Date of Award
Spring 5-2021
Document Type
Honors Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
Political Science
Advisor/Committee Chair
Meredith Weiss
Abstract
FOSTA/SESTA, a federal law passed in 2017, was intended to thwart sex trafficking on the internet by amending Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996. In practice, it has radically changed the ways internet service providers (ISPs) moderate user content, oftentimes impacting the livelihoods of sex workers. Considering FOSTA/SESTA’s broad bipartisan support, this thesis examines the roles of different advocacy groups in FOSTA/SESTA’s creation. By examining witness testimonies before Congress, public statements, and letters for/against FOSTA/SESTA, the author finds that, the more socially accepted an advocacy group’s members are, the more influence that stakeholder group held over the creation of this strange and impactful law.
Recommended Citation
Weidner, Kathryn, "“They Were Simply Invisible”: Advocacy Groups’ Inequitable Impact on the Passage of FOSTA/SESTA & the Role of Social Acceptability" (2021). Political Science. 39.
https://scholarsarchive.library.albany.edu/honorscollege_pos/39