Prostitution Surveillance Tower Goes Up in San Diego
Warrantless surveillance, Comic Con "sex trafficking," and the persistence of trafficking myths
Human Trafficking
'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.
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.
Alabama's New Sex Trafficking Law Could Mean Life in Prison for Trafficking Victims
It's the war on drugs all over again, folks...
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Florida Lawmakers Vote To Raise Stripping Age to 21
Employing an 18- to 20-year-old at an adult venue could mean 15 years in prison, even if the young person used a fake ID.
It's Time to Retire Super Bowl 'Sex Trafficking' Stings and Myths
For sex workers and their clients, Super Bowl season can mean a higher chance of getting nabbed by cops.
He Was Charged With Human Trafficking for Driving His Wife to Work
"The sole basis for targeting Joe was the race/ethnicity of his wife and her occupation" at an Asian massage parlor, the lawsuit claims.
DeSantis Gets Sex Trafficking Wrong at GOP Debate
"We're going to build a wall...I am not going to sit there and let sex trafficking go unabated," DeSantis said.
The Backpage Defendants Never Stood a Chance
Moral panic plus government power is an inescapably potent combination.
A Cop Jailed Her for 2 Years on Fake Charges. Will She Ever Get Justice?
St. Paul police officer Heather Weyker has thus far managed to get immunity for upending Hamdi Mohamud's life.
Have We Lost Track of the Trump Indictments Yet?
Plus: Why don't journalists support free speech anymore?
Southwest Airlines Falsely Accuses Mom of Trafficking Biracial Daughter
Plus: Backpage trial pushed back, Bidenomics doens't resonate, and more...
Sex Workers Want Rights, Not Rescue
Horrible things are happening to vulnerable people, but we cannot help them by sending groups of vigilantes or law enforcement officers to hunt them.
Appeals Court Dismisses Lawsuit Accusing Twitter of Sex Trafficking
Plus: Connecticut may exonerate witches, federal regulators are waging a quiet war on crypto, and more...
States Try To Reform Prostitution Laws—for Better and Worse
New bills in six states showcase some right and wrong ways to help sex workers, from full decriminalization to ramping up penalties for prostitution customers.
Rape Rates Go Down as Countries Legalize Prostitution, Rise With Sex Work Prohibition
Plus: States move to stop cops from lying to kids, Biden wants to raise Medicare taxes, and more...
Another Bogus 'Sex Trafficking Sting' Led by Homeland Security Agents
Plus: Everyone loves conspiracy theories, against national rent control, and more...
Appeals Court Panel Seems Skeptical That FOSTA Doesn't Violate the First Amendment
The 2018 law criminalizes websites that "promote or facilitate" prostitution. Two of three judges on the panel pushed back against government claims that this doesn't criminalize speech.
Drug Dealers Are Now Being Charged With Human Trafficking
Plus: Chinese authorities contact protesters, smoking rates fall dramatically, and more…
To Fight Human Trafficking, Police in Texas Town Endorse Zoning Restrictions on Massage Parlors
City officials in Nederland, Texas, are kicking around the idea of limiting new massage parlors to industrial areas of town.
There's No Way FOSTA Isn't a First Amendment Violation, Says Lawsuit
The case is now on appeal after a lower court said the ban on websites promoting prostitution didn't concern protected speech.
The Satanic Panic Is Back, and It's Bipartisan
Plus: Criminal sentencing before the Supreme Court, TikTok pushes back against security threat claims, and more...
What We Know About the FBI's Latest National 'Human Trafficking' Sting
Plus: Book ban enthusiasm ensnares Bible, free speech for nutrition advice, and more...
House Passes New Human Trafficking Bill
Here's what's in the $1 billion reauthorization package.
214 Sex Workers Arrested in Super Bowl 'Human Trafficking' Mission
In addition, 201 "sex buyers" were arrested.
Kamala Harris Spreads Misinformation on Human Trafficking
Plus: Texas attacks TikTok, Neil Young's anti-science past, IRS reconsidering face scans, and more...
Maggy Krell Repackages Her Bogus Backpage Prosecution Into a Book
The pimping charges Krell helped bring against Backpage's CEO and founders were twice thrown out of court.
