Jeremy Malcolm
@jere.my
Trust and safety in a human rights framework
Founder, @AskLex.ai. Chair, @c4osl.org. Head of Trust & Safety, @liberato.io
jere.my
Founder, @AskLex.ai. Chair, @c4osl.org. Head of Trust & Safety, @liberato.io
jere.my
Pinned
Jeremy Malcolm
@jere.my
· Oct 13
Against ‘chat control’: we can’t eliminate child abuse by eliminating privacy
Banning online anonymity tools like Tor won’t stop crime. It will only drive people underground and normalize government control over the internet
www.theguardian.com
Efforts to “protect children” by censoring the open Internet have backfired spectacularly. Tor use is soaring — and with it, exposure to CSAM. I unpack the consequences in today’s Guardian. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
The Drawing the Line Watchlist shows a dangerous trend: resources are shifting from real child abuse cases to policing fictional and AI-generated content. Join me for the launch on December 10 with experts @exshaps.bsky.social, @ashleyremminga.bsky.social, and Zora Rush.
c4osl.org/drawing-the-...
c4osl.org/drawing-the-...
November 26, 2025 at 6:26 PM
The Drawing the Line Watchlist shows a dangerous trend: resources are shifting from real child abuse cases to policing fictional and AI-generated content. Join me for the launch on December 10 with experts @exshaps.bsky.social, @ashleyremminga.bsky.social, and Zora Rush.
c4osl.org/drawing-the-...
c4osl.org/drawing-the-...
Reposted by Jeremy Malcolm
Australian Government will “not be intimidated by threats, not be intimidated by legal challenges” … brought by Aussie teenagers who don’t want to be censored
https://alecmuffett.com/article/128385
#SocialMedia #australia #censorship
https://alecmuffett.com/article/128385
#SocialMedia #australia #censorship
Australian Government will “not be intimidated by threats, not be intimidated by legal challenges” … brought by Aussie teenagers who don’t want to be censored
It’s the response from the Australian Government that tells you what they really think of the young people they claim to be protecting: Teens launch High Court challenge to Australia’s …
alecmuffett.com
November 26, 2025 at 4:05 PM
Australian Government will “not be intimidated by threats, not be intimidated by legal challenges” … brought by Aussie teenagers who don’t want to be censored
https://alecmuffett.com/article/128385
#SocialMedia #australia #censorship
https://alecmuffett.com/article/128385
#SocialMedia #australia #censorship
Reposted by Jeremy Malcolm
COSL is among 60 signatories to an open letter on encryption released today: "Weakening encryption introduces systemic vulnerabilities that criminals and hostile actors can exploit, erodes consumer confidence, and drives users and businesses toward unsecure platforms."
November 17, 2025 at 3:28 PM
COSL is among 60 signatories to an open letter on encryption released today: "Weakening encryption introduces systemic vulnerabilities that criminals and hostile actors can exploit, erodes consumer confidence, and drives users and businesses toward unsecure platforms."
Research suggests that fictional sexual material isn’t associated with sexual offending. An important finding for for Trust & Safety professionals, regulators, and fandom communities who often assume otherwise.
“In terms of the association between use of fictional sexual materials and risk of sexual offending, the research is converging around the view that there's no association at all.” https://c4osl.org/beyond-the-filter-fantasy-sexual-materials-and-offending/ #Fiction #Fantasy #Podcast
Beyond the Filter: Fantasy Sexual Materials and Offending - Center for Online Safety and Liberty
Are Fantasy Sexual Materials like cartoons, AI-generated images or sex dolls associated with sexual offending? Hear the surprising truth.
c4osl.org
November 4, 2025 at 1:09 AM
Research suggests that fictional sexual material isn’t associated with sexual offending. An important finding for for Trust & Safety professionals, regulators, and fandom communities who often assume otherwise.
Reposted by Jeremy Malcolm
Important read from my friend Jeremy Malcolm in The Guardian:
"Chat control" laws claim to protect children, but they're actually pushing millions toward the dark web—while doing nothing to stop abuse.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
"Chat control" laws claim to protect children, but they're actually pushing millions toward the dark web—while doing nothing to stop abuse.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Against ‘chat control’: we can’t eliminate child abuse by eliminating privacy
Banning online anonymity tools like Tor won’t stop crime. It will only drive people underground and normalize government control over the internet
www.theguardian.com
October 13, 2025 at 12:56 PM
Important read from my friend Jeremy Malcolm in The Guardian:
"Chat control" laws claim to protect children, but they're actually pushing millions toward the dark web—while doing nothing to stop abuse.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
"Chat control" laws claim to protect children, but they're actually pushing millions toward the dark web—while doing nothing to stop abuse.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Efforts to “protect children” by censoring the open Internet have backfired spectacularly. Tor use is soaring — and with it, exposure to CSAM. I unpack the consequences in today’s Guardian. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Against ‘chat control’: we can’t eliminate child abuse by eliminating privacy
Banning online anonymity tools like Tor won’t stop crime. It will only drive people underground and normalize government control over the internet
www.theguardian.com
October 13, 2025 at 3:05 PM
Efforts to “protect children” by censoring the open Internet have backfired spectacularly. Tor use is soaring — and with it, exposure to CSAM. I unpack the consequences in today’s Guardian. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Reposted by Jeremy Malcolm
Under HB 4938, Michigan lawmakers want to criminalize ASMR, “moaning audio,” AI art, cosplay, digital art, and even written stories. Ordinary creativity, rebranded as “obscenity.” Learn more and act now: https://c4osl.org/stop-hb-4938-michigans-attack-on-free-expression/ #Censorship #ASMR #Art
Stop HB 4938: Michigan’s Attack on Free Expression - Center for Online Safety and Liberty
Michigan’s HB 4938 is an extreme censorship bill that criminalizes LGBTQ+ identity, ASMR, and online creativity with penalties up to 25 years in prison. Learn why it matters and how you can take action to stop it.
