Ashton Kutcher has not yet recovered from a public-relations fire that first ignited in early September. The crisis began with character letters written by Kutcher and his wife, Mila Kunis, to the judge in charge of sentencing their. That Kutcher and Kunis described the convicted rapist as a wonderful father and an “outstanding role model” who “has always treated people with decency,” was enough to fuel backlash. Their” celebrities use to convey humility.
One group that doesn’t love this technology is sex workers. The software can’t credibly discern between real escort ads and sex-trafficking-disguised-as-escort ads, meaning consenting adults often get swept up in its surveillance. In fact, a recent study funded by the Department of Justicethat police regularly mistake certain “red flags” in escort ads — like 24/7 availability or the use of specific emojis — for signs of trafficking.
The ability to post online ads has made sex workers safer, enabling them to screen clients and work from home. But recent laws like FOSTA/SESTA, which ban platforms from hosting these ads, and surveillance tools like Thorn sometimes make the job more dangerous under the pretense of protecting trafficking victims. Even the survivors I spoke with saw this tool as a potential threat, citing theof sexual violence perpetrated by police.
Jean Bruggeman, the executive director of Freedom Network USA, the country’s largest anti-trafficking coalition, is concerned with what happens to survivors after they are identified by Thorn.