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Creating Safer Online Environments
A comprehensive plan for creating safer online environments across platforms primarily focused on the regulation of “adult” themed communities in order to protect children and adults from exploitation and victimization.
Foundation Ra was founded in 2021. It is a non-partisan, non-sectarian organization focused on exposing the ineptitude for self-regulation across adult-themed platforms and finding legal remedies to effectuate proficient protections for all persons.
Vision
Foundation Ra believes that everyone including children, women and men deserve to live a life free from image-based sexual abuse also known as digital trafficking. IBSA (Image-based sexual abuse) takes many different forms, but the devastating effects on the victims are lifelong and often debilitating and extremely life altering. Image-based sexual abuse is a form of violence from which no one is immune. Anyone can become a victim in an instant through no fault of their own. Foundation Ra believes everyone deserves the right to live free from this abuse. It’s not only a violation of privacy, but also a violation of a person’s autonomy and dignity.
Mission
Foundation Ra is a survivor founded and survivor led foundation dedicated to fighting image-based sexual abuse in all forms (including CSAM (child sexual abuse material, “revenge” porn, sextortion, deepfake and/or edited nonconsensual pornographic content, hidden cameras, hacked/leaked/stolen pornographic content, etc.). It is our mission to create an environment that makes it possible to effectuate real change and end IBSA. This is done by the following:
- Raising overall awareness of the many different forms of IBSA and its prevalence across all communities and socio-economic statuses.
- Raising overall awareness of the potentially lifelong effects of IBSA on victims.
- Creating and advocating for appropriate language surrounding IBSA. For example, “revenge porn” is an outdated and inaccurate description which infers some sort of bad action on the victim’s behalf in deserving the abuse.
- Providing safe places for survivors to share their experiences and connect with other survivors for support.
- Connecting survivors with other resources as needed (including appropriate legal, counseling, take down services and/or other resources and referrals).
- Raising awareness as to who profits from (exploits) CSAM and IBSA victims and how to tackle the ever-growing problem at the root.
- Presenting, supporting and pushing for legislation at the state and/or federal level to tackle the issue of IBSA head on. This includes the prevention and deterrence of IBSA in all forms.
- Creating a Global Coalition to create laws, awareness, education etc. Internationally led by lawmakers, world leaders, politicians, non-profits, tech companies, cyber security experts and so much more.
- Educate schools, students, parents, children and law enforcement on how to prevent IBSA, what steps to take and not take if you have fallen victim to such crimes.
- Create a score card on what states/countries have created better laws to protect everyone from online exploitation.
- Create huge social media campaigns for awareness, laws and resources, through influencers, celebrities and viral content.
- PR/media campaigns to educate and create awareness.
- Talk to tech companies to better safeguard their platforms to protect children, women and men from being exploited, to create better privacy and to be held accountable.
Foundation Ra provides a unique approach to tackling IBSA as it is founded and led by actual survivors, better known as “lived experience experts”. Where many organizations fall short is their lack of knowledge and/or experience as actual victims. Foundation Ra utilizes the lived experiences of survivors/experts.
The Problem: Lack of Awareness & Legislation to Prevent and Deter Image-based Sexual Abuse
Many people have experienced some form of image-based sexual abuse, but do not share their experiences out of shame and/or fear from public scrutiny. Many have unfortunately committed suicide due to IBSA. First, we must raise the awareness of how common this violence is and remove the shame and “stigmas” associated with it.
Next, we must look at the reasons that people are subjected to this form of abuse. For some it may simply be to embarrass or cause harm to a victim. In other cases, it is purely driven by money.
Who profits most from this? In today’s online world, it is tech platforms and websites (e.g. Pornhub, X Videos, etc.).
The same companies that have the most capabilities to eradicate this type of abuse are the same companies that are profiting from it the most (to the tune of billions of dollars annually). There are no incentives for them to remove nonconsensual content or legal repercussions being enforced for these companies. They are operating with near impunity under the protections of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. Although the United States’ federal sex trafficking laws clearly state that knowingly profiting from sex trafficking content is illegal, very little to nothing is done to enforce it.
Websites like Pornhub are currently facing hundreds (if not thousands) of lawsuits from victims across the world. The biggest problem is that in order to meet the US federal sex trafficking laws, certain legal standards must be met such as a qualifying “commercial sex act”. The legal definition and intent behind the legislation is not strong enough and clear enough. Additional legislation is required to regulate these “adult” platforms as it has been clearly shown that self-regulation does not work.
Current Efforts in Legislation
In 2022, U.S. Senator Mike Lee introduced the PROTECT Act into Congress (Preventing Rampant Online Technological and Criminal Trafficking Act). This legislation would require the following for all persons appearing in “adult” content:
- Age verification (for each performer)
- Consent verification (for each performer and each act depicted)
- Identity verification (for each performer)
It would also require that, upon notification, these platforms/websites must remove nonconsensual content or face civil penalties for failure to timely do so. For the first time ever, websites like Pornhub would be incentivized to listen to survivors and swiftly remove abusive content.
The Protect Act would PREVENT a majority of abusive content from ever making it to the largest online adult platforms/websites in the first place. It would nearly eradicate the ever rapidly growing prevalence of child sexual abuse material (CSAM formerly known as “child pornography”) from ever making it onto mainstream websites in the first place.
In 2023, The Protect Act was also introduced in Massachusetts as a state bill and many states are currently introducing their versions of the protect act all due to Foundation Ras efforts.
Foundation Ra is interested in creating, advancing and enacting appropriate legislation to protect IBSA victims in all of its forms. We must change our perceptions and protect the most vulnerable members of society. Foundation Ra has supported the Protect Act since its inception and is the biggest advocate for it.
For Your Consideration
Foundation Ra is devoted to making changes in prevention, education and deterrence of image-based sexual abuse. We have unique knowledge based on lived experiences and will stop at nothing to make sure the issue of IBSA receives the attention and legislative reform that is so needed. We are already building a strong network of lived experience experts, compiling data, resources and joining forces with world leaders as well as expanding plans to adequately tackle the issue of IBSA.
If you have any questions, please contact Uldouz Wallace, Founder, at contact@foundationra.com. Thank you for your consideration.
