Dear Friend,
Janary was an action-packed month. We saw two incredible legislative victories: the Trafficking Survivors Relief Act (TSRA) was signed into law, giving survivors a path to vacate unjust criminal records that they obtained while under the control of a sex trafficker. And the DEFIANCE Act, which allows survivors of image-based sexual abuse (IBSA) to sue their perpetrators, was unanimously passed by the Senate.
On the international front, I provided evidence before the UK Parliament's All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Commercial Sexual Exploitation during their inquiry into "camming" websites, drawing on NCOSE's research on sex buyers and law enforcement experience in sex trafficking, organized crime, and online exploitation investigations.
Now, as we begin February, the NCOSE Team is once again firing on all cylinders. As we approach the 30th anniversary of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, we are doubling down on calls to repeal this dangerous law that has allowed Big Tech to facilitate sexual exploitation with impunity. At Senator Durbin’s press conference this week, NCOSE’s Dani Pinter stood next to actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt and survivor parents, fiercely calling for Section 230 to be repealed.
We also have some very exciting news coming up in our lawsuit against Twitter (now X) ... Make sure you watch your inbox for when those updates break next week—you won’t want to miss it! Sincerely,
Marcel van der Watt
President & CEO National Center on Sexual Exploitation P.S. Read on for the rest of the newsletter. |
Dani Pinter, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Survivor Parents Call out Section 230 at Senator Durbin's Press Conference NCOSE's Dani Pinter spoke at Senator Durbin's press conference this week, alongside actor Joseph Gordon Levitt, survivor parents, and other advocates. The conference focused on the need to repeal Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act to allow Big Tech to be held accountable.
"Because of Section 230 we have a tech industry that exists above the law," Dani explained. "Courts have found that Section 230 protects social media platforms even when they commit heinous crimes like knowingly possessing and distributing child sexual abuse material."
Joseph Gordon-Levitt explained that his involvement in this fight is motivated by his role as a father:
"A lot of people here today are parents whose kids ... remind me of my kids. And the harm that was done to these kids online might have been prevented if certain Big Tech companies knew that they could be sued. But under Section 230 they cannot be."
📹 Watch the full press conference here.
*Note: Last night, an email was mistakenly sent out declaring the day to be the 30th anniversary of Section 230. In actuality, the anniversary is tomorrow, Feb 8th. Our apologies for the error. |
We Need Your Support to Prevent Sexual Exploitation at Mass Scale!
In 2025, we turned down substantial funding from Big Tech to stay independent and true to our mission. It was a year of incredible victories.
2026 promises to be a pivotal year in our fight against the web of sexual exploitation, with our multidisciplinary team deploying a comprehensive array of proven strategies across civil litigation, public policy, corporate advocacy, and research to tackle the issue from every angle.
📹 Dive into our 3.5-minute video here, where our leaders break down the critical stakes.
This is a decisive moment 💥—join us today. The need is urgent, the impact immense. Your support saves lives and upholds human dignity.
Reach out to [email protected] for direct engagement. You can share or donate directly here. |
American Spectator: The Pornography Free Pass
"Have you ever wondered why so much sexually explicit content pollutes the internet today? Hardcore pornography is omnipresent online, even for children. Did something magically happen that green-lighted unlimited pornography on everyone’s mobile devices and laptops?"
The answer to this question lies in a decision made by the Department of Justice back in 2009, writes NCOSE Senior Legal Counsel Benjamin Bull.
Federal law actually makes it a crime to distribute obscene material, which includes much of hardcore pornography. But Bull says that in 2009, the DOJ stopped prosecuting obscenity cases, effectively asking the pornography industry to regulate itself. "It doesn't take a genius to see how this was going to end," Bull writes. Since then, the online pornography industry has exploded.
📝 Read the full op-ed in the American Spectator.
📣 ACTION: Ask the DOJ to Enforce Obscenity Laws! |
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CBN News: Elon Musk's Offices RAIDED Over Grok's Alleged Criminal Activity News broke this week that Elon Musk's offices in France were raided by Paris's cyber-crime during an investigation into Grok's potential involvement in criminal child sexual exploitation.
Grok is an AI chatbot powered by Musk's company, xAI. It has come under fire in the media for allowing users to generate sexual deepfakes of real individuals. Though it claims to prohibit sexual images of children, many such images have been reported all the same.
NCOSE General Counsel, Benjamin Bull, sits down with CBN News to discuss this recent raid and its implication. As well as ask the question: Where is the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission in all of this?
📽 Watch the full interview here.
📣 ACTION: Urge the Department of Justice and the Free Trade Commission to Investigate Grok! |
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