Ongoing, Inconsistent & Harmful: How the U.S. Is Failing Victims of Online Sexual Abuse
Abusive content and non-consensual sexual material can circulate indefinitely. Not enough is being done to stop it.
The U.S. legal and criminal justice systems are failing to protect individuals—mostly women—from online sexual exploitation and abuse, according to a damning new report by the human rights organization Equality Now and the Sexual Violence Prevention Association (SVPA).
Major tech platforms including the so-called “Big Five—Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta, and Microsoft—are also “slow and ineffective” when it comes to removing abusive content, the report found.
Survivors of online sexual exploitation and abuse, generally defined as any type of sexual harassment, exploitation, or abuse that takes place through screens, said in interviews with Equality Now and the SVPA that abusive content and non-consensual sexual material was often repeatedly reposted, circulating indefinitely and re-traumatizing victims again and again. Just as troubling, survivors of this type of abuse describe navigating a “confusing patchwork of federal and state laws” that makes getting access to justice and support difficult.
The report suggests that no major tech platform has so far succeeded in implementing a system that removes all abusive content. That’s a big problem, since existing legal measures typically address only the initial posting and not the ongoing harm.
The report also points to wide inconsistencies in the U.S. across the law, as well as limited federal protections, and virtually no international mechanisms for adult victims when abusive content crosses country borders.
So far, 45 states across the U.S. have updated laws to address AI-generated child sexual abuse material but the researchers write that legal protections for adults are inadequate.
Another issue, according to Anastasia Law, Equality Now’s program officer for North America, is that there are currently no U.S. federal statutes requiring that tech companies ensure user safety, never mind transparent reporting systems. As a result, survivors are being forced, she says, to “navigate outdated laws, inconsistent responses, and repeated obstacles when trying to take down abusive material or hold perpetrators accountable. Our U.S. laws, she says, have “failed to keep pace with the realities of tech-facilitated sexual abuse, and survivors are paying the price.”
Gabriella Griffith
Emma Haslett