As Twitter Sex Trafficking Case Proceeds, Platforms Face an Impossible Dilemma
A federal judge says an anti-porn group's suit against Twitter can move forward, in a case that could portend a dangerous expansion of how courts define "sex trafficking."
Plymouth County Keeps Puritanism Alive With Bogus Sex Trafficking Stings
Five men face "trafficking a person for sexual servitude" charges after meeting an undercover cop at a hotel.
FOSTA's Failure: The 2018 Sex Trafficking Law Has Been Worse Than Useless So Far
The only thing FOSTA has done is chill speech and make catching sex traffickers more difficult.
Barely Legal Strippers Now Fully Illegal in Texas
The penalty for employing 18- to 20-year-olds to work nude, topless, or "in a sexually oriented commercial activity" is now 2 to 20 years in prison.
Former Oregon House Speaker Gets Busted by Prostitution Law He Helped Put in Place
Portland police are calling it "human trafficking," but it was just an old-fashioned vice bust.
Backpage Judge Accused of Bias Will Remain on Case
Plus: Effort to decriminalize psychedelics gains traction in California, crony capitalism at its worst, and more...
Sex Trafficking Panic and Victim Blaming Follow Atlanta Massage Parlor Murders
Rhetoric around the shootings risks putting massage workers everywhere in more danger.
Science-Based Policy Means Decriminalizing Sex Work, Say Hundreds of Researchers
Plus: ACLU joins fight for donor privacy, Parler drops lawsuit against Amazon, and more...
Federal Suit Seeks Damages for Men Illegally Recorded at Florida Massage Parlors, Falsely Smeared as Sex Traffickers
Two women still face felony charges, though the cases against all male defendants were dropped.
In a Year of Wild Conspiracy Theories, Super Bowl Sex Trafficking Is a Classic
Plus: A reminder that censorship backfires, Wyoming city considers ban on "performance prostitution," and more...
Cops Must Destroy Illegal Surveillance Videos From Spa Visited by Robert Kraft
Authorities "shall destroy the videos unlawfully obtained through the surveillance of the Orchids of Asia Day Spa," a federal judge says.
Florida Masseuse Ordered to Pay $31,573 After 'Soliciting' Robert Kraft To 'Commit Prostitution'
Charges against Kraft were (rightfully) dismissed. The women he patronized now have criminal records.
Judge Whose A.G. Spouse Bashes Backpage Won't Recuse Herself From Backpage Trial
Judge Susan Brnovich said no reasonable person would question her impartiality just because her husband already says they're guilty.
Florida Drops Prostitution Case Against Robert Kraft, Still Pursues Charges Against the Women He Paid
Plus: DHS wants to ban some immigrants from getting four-year degrees, Louisiana cop who claimed attack admits he shot himself, and more...
FOSTA Is Unconstitutional, Argue Sexual Freedom Advocates and First Amendment Lawyers in New Motion
Plus: People have doubts about democracy, Washington state sues Juul, and more...
Twitter Boots 7,000 QAnon Conspiracy Theorists
Plus: Congress rejects demilitarization of police, Jorgensen polling at 3 percent, and more...
American Airlines Reportedly Accused a Black Social Worker of Kidnapping the White Child In Her Care. Now She's Suing.
Never mind the court order showing the child as a dependent in her care.
Sen. Josh Hawley Says He 'Took on an Asian Trafficking Ring' and 'Freed a Dozen Women in Sex Slavery.' That's Not True.
As a state attorney, the young GOP senator oversaw raids of more than a dozen massage parlors, but he didn’t secure a single sex trafficking conviction.
Robert Kraft and Florida Massage Workers Are Still Fighting Unconstitutional Surveillance Video
"Supreme Court jurisprudence...is heavily weighted against you," an appeals judge told state prosecutors last week.
ICE Agents Fight Sex Trafficking by Paying Potential Victims for Hand Jobs
In "Operation Asian Touch," federal agents coerced suspected human-trafficking victims into sex acts. Local cops seized money and threw them in jail.
Victims or Criminals? Cops Can't Decide When It Comes to Teens Selling Sex
Plus: trade vote today, woman sues DEA for seizing cash belonging to her dad with dementia, and more...
