Mike Lee's App Store Accountability Act Would Make Google and Apple Check IDs
Lee says this is about "sexual and violent content." It goes far beyond that.
Trump Is Coming for Tech Companies
It looks like we can expect the antitrust assaults to continue.
North Carolina Goes Drug War on Prostitution
Plus: Idaho's "abortion trafficking" law can mostly take effect; updates on state age verification suits; the threat the Florida and Texas social media laws pose to X
Belgian Sex Workers Gain Access to Paid Leave, Right To Refuse Sex Acts
Belgian sex work groups are cheering the new law. But it could come with some downsides.
Traffic Cops Who Snooped Sexy Selfies Face Federal Charges
David McKnight and Julian Alcala were accused of separate plots to steal sexually explicit photos from women's phones during traffic stops.
Backpage Founder Michael Lacey Released on Bail
Lacey can await the resolution of his appeal outside of prison.
Canada Considers Constitutionality of Sex Work Laws
A Canadian Supreme Court case challenges the country's ban on benefiting financially from sex work.
Texas Bill Takes Aim at Online Speech About Abortion Pills
Abortion battles are becoming tech policy battles.
Texas Cops Fired for 'Inappropriate' Sexual Contact With Massage Workers
As a result of the internal affairs investigation, three Lewisville officers were fired, one was demoted, and seven were suspended without pay.
Apple Makes It More Difficult for Crooks and Cops To Look at Your Phone
A new "inactivity reboot" protects data from thieves and helps preserve due process.
Arizonans Approve Life in Prison for Sex Trafficking a Minor
This isn't a policy that corrects for injustice but one that increases it.
A Bad Election for Sex and for Tech
No matter who wins, we can expect bad policies surrounding sex and especially surrounding technology.
'Let Parents Decide' What Kids Can Do Online, Argue Tech Groups in New Lawsuit
The groups are challenging a Florida law that bans some teens from social media.
Biden and Harris Propose 'Free' Condoms Covered by Insurance Companies
The proposal "could result in higher costs to consumers," the government acknowledges.
What Everyone Gets Wrong About Sex Trafficking Laws
An interview with sex work researcher Tara Burns.
Watch Now: Classified: The War on Backpage.com
Reason's new documentary is now streaming on the video platform CiVL. I hope you'll watch.
Hillary Clinton Wants To Repeal Section 230
Her comments are a reminder that this free-speech protection is far from safe.
Minnesota 'Acting as a Ministry of Truth' With Anti-Deep Fake Law, Says Lawsuit
The broad ban on AI-generated political content is clearly an affront to the First Amendment.
Congress Passes Bill Backing 'Self-Care' for People Pursuing Prostitution Stings
The IMPACTT Human Trafficking Act would provide outreach and training to Homeland Security Investigations staff.
A History of Harris Positions on Sex Work
Harris' campaign hasn't said where she stands now. But she's historically taken a tough stance against prostitution and especially against men who pay for it.
Seattle's 'Stay Out' Zones Will Curb Civil Liberties, Not Crime
The city plans to ban people accused of some drug and prostitution crimes from visiting designated areas.
In Massachusetts, Sex Workers Get Charged and Clients Get Set Free
This flies in the face of one popular narrative.
On Abortion, Harris and Trump Were Both Right and Both Infuriatingly Wrong
Each candidate made some good points about reproductive freedom and each told some major whoppers.
Google Goes On Trial (Again) Today
Democrats' aggressive antitrust agenda threatens to upend Google's ad tech business—and make U.S. markets less free.
Feds Seek 20-Year Sentence for Backpage Co-Founder Michael Lacey
It's an insane ask for someone convicted of just one nonviolent offense.
Age Check Laws Are a 'Back Door' to Banning Porn, Project 2025 Architect Says in Hidden Camera Video
"We'd have a national ban on pornography if we could, right?"
Emergency Contraception Fills in Massachusetts Spiked After This Policy Change
Making emergency contraception easier to get leads to more people getting emergency contraception. Who would've guessed?
At State Legislatures Summit, Groups Lobby for Changes to Sex Work Laws
"The conversations are overwhelmingly productive and positive," says a representative from Decriminalize Sex Work.
Federal Court Rules That Google Illegally Maintained a Monopoly
Google is "the best," the court says. But being on top is dangerous.
Prostitution Surveillance Tower Goes Up in San Diego
Warrantless surveillance, Comic Con "sex trafficking," and the persistence of trafficking myths
Elon Musk's 'Election Interference'
We're entering peak stupidity with "election interference" claims.
KOSA Moves Forward in Congress, Threatening Free Speech and Encryption
Only Sens. Paul and Wyden are expected to vote "no" on Tuesday. Power to stop KOSA now resides with the House.
Senate To Vote on Web Censorship Bill Disguised as Kids Safety
The Kids Online Safety Act would have cataclysmic effects on free speech and privacy online.
'Project Rescue Children' Exposed as Latest in Series of Human-Trafficking Hoaxes
The group reportedly faked rescue stories—including one involving a baby saved from traffickers—and lied about where funds were going.
Why the New Republican Platform Is Moderate on Abortion
The party platform previously called for a constitutional amendment to protect unborn children. Now, it says abortion should be left to the states.
FTC Opens a Backdoor Route to Age Verification on Social Media
In a "novel" order concerning the app NGL, the agency takes aim at online anonymity and at minors on social media.
California Democrats 'Water Down' Sex Trafficking Bill. Good.
The original version was overly punitive.
Judges Block Indiana and Mississippi Age Verification Laws for Porn, Social Media
And the Supreme Court agrees to weigh in.
Social Media Moderation Is Speech, Says Supreme Court
The Court is remanding these two cases for more analysis—but it made its views on some key issues clear.
Dobbs Recentered Women in the Abortion Debate
Two years after the Dobbs decision, Americans are increasingly concerned with how abortion bans affect women with wanted pregnancies.
Judge Tosses Biometric Data Suit Against X
X's child porn detection system doesn’t violate an Illinois biometric privacy law, the judge ruled.
Parents, Not Lax Regulation, To Blame for Tweens' Excessive Screen Time
We need parents with better phone habits, not more government regulation of social media.
The Myth of the Argentine Yoga School Sex Cult
Prosecutors say the Buenos Aires Yoga School was a sex trafficking cult, but the alleged victims say this isn't true.
'If They Can Control the Flow of Information, They Can Control You': BASEDPolitics Sues To Stop TikTok Ban
The plaintiffs hope to "help Republicans and conservatives see why this ban is inconsistent with the free speech values they say they care about."
'Right to IVF Act' Would Mandate Insurance Coverage for IVF, Surrogacy, Egg Freezing, and More
It's the contraception mandate in reverse, with no exception for religious employers.
News Publishers Try To Sic the Government on Google AI
A journalism industry trade group is asking the federal government to thwart a tech tool that could make news publishing less profitable.
Louisiana Moves To Make Abortion Pills a Controlled Substance
The war on drugs meets abortion...
