Elizabeth Nolan Brown
@enbrown.bsky.social
sex, speech, tech, justice, parenting, politics, & panic ✨ senior editor @reason.com, journalism instructor at University of Cincinnati, Midwestern mom
Pinned
ICE agent who took upskirt photos of flight attendant says it wasn’t a crime because he was sneaky
Billy Olvera's "clandestine video voyeurism," as his lawyer would later describe it, took place while he was on duty as a deportation officer.
reason.com
An ICE agent argued that taking upskirt photos of a flight attendant wasn’t a crime because he was sneaky. Um, no, says the 11th Circuit, which upheld his conviction reason.com/2025/10/16/i...
Reposted by Elizabeth Nolan Brown
AI chatbots can and do publish content consistent with their editorial agendas. If the First Amendment doesn't protect their editorial decisions, government censors will require *all* chatbots to espouse partisan orthodoxies that entrench incumbents' power
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/04/b...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/04/b...
Right-Wing Chatbots Turbocharge America’s Political and Cultural Wars
www.nytimes.com
November 5, 2025 at 4:07 PM
AI chatbots can and do publish content consistent with their editorial agendas. If the First Amendment doesn't protect their editorial decisions, government censors will require *all* chatbots to espouse partisan orthodoxies that entrench incumbents' power
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/04/b...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/04/b...
I somehow missed the whole thing where Cuomo & Sliwa & the NY Post were trying to smear Mamdani as a flip flopper ad hypocrite for supporting sex work decrim legislation & then saying he didn’t want legalization 🤦🏼♀️
there is no tension bw those 2 positions! reason.com/2025/11/05/w...
there is no tension bw those 2 positions! reason.com/2025/11/05/w...
What Mamdani's win means for sex
While it wasn't a part of his campaign, Zohran Mamdani has been a vocal supporter of sex work decriminalization.
reason.com
November 7, 2025 at 1:36 PM
I somehow missed the whole thing where Cuomo & Sliwa & the NY Post were trying to smear Mamdani as a flip flopper ad hypocrite for supporting sex work decrim legislation & then saying he didn’t want legalization 🤦🏼♀️
there is no tension bw those 2 positions! reason.com/2025/11/05/w...
there is no tension bw those 2 positions! reason.com/2025/11/05/w...
Reposted by Elizabeth Nolan Brown
A jury has acquitted the D.C. "Sandwich Guy," despite testimony from a Border Patrol officer about the devastating impact of the footlong sandwich against his bulletproof vest.
D.C. jury acquits 'sandwich guy' of assaulting federal agent
A jury found Sean Dunn, who went viral in August for throwing a Subway sandwich at a Border Patrol officer, not guilty.
reason.com
November 7, 2025 at 2:04 AM
A jury has acquitted the D.C. "Sandwich Guy," despite testimony from a Border Patrol officer about the devastating impact of the footlong sandwich against his bulletproof vest.
Reposted by Elizabeth Nolan Brown
Fighting against the War on Sex is never popular & hard to spend political capital on. But, maybe @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social will be different. @enbrown.bsky.social explores 'What Mamdani's Win Means for Sex.' reason.com/2025/11/05/w... NYC Mayoral Election
What Mamdani's win means for sex
While it wasn't a part of his campaign, Zohran Mamdani has been a vocal supporter of sex work decriminalization.
reason.com
November 5, 2025 at 9:21 PM
Fighting against the War on Sex is never popular & hard to spend political capital on. But, maybe @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social will be different. @enbrown.bsky.social explores 'What Mamdani's Win Means for Sex.' reason.com/2025/11/05/w... NYC Mayoral Election
Reposted by Elizabeth Nolan Brown
"Oklahoma lawmakers are suggesting that a new state law aimed at "adult performances" means municipalities must predict what sorts of events might become obscene and preemptively prohibit them. It's a clear recipe for chilling protected speech—especially drag performances"
Bizarre how sure Oklahoma lawmakers seemed that they banned drag performers with a law banning obscene performances ... Now that they found out that, no, it doesn't work like that, they're trying to convince local governments that they have to pretend it does reason.com/2025/11/03/o...
