by MOLLY SIMMONS
Tumblr was launched in 2017. The first “micro-blogging” site, it allowed users to publish written texts, pictures, videos, and gifs, as well as reblog or share content that other creators had made. The site became home to countless digital communities and became a safe space for sex workers of all kinds: content creators, porn performers, strippers and escorts.
Sex workers could post their content, links to other creator profiles, accept tips, and direct potential clients to websites, ad sites, or directly post their contact information. It all changed in 2018, less than a year after the passing of SESTA/FOSTA (Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act/Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act). These bills were designed to curb the threat of child sex trafficking through the Internet. In reality, these bills only succeeded in robbing sex workers of viable ad platforms and social networks, restricting Internet freedom and opening a gateway for vital Internet privacy protections for everyone to be stripped away. Four years later came the Earn It Act. This bill was a further attack on Internet privacy, encryption, and rights under the guise of protecting children against human sex trafficking.
