![Undermining workers' safety and autonomy is a direct and indirect consequence of age verification, which serves as a tool of marginalization. As the political scientist Samantha Majic of the John Jay College of Criminal Justice explained, "[We need to] make sure people can work safely and with dignity, whether they are working on OnlyFans or in a factory." Dr. Majic isn't wrong. Age verification laws claim to protect the public, but in practice, they reshape the conditions of the digital labor necessary for tens of thousands of adult creators to earn a living. The result is fewer safe, regulated spaces for online sex work and more political power concentrated in the hands of platforms and, most importantly, conservative regulators and lawmakers. For the workers caught in this crossfire, the financial and labor costs are mounting. It is social control of the highest order, and as these laws spread, sex workers will be targeted.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:tfsbnpnsnbnuz5jzuod6qlgt/bafkreig3jl7zz55opmocevxiwqkmw6tupmihpu3hsdbkbfv3y6yple3vem)
Undermining workers' safety and autonomy is a direct and indirect consequence of age verification, which serves as a tool of marginalization. As the political scientist Samantha Majic of the John Jay College of Criminal Justice explained, "[We need to] make sure people can work safely and with dignity, whether they are working on OnlyFans or in a factory." Dr. Majic isn't wrong. Age verification laws claim to protect the public, but in practice, they reshape the conditions of the digital labor necessary for tens of thousands of adult creators to earn a living. The result is fewer safe, regulated spaces for online sex work and more political power concentrated in the hands of platforms and, most importantly, conservative regulators and lawmakers. For the workers caught in this crossfire, the financial and labor costs are mounting. It is social control of the highest order, and as these laws spread, sex workers will be targeted.
Papers, Please: The toll of age verification laws on digital sex work thebaffler.com/latest/paper... by Michael McGrady Jr
#ageverification #censorship #openweb #techpolicy
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