Oklahoma's obscenity bait and switch could ban pride parades and public drag shows
These lawmakers expect local authorities to ban "obscenity" before it happens—a recipe for chilling a wide variety of legal speech.
reason.com
November 5, 2025 at 10:54 PM
"Oklahoma lawmakers are suggesting that a new state law aimed at "adult performances" means municipalities must predict what sorts of events might become obscene and preemptively prohibit them. It's a clear recipe for chilling protected speech—especially drag performances"
Reposted by Elizabeth Nolan Brown
British MPs rolled out details on their ill-defined "strangulation" censorship law, saying that mere *possession* of consensually produced content, even a private video made with your partner, would carry a two year prison sentence.
Government outlines punishments people will face for breaking new porn ban
The UK government is banning strangulation and suffocation as part of a crackdown on violent porn, which is leading to a rise in violence against women
www.ladbible.com
November 4, 2025 at 3:42 PM
British MPs rolled out details on their ill-defined "strangulation" censorship law, saying that mere *possession* of consensually produced content, even a private video made with your partner, would carry a two year prison sentence.
Reposted by Elizabeth Nolan Brown
There are lots of bad age-verification strategies, but Italy's is ...🤌
Agcom produced a list of 48 adult sites that need to comply, compiled seemingly at random. Some are well-known, most are not. A handful of big sites, but most competitors (to their joy, I'm sure) are left off.
Mind-boggling.
Agcom produced a list of 48 adult sites that need to comply, compiled seemingly at random. Some are well-known, most are not. A handful of big sites, but most competitors (to their joy, I'm sure) are left off.
Mind-boggling.
Italy will be the latest country to require age verification for porn sites
Italy will require users to verify their age before getting on porn sites, starting on November 12.
www.engadget.com
November 3, 2025 at 10:06 PM
There are lots of bad age-verification strategies, but Italy's is ...🤌
Agcom produced a list of 48 adult sites that need to comply, compiled seemingly at random. Some are well-known, most are not. A handful of big sites, but most competitors (to their joy, I'm sure) are left off.
Mind-boggling.
Agcom produced a list of 48 adult sites that need to comply, compiled seemingly at random. Some are well-known, most are not. A handful of big sites, but most competitors (to their joy, I'm sure) are left off.
Mind-boggling.
Reposted by Elizabeth Nolan Brown
Queer art isn't illegal. But lawmakers in Oklahoma believe that if they make the criminal liability threatening enough, event spaces, permit boards, municipal clerks and protest organizers will treat it as if it is — and do the censorship for them.
Bizarre how sure Oklahoma lawmakers seemed that they banned drag performers with a law banning obscene performances ... Now that they found out that, no, it doesn't work like that, they're trying to convince local governments that they have to pretend it does reason.com/2025/11/03/o...
Oklahoma's obscenity bait and switch could ban pride parades and public drag shows
These lawmakers expect local authorities to ban "obscenity" before it happens—a recipe for chilling a wide variety of legal speech.
reason.com
November 3, 2025 at 9:56 PM
Queer art isn't illegal. But lawmakers in Oklahoma believe that if they make the criminal liability threatening enough, event spaces, permit boards, municipal clerks and protest organizers will treat it as if it is — and do the censorship for them.
Bizarre how sure Oklahoma lawmakers seemed that they banned drag performers with a law banning obscene performances ... Now that they found out that, no, it doesn't work like that, they're trying to convince local governments that they have to pretend it does reason.com/2025/11/03/o...
Oklahoma's obscenity bait and switch could ban pride parades and public drag shows
These lawmakers expect local authorities to ban "obscenity" before it happens—a recipe for chilling a wide variety of legal speech.
reason.com
November 3, 2025 at 7:57 PM
Bizarre how sure Oklahoma lawmakers seemed that they banned drag performers with a law banning obscene performances ... Now that they found out that, no, it doesn't work like that, they're trying to convince local governments that they have to pretend it does reason.com/2025/11/03/o...
