yaoi," which is a Japanese term referring to art or fiction that depicts male homosexuality. Since the term carries no added connotation that the subjects depicted are underage, there is no justification for this keyword to trigger filtering at all, and especially not without human review.

Really, the only advantage that these automated technologies have over user reporting—the fourth technique, which relies on a platform's users to directly flag content for human review—is their speed. But this isn't really an advantage. Making mistakes quickly is no better than making them slowly.

Human moderators are also inclined to place too much trust in the decisions that machines recommend them to take. This is especially problematic when it comes to artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, which use machine learning to attempt to "guess" whether content is objectionable. Such technologies are notoriously opaque; even the programmers of machine learning systems often can't explain why a machine makes a particular decision that it does. It's a frightening and dangerous limitation of the technology, that often embeds and reinforces hidden biases and stereotypes. 

And this leads into the next problem with the automated methods—they are all frustratingly opaque. Taking the "yaoi" example again, there are at least two organizations that offer lists of keywords for filtering child abuse material as a commercial service; Thorn and the Internet Watch Foundation (we believe that Pinterest uses Thorn's list). Since these lists are commercially confidential, there is no way to verify that they don't contain mistakes, nor is there any simple way to have these mistakes corrected if they do. 

Finally, the automated techniques aren't tailored towards preventing abuse, only detecting it after it is already in progress. While there is some speculation about AI technologies some day being able to interrupt an attempt at child grooming while it is in progress, for now we believe this capability to be in the realm of science fiction. (We can't know for sure, because Thorn refused us access to evaluate the experimental industry grooming detection tool.) 

User reporting isn't a perfect alternative to automated techniques—but it remains better than them in every respect except its speed. Users do still misreport images and text, but that's why clear policies and trained moderators are so important. Most Internet companies also offer transparency reports that offer a window into the content moderation process. Finally, although reporting isn't a primary prevention approach (education is much better for that), there is a greater chance of a human being being able to quickly detect an abuser's ill-intentions than a machine being able to do so.

One has to wonder why we need to go to the trouble of passing the EARN IT Act when the most effective industry best practice is the one that's already used by every major Internet platform, and by the vast majority of smaller platforms also. User reporting has always been the best tool we have to detect and eliminate child abuse content online—and it remains the best today. Tell your representative that the EARN IT Act isn't needed, by taking action today.

In our 2019 annual report, we outlined our financial goals for 2020 to make Prostasia Foundation into a sustainable organization: our aim was to raise $100,000 in grants from major donors such as philanthropic foundations, $10,000 in corporate donations, and $1,000 in recurring donations such as memberships.

The reason is simple: if we are to be effective in the national advocacy and research work that we plan to do—such as battling the EARN IT Act, uncovering new evidence about child sexual abuse prevention, and advocating for support for those who desire to avoid offending—we need to have paid, professional staff.

We're still persevering with our financial goals, and we hope to have some good news to announce soon. But it's also fair to say that the COVID-19 pandemic has been a setback for us, as it has been for many other organizations—and it has also made the situation of our dedicated volunteers more personally perilous.

Because there are so many other people in need now, our donation and membership revenue has quite frankly dried up. Our donations during the first quarter of 2020 are down by 46% against those that we received during the same period last year. And although our follower count on social media has continued to climb, our membership base has been stagnant.

Yet this is a critical moment. Online sex workers, still hurting from FOSTA, are now facing obliteration under the EARN IT Act, which will hand over control of the Internet to the government. The moral panic around pornography and sex, fueled by misleading claims about trafficking and child abuse images on major platforms, has reached fever pitch.

Nobody else is fighting our fight, to ensure that the problem of child sexual abuse is addressed by experts, rather than by sex-negative ideologues with only censorship and criminalization in their playbook. Other organizations are betting the farm on the vain hope that Internet companies can wave a technological magic wand and solve this problem—but they can't.

Even while EARN IT would place even more responsibility on Internet platforms, there remains almost no funding for the child sexual abuse prevention interventions that real experts actually recommend. As we reported on Twitter, the United States government has spent ten times as much on researching UFOs than it has ever devoted to research into child sexual abuse prevention.

This is a time for action. If Prostasia Foundation disappears, there is no other organization to take its place. No other advocacy and research organization has a mission to ensure that the elimination of child sexual abuse is achieved consistently with the highest values of the society that we would like our children to grow up in.

We know that this moment is difficult for everyone, but we are calling on you to help us if you can. Even if you can't help us directly, perhaps you know someone who can—a company or philanthropist who can recognize the wrongs that are being done in the name of protecting children, and who understands the need for a fresh approach.

We believe that the world is better off with Prostasia Foundation in it. If you agree, then please dig deep and help us to stay afloat during this difficult period while we are pushing hard for support from larger donors. You can become a member from just $5 per month, and you can give a one-off donation of any amount. Thank you for your support.

Reviewed by Meagan Ingerman

A Daughter’s Love from Pure Taboo is a surprisingly nuanced piece. Where most porn lacks a coherent thread in favor of fevered fucking, this piece weaves together themes like grooming, abuse of authority, and barely legal sex, and still “fits in” all your favorite positions. 

Written, directed, and starring Alison Rey, A Daughter’s Love takes us on a dark journey and reveals the lengths the main character will go to for her mother’s love and attention. The trailer video embedded below doesn’t contain any sex or nudity, but may be triggering for some due to its abuse themes, so watch with caution.

Spoilers Abound

The movie begins with Alison Rey being literally groomed by a mother who has also groomed her to be totally dependent. When I spoke to Alison for Prostasia’s podcast this month, she confirmed that the character’s childlike demeanor and appearance was not because she was intended to be underage, but because of the way that her mother had infantalized her. A new boyfriend for her mother is introduced and he quickly begins to encroach upon the mother-daughter relationship. 

Things take a darker turn when the 18 year old main character seduces her mother’s partner and entices him into having sex with her. The piece is revealed ultimately to be a snuff film. Discovered naked and covered in blood, Alison implores her mother, telling her they can be together without intrusion now. 

End Spoilers

A Daughter’s Love is a fantastic piece of fantasy. It truly plumbs some of the depths of human psyche, not just throwing sex at you but making you think about your own “dark” and taboo fantasies. Whether this particular piece is your cup of tea or not, it represents the freedom of expression that many are trying to stifle.

Darker fantasies are just as valid as any other fantasy and porn is a great canvas for designing healthy outlets. The beauty of porn is that it’s consensual. Actors have the option of opting out of scenes that don’t work for them, and they are often empowered to have their own scenes made, just as Alison Rey did with A Daughter’s Love. 

As a person who enjoys the “dark” and “weird”, it is oddly refreshing to see porn that could double as a horror movie. There is something compelling about A Daughter’s Love and I found it impossible to keep my eyes off Alison. The other actors might be good as well but Alison definitely steals her show and brings to life a truly creepy but terribly fascinating character...who also happens to fuck her way through half the movie.