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Stamping Out Online Sex Trafficking May Have Pushed It Underground

nytimes.com

11–20 of 361 posts

Re: Stamping Out Online Sex Trafficking May Have Pushed It Underground

#11
post #4

What is sad is that there are a lot of real-size social experiments in various countries that have a variety of legislation and situation and a ton of literature to guide policy there. I have (like everybody) some opinions on how sex should work and what limits paid sex should have. I'll just say that: My preferences are totally irrelevant and should be dismissed if they have any chance of increasing human traffickin…

Then put everyone under 24 hour surveillance. That is the only logical choice given your goals. If you allow someone any amount of freedom, you can't be sure they won't used it this try and enslave someone else.

Re: Stamping Out Online Sex Trafficking May Have Pushed It Underground

#12
post #10

Noooooo! When I ehard about backpage being shut down because it was the biggest place for child sex trafficking, I said it was the dumbest move they could make. You have a website with the vast majority of illegal sex traffickers COMING TO YOU, and you close it? Why? Make BP a deal, give the FBI an office to scan everything so they can go after child sex traffickers, and you can stay open. We'd have arrested thousand…

If I recall correctly, the owners of Backpage we're charged with taking money and working with the traffickers. It may not have been a matter of Backpage accidentally being an exploited market place.

I suspect that changed their willingness to host agents within their walls.

Re: Stamping Out Online Sex Trafficking May Have Pushed It Underground

#13
post #10

Noooooo! When I ehard about backpage being shut down because it was the biggest place for child sex trafficking, I said it was the dumbest move they could make. You have a website with the vast majority of illegal sex traffickers COMING TO YOU, and you close it? Why? Make BP a deal, give the FBI an office to scan everything so they can go after child sex traffickers, and you can stay open. We'd have arrested thousand…

Backpage was never popular for child sex trafficking. These are all lies told by various levels of the US government.

Source:

https://reason.com/2019/08/26/secret-memos-show-the-governme...

Re: Stamping Out Online Sex Trafficking May Have Pushed It Underground

#14
post #4

What is sad is that there are a lot of real-size social experiments in various countries that have a variety of legislation and situation and a ton of literature to guide policy there. I have (like everybody) some opinions on how sex should work and what limits paid sex should have. I'll just say that: My preferences are totally irrelevant and should be dismissed if they have any chance of increasing human traffickin…

Then put everyone under 24 hour surveillance. That is the only logical choice given your goals. If you allow someone any amount of freedom, you can't be sure they won't used it this try and enslave someone else.

Balancing between freedom and safety is one thing.

But if we have a bill that chips away from freedoms guaranteed by section 230, and it also doesn't make the people it's trying to help any safer...

can't we agree that bill in specific should get thrown out? This isn't a problem of balancing freedom with protecting sex workers. This bill makes the Internet less free and makes sex workers less safe. Everyone loses with this bill, except a few Congresspeople who get to look good for cameras.

Re: Stamping Out Online Sex Trafficking May Have Pushed It Underground

#15
I prefer Germany, Austria and Switzerland's model.

Its not a panacea in preventing trafficking but for the workers that want to be there it doesn't criminalize them, and the market for establishments are pretty competitive and great for patrons. Game of Thrones can't even compare, while many tourists corral themselves over to one street in Amsterdam due to its marketing campaign even though there are whole countries that are way more awesome.

The std testing is the most attractive part of these systems. "Tolerant" and "Decriminalized" places do not have the capability of offering that. Let alone everywhere that outrights criminalizes workers and/or Johns.

I think the population health should be a prong that is weighed heavier. Regulated systems do that. If there is any coercion of the sex workers then spend resources enforcing that and providing avenues just like anybody else in a domestic abuse relationship.

Re: Stamping Out Online Sex Trafficking May Have Pushed It Underground

#16
post #10

Noooooo! When I ehard about backpage being shut down because it was the biggest place for child sex trafficking, I said it was the dumbest move they could make. You have a website with the vast majority of illegal sex traffickers COMING TO YOU, and you close it? Why? Make BP a deal, give the FBI an office to scan everything so they can go after child sex traffickers, and you can stay open. We'd have arrested thousand…

If I recall correctly, the owners of Backpage we're charged with taking money and working with the traffickers. It may not have been a matter of Backpage accidentally being an exploited market place. I suspect that changed their willingness to host agents within their walls.

Coverage of the case is here: https://frontpageconfidential.com/category/backpage/

The fed's argument is that there was so much illegal prostitution activity on Backpage that the owners must have been supporting it. The defense is currently occupied with getting access to the servers, presumably to show that the frequency of illegal postings was small compared to the rest of the site and that all reported postings were acted on immediately.

Re: Stamping Out Online Sex Trafficking May Have Pushed It Underground

#17
There is a debate as to whether or not legalizing prostitution exacerbates sex slavery by creating a market for prostitution that willing market participants are unable to fill. This author[1] points out that studies on this question use the term "sex trafficking" which can mean either illegal immigration of willing sex workers or sex slavery. That distinction seems important, but is often not clarified by investigators.

I think this issue is vexing because there are so many groups with different compelling reasons to favor or oppose prohibition. The below list is obviously a gross over-simplification, but I think it captures the largest forces in the debate.

FOR: Men. Men would benefit from legalization in the obvious way.

AGAINST: Women. Women stand to lose if their partners are tempted by legal prostitution.

FOR: Sex workers. Sex workers would benefit in the obvious way.

AGAINST: Religious groups. They lost the battle against pornography, but they're winning this one.

AGAINST: Feminists. Not all feminists, but many feminists believe sex work is exploitation by definition. [2]

Each group has powerful motivations completely independent from the effect of legalization on sex slavery.

1. https://www.forbes.com/sites/timworstall/2013/06/15/legal-pr...

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feminist_views_on_prostitution

Re: Stamping Out Online Sex Trafficking May Have Pushed It Underground

#19
As someone who spent over a decade in the adult industry BackPage was extremely responsible. They had a staff of 70 people dedicated to reporting suspicious ads to police. They were the #1 source of trafficking tips.

Another socially responsible escort ad site was owned by a woman (former sex worker) and was forced to sell to a very shady eastern european gentlemen who is referred to as the trafficking king of europe. She sold because she didn’t want to go to jail.

Re: Stamping Out Online Sex Trafficking May Have Pushed It Underground

#20

I prefer Germany, Austria and Switzerland's model. Its not a panacea in preventing trafficking but for the workers that want to be there it doesn't criminalize them, and the market for establishments are pretty competitive and great for patrons. Game of Thrones can't even compare, while many tourists corral themselves over to one street in Amsterdam due to its marketing campaign even though there are whole countries…

As far as I know the problem here in Germany is legalization.

They could simply have decriminalized prostitution and leave procuration illegal, but no, they had to throw around with laws to make the live of sex-workers harder.

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