Reposted by Elizabeth Nolan Brown
A future functioning Dem Congress should just pass a catchall statute that says something like “for the purpose of all federal criminal laws, no action shall be taken to implicate interstate commerce unless the offense occurs in multiple states or has significant interstate econ impact.”
October 29, 2025 at 8:01 PM
A future functioning Dem Congress should just pass a catchall statute that says something like “for the purpose of all federal criminal laws, no action shall be taken to implicate interstate commerce unless the offense occurs in multiple states or has significant interstate econ impact.”
Reposted by Elizabeth Nolan Brown
8th Cir stands up for federalism, holding that using a road while committing a crime dos not count as affecting “interstate commerce.”
But the Fed statutes are impermissibly broad, giving Trumpian courts more room to authorize Fed involvement in local crime control.
Feel like there’s an easy fix:
But the Fed statutes are impermissibly broad, giving Trumpian courts more room to authorize Fed involvement in local crime control.
Feel like there’s an easy fix:
An alleged sexual predator may escape conviction because the feds couldn't just leave local crime to local authorities.
Arkansas had a case against the guy for trying to pay a 15-year-old for sex. Then DOJ tried to make it a federal case.... because he drove on a road
reason.com/2025/10/29/m...
Arkansas had a case against the guy for trying to pay a 15-year-old for sex. Then DOJ tried to make it a federal case.... because he drove on a road
reason.com/2025/10/29/m...
Man accused of soliciting teen girl walks because of federal overreach
A sex-trafficking case fell apart after the DOJ’s claim that driving on a road put the alleged crime in 'interstate commerce.'
reason.com
October 29, 2025 at 8:01 PM
8th Cir stands up for federalism, holding that using a road while committing a crime dos not count as affecting “interstate commerce.”
But the Fed statutes are impermissibly broad, giving Trumpian courts more room to authorize Fed involvement in local crime control.
Feel like there’s an easy fix:
But the Fed statutes are impermissibly broad, giving Trumpian courts more room to authorize Fed involvement in local crime control.
Feel like there’s an easy fix:
Reposted by Elizabeth Nolan Brown
There are a large number of Democratic politicians who insist that Jonathan Haidt is a reliable narrator and one who they should take their legislative cues from. They should be asked why they're supporting someone the Heritage Foundation is cheering on in their efforts to censor the internet.
November 2, 2025 at 8:28 PM
There are a large number of Democratic politicians who insist that Jonathan Haidt is a reliable narrator and one who they should take their legislative cues from. They should be asked why they're supporting someone the Heritage Foundation is cheering on in their efforts to censor the internet.
Reposted by Elizabeth Nolan Brown
Three Years Ago Today: "Sex trafficking stings often serve as a general dragnet for petty offenses." – @enbrown.bsky.social maggiemcneill.com/2022/11/02/i...
In the News (#1285)
Sex trafficking stings often serve as a general dragnet for petty offenses. – Elizabeth Nolan Brown Innocence Never Had To cops, sex workers can only be victims or criminals: Two 17-year-ol…
maggiemcneill.com
November 2, 2025 at 6:44 PM
Three Years Ago Today: "Sex trafficking stings often serve as a general dragnet for petty offenses." – @enbrown.bsky.social maggiemcneill.com/2022/11/02/i...
Reposted by Elizabeth Nolan Brown
Remember that the predominant form of age verification for porn sites — the new mandates passed in nearly every red state in the past few years — is a facial scan coupled with government ID.
New: Videos show ICE/CBP agents are scanning peoples' faces on the street to verify citizenship. ICE has tool to instantly look up unprecedented number of databases with just a photo
“I’m an American citizen so leave me alone”
“Alright, we just got to verify that”
www.404media.co/ice-and-cbp-...
“I’m an American citizen so leave me alone”
“Alright, we just got to verify that”
www.404media.co/ice-and-cbp-...
ICE and CBP Agents Are Scanning Peoples’ Faces on the Street To Verify Citizenship
Videos on social media show officers from ICE and CBP using facial recognition technology on people in the field. One expert described the practice as “pure dystopian creep.”
www.404media.co
October 30, 2025 at 1:27 AM
Remember that the predominant form of age verification for porn sites — the new mandates passed in nearly every red state in the past few years — is a facial scan coupled with government ID.