c4osl.org
October 4, 2025 at 5:00 PM
Under HB 4938, Michigan lawmakers want to criminalize ASMR, “moaning audio,” AI art, cosplay, digital art, and even written stories. Ordinary creativity, rebranded as “obscenity.” Learn more and act now: https://c4osl.org/stop-hb-4938-michigans-attack-on-free-expression/ #Censorship #ASMR #Art
Reposted by Jeremy Malcolm
"Freedom is never tested on the speech we all find agreeable. It is tested at the edges—where disgust and fear can tempt us to hand the state a weapon it will inevitably turn against far more than 'scoundrels.'" https://c4osl.org/september-2025-newsletter
Defending scoundrels - COSL Newsletter #6
c4osl.org
September 26, 2025 at 6:30 PM
"Freedom is never tested on the speech we all find agreeable. It is tested at the edges—where disgust and fear can tempt us to hand the state a weapon it will inevitably turn against far more than 'scoundrels.'" https://c4osl.org/september-2025-newsletter
As co-author of @c4osl.org’s new amicus brief in U.S. v. Anderegg, I’m standing up against the government’s attempt to criminalize the private possession of books, comics, digital files, even journals, that the government deems "obscene". Thoughtcrime has no place in a free society.
COSL files an anti-thoughtcrime amicus brief - Center for Online Safety and Liberty
We're filing an amicus brief to prevent the government from making it a crime to have "obscene" fictional content in your home.
c4osl.org
September 19, 2025 at 4:59 PM
As co-author of @c4osl.org’s new amicus brief in U.S. v. Anderegg, I’m standing up against the government’s attempt to criminalize the private possession of books, comics, digital files, even journals, that the government deems "obscene". Thoughtcrime has no place in a free society.
Reposted by Jeremy Malcolm
'cancel culture' but the government does it - that's not cancel culture. it's censorship & repression.
September 14, 2025 at 3:41 AM
'cancel culture' but the government does it - that's not cancel culture. it's censorship & repression.
The Internet is being transformed it into a censored walled garden, through age verification, encryption backdoors, and crackdowns on art and fiction—and the authoritarians pushing this get away with it by claiming it's all "for the children". Help fight back through this PAID role with @c4osl.org!
Strategic Communications & Outreach Lead (Contract) - Center for Online Safety and Liberty
About the Mission The open Internet faces unprecedented threats. Age verification laws are restricting access to vital content. End-to-end encryption is under […]
c4osl.org
September 10, 2025 at 10:29 PM
The Internet is being transformed it into a censored walled garden, through age verification, encryption backdoors, and crackdowns on art and fiction—and the authoritarians pushing this get away with it by claiming it's all "for the children". Help fight back through this PAID role with @c4osl.org!
Reposted by Jeremy Malcolm
Prostasia Foundation has closed its doors, but its values and work live on. 🌱 Child protection grounded in dignity, prevention, and human rights continues through many allies and projects. Read more about our legacy and what comes next: https://prostasia.org/?na=archive&email_id=136
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prostasia.org
September 6, 2025 at 6:00 PM
Prostasia Foundation has closed its doors, but its values and work live on. 🌱 Child protection grounded in dignity, prevention, and human rights continues through many allies and projects. Read more about our legacy and what comes next: https://prostasia.org/?na=archive&email_id=136
This is my baby, built on my experience in trust and safety. Don’t censor sensitive content just because it gives some people the ick. Hide it behind a descriptive content warning that the user can override in their settings.
Just released! Version 2.0 of one of our flagship open source trust and safety tools, Dead Dove. Rather than censoring sensitive content for everyone, Dead Dove allows site owners to return control to the user. https://c4osl.org/dead-dove-beyond-blanket-censorship/ #DeadDove #fandom
Dead Dove: Beyond Blanket Censorship - Center for Online Safety and Liberty
In an era where content moderation often feels like a blunt instrument—either everything is visible or nothing is—Dead Dove offers a nuanced […]
c4osl.org
September 5, 2025 at 7:59 PM
This is my baby, built on my experience in trust and safety. Don’t censor sensitive content just because it gives some people the ick. Hide it behind a descriptive content warning that the user can override in their settings.