Reposted by Elizabeth Nolan Brown
👋🏼 friends. Brownish, imported-tattooed 🇺🇸 here. 3 x combat veteran. Who can I send my naturalization cert to to vouch for me when bio match determines I should be disappeared to Sudan? @mattburgess1.bsky.social @noupside.bsky.social @mmasnick.bsky.social witness for me? What the AF is happening rn?
New incredible detail here: ICE says a match in its facial recognition app Mobile Fortify is a "definitive" determination of a person's status, and that this overrides birth certificates. This is an app ICE is using in the field to scan people
www.404media.co/ice-and-cbp-...
www.404media.co/ice-and-cbp-...
October 29, 2025 at 5:03 PM
👋🏼 friends. Brownish, imported-tattooed 🇺🇸 here. 3 x combat veteran. Who can I send my naturalization cert to to vouch for me when bio match determines I should be disappeared to Sudan? @mattburgess1.bsky.social @noupside.bsky.social @mmasnick.bsky.social witness for me? What the AF is happening rn?
An alleged sexual predator may escape conviction because the feds couldn't just leave local crime to local authorities.
Arkansas had a case against the guy for trying to pay a 15-year-old for sex. Then DOJ tried to make it a federal case.... because he drove on a road
reason.com/2025/10/29/m...
Arkansas had a case against the guy for trying to pay a 15-year-old for sex. Then DOJ tried to make it a federal case.... because he drove on a road
reason.com/2025/10/29/m...
Man accused of soliciting teen girl walks because of federal overreach
A sex-trafficking case fell apart after the DOJ’s claim that driving on a road put the alleged crime in 'interstate commerce.'
reason.com
October 29, 2025 at 7:15 PM
An alleged sexual predator may escape conviction because the feds couldn't just leave local crime to local authorities.
Arkansas had a case against the guy for trying to pay a 15-year-old for sex. Then DOJ tried to make it a federal case.... because he drove on a road
reason.com/2025/10/29/m...
Arkansas had a case against the guy for trying to pay a 15-year-old for sex. Then DOJ tried to make it a federal case.... because he drove on a road
reason.com/2025/10/29/m...
Reposted by Elizabeth Nolan Brown
It’s outrageous they’re killing innocent people, but we also need to stress, every time, that it would not really matter even it were absolutely certain that they were drug traffickers. Murdering criminals is still, you know, murder.
The government has killed 32 people in 7 strikes with no evidence they were traffickers. The admiral leading the mission quit. If we had proof, they’d face a court, not a drone.
The law still applies, even to suspected drug traffickers, and right now, the Administration’s story isn’t adding up.
The law still applies, even to suspected drug traffickers, and right now, the Administration’s story isn’t adding up.
October 22, 2025 at 1:45 AM
It’s outrageous they’re killing innocent people, but we also need to stress, every time, that it would not really matter even it were absolutely certain that they were drug traffickers. Murdering criminals is still, you know, murder.
Reposted by Elizabeth Nolan Brown
I made an image of all the art posted by US DOL on X since approximately Labor Day
October 26, 2025 at 1:07 AM
I made an image of all the art posted by US DOL on X since approximately Labor Day
Reposted by Elizabeth Nolan Brown
Law enforcement does this regularly, with high-profile round-ups of sex workers under the guise of stopping trafficking. They're rewarded with grant money and federal funds and PR. Meanwhile, the sex workers are jailed or forced through rehabilitation programs or assaulted.
That's exploitation.
That's exploitation.
October 24, 2025 at 7:54 PM
Law enforcement does this regularly, with high-profile round-ups of sex workers under the guise of stopping trafficking. They're rewarded with grant money and federal funds and PR. Meanwhile, the sex workers are jailed or forced through rehabilitation programs or assaulted.
That's exploitation.
That's exploitation.
Reposted by Elizabeth Nolan Brown
For adult creators, it's even more disastrous. The more people are dissuaded from going to legal sites, the more they seek out pirated content, which doesn't require facial scans to access.
The UK government is starving creators to score a political point.
The UK government is starving creators to score a political point.
October 24, 2025 at 7:46 PM
For adult creators, it's even more disastrous. The more people are dissuaded from going to legal sites, the more they seek out pirated content, which doesn't require facial scans to access.
The UK government is starving creators to score a political point.
The UK government is starving creators to score a political point.
Reposted by Elizabeth Nolan Brown
Between this and @nickmiroff.bsky.social’s Atlantic article on the fitness requirements, seems fair to say the recruiting effort is hitting systemic issues. Q is do they a) find a way to further loosen requirements; b) improve recruit targeting; c) accept smaller ICE than they hoped for.
NBC News finds that:
-- ICE has shortened its training from 13 weeks to six.
-- Nearly half of recruits couldn’t pass an open-book written exam.
-- Recruits "are supposed to attest" they can pass the physical-fitness test, which requires them to run ... 6 mph.
www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcn...
-- ICE has shortened its training from 13 weeks to six.
-- Nearly half of recruits couldn’t pass an open-book written exam.
-- Recruits "are supposed to attest" they can pass the physical-fitness test, which requires them to run ... 6 mph.
www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcn...
Some new ICE recruits have shown up to training without full vetting
The recruits have had criminal backgrounds or failed drug tests or were unable to meet physical or academic standards, raising concerns about the agency’s rush to hire immigration officers, sources to...
www.nbcnews.com
October 23, 2025 at 1:31 PM
Between this and @nickmiroff.bsky.social’s Atlantic article on the fitness requirements, seems fair to say the recruiting effort is hitting systemic issues. Q is do they a) find a way to further loosen requirements; b) improve recruit targeting; c) accept smaller ICE than they hoped for.
Hat tip, as is so often the case, to @mikestabile.bsky.social, who is just absolutely the best person to follow for all news concerning sex policy
Singling out porn for special, extra taxes is both an unconstitutional singling out of speech the government doesn’t like + completely at odds with typical social concerns re: porn, like preventing sex worker exploitation and underage performers reason.com/2025/10/22/p...
Pennsylvania lawmakers propose titty tax
The tax would apply to 'subscriptions to and one-time purchases from online adult content platforms,' according to a memo.
reason.com
October 22, 2025 at 7:05 PM
Hat tip, as is so often the case, to @mikestabile.bsky.social, who is just absolutely the best person to follow for all news concerning sex policy
Singling out porn for special, extra taxes is both an unconstitutional singling out of speech the government doesn’t like + completely at odds with typical social concerns re: porn, like preventing sex worker exploitation and underage performers reason.com/2025/10/22/p...
Pennsylvania lawmakers propose titty tax
The tax would apply to 'subscriptions to and one-time purchases from online adult content platforms,' according to a memo.
reason.com
October 22, 2025 at 7:04 PM
Singling out porn for special, extra taxes is both an unconstitutional singling out of speech the government doesn’t like + completely at odds with typical social concerns re: porn, like preventing sex worker exploitation and underage performers reason.com/2025/10/22/p...
Reposted by Elizabeth Nolan Brown
Omg
Local legislator displays the importance of kerning
October 22, 2025 at 5:08 PM
Omg
Reposted by Elizabeth Nolan Brown
Tech companies have a First Amendment right not to be pressured by the government to remove content, and the apps that have a right to not be removed due to government censorship.
But even if they don't fight back, we all have a #1A right to access this information free from government censorship.
But even if they don't fight back, we all have a #1A right to access this information free from government censorship.
The federal government "jawbones" private companies by pressuring them to silence voices they can’t legally censor themselves, and Big Tech has erased ICE‑watching apps and an ICE-Sighting Chicago Facebook group.
The full story: lataco.com/big-tech-ice
By Nik Venet
The full story: lataco.com/big-tech-ice
By Nik Venet
October 22, 2025 at 5:47 PM
Tech companies have a First Amendment right not to be pressured by the government to remove content, and the apps that have a right to not be removed due to government censorship.
But even if they don't fight back, we all have a #1A right to access this information free from government censorship.
But even if they don't fight back, we all have a #1A right to access this information free from government censorship.