Stupidly deleted all entire accounting records yesterday. So I uploaded my PDF bank and credit card statements and CSV reports of my Stripe transactions, and ChatGPT agent reassembled them all into a format I could import straight back into my accounting software, recovering it all with no errors.
September 4, 2025 at 3:52 PM
Stupidly deleted all entire accounting records yesterday. So I uploaded my PDF bank and credit card statements and CSV reports of my Stripe transactions, and ChatGPT agent reassembled them all into a format I could import straight back into my accounting software, recovering it all with no errors.
The Tor network was meant as a safety valve against authoritarian Internet censorship. Now that those authoritarian measures are being mainstreamed in supposed liberal democracies, it’s natural that we now see pressure to pull funding from Tor. 🧵
Privacy at a cost: the dark web’s main browser helps pedophile networks flourish, experts say
The Tor network’s privacy architecture creates a safe haven for predators to share child sexual abuse material
www.theguardian.com
August 25, 2025 at 4:25 PM
The Tor network was meant as a safety valve against authoritarian Internet censorship. Now that those authoritarian measures are being mainstreamed in supposed liberal democracies, it’s natural that we now see pressure to pull funding from Tor. 🧵
Personal request: do I have any contact who is admitted to the U. S. District Court for the Southern District of New York and would be willing to sponsor (ie. sign) my application for admission there? Please DM me if so, thank you!
August 20, 2025 at 9:42 PM
Personal request: do I have any contact who is admitted to the U. S. District Court for the Southern District of New York and would be willing to sponsor (ie. sign) my application for admission there? Please DM me if so, thank you!
Reposted by Jeremy Malcolm
Every child protection law that is based around surveillance and censorship, including #ChatControl, quickly runs up against some hard human rights limits. This is not a bug of Internet governance, but a vital feature that protects the world from the tyrrany of well-meaning governments like the EU.
October 12, 2023 at 5:34 AM
Every child protection law that is based around surveillance and censorship, including #ChatControl, quickly runs up against some hard human rights limits. This is not a bug of Internet governance, but a vital feature that protects the world from the tyrrany of well-meaning governments like the EU.
The more things change… I wrote this a decade ago, thanks @dz-yenn.bsky.social for resurfacing it.
🗓️ 2017-03-15 👤 Jeremy Malcolm (👥 EFF)
«Payment Processors are Still Policing Your Sex Life, and the Latest Victim is FetLife»
📰 www.eff.org/deeplinks/20...
«Payment Processors are Still Policing Your Sex Life, and the Latest Victim is FetLife»
📰 www.eff.org/deeplinks/20...
Payment Processors are Still Policing Your Sex Life, and the Latest Victim is FetLife
Eighteenth century writer and philosopher the Marquis de Sade spent the last 13 years of his life in prison for his crimes of writing pornographic novels such as Justine and Juliette.Today those who e...
www.eff.org
August 16, 2025 at 1:08 AM
The more things change… I wrote this a decade ago, thanks @dz-yenn.bsky.social for resurfacing it.
Warning, child exploitation imagery (according to Meta Trust & Safety AI). petapixel.com/2025/07/21/m...
July 25, 2025 at 5:27 PM
Warning, child exploitation imagery (according to Meta Trust & Safety AI). petapixel.com/2025/07/21/m...
Reposted by Jeremy Malcolm
"Among all the fuss over President Trump's connections to Epstein, no attention has been given to the fact that federal funding for child sexual abuse prevention—already tragically low—has been cut to zero by Trump's administration." c4osl.org/july-2025-ne... #prevention
One Weird Trick to Ruin the Internet - COSL Newsletter #4
c4osl.org
July 21, 2025 at 6:43 PM
"Among all the fuss over President Trump's connections to Epstein, no attention has been given to the fact that federal funding for child sexual abuse prevention—already tragically low—has been cut to zero by Trump's administration." c4osl.org/july-2025-ne... #prevention
Reposted by Jeremy Malcolm
"These 'protect the children' laws do nothing of the sort. They only enable a surveillance state that has the ability to censor wrongthink, hurting children and adults alike." skepchick.org/2025/07/new-... @skepchick.org #FreeSpeech #censorship
New Law: Surrender Your Privacy to “Save” the Kids
Three years ago I made a video warning about the dangers of a law that was about to be passed here in California: the “Age-Appropriate Design Code Act” would force most, if not all websites on the …
skepchick.org
July 20, 2025 at 4:48 PM
"These 'protect the children' laws do nothing of the sort. They only enable a surveillance state that has the ability to censor wrongthink, hurting children and adults alike." skepchick.org/2025/07/new-... @skepchick.org #FreeSpeech #censorship
"One of the biggest challenges in child safety is resisting the politicization of the issue," I write in the Duco 2025 Snapshot: The Trust & Safety Landscape. Read more and download the report for free: www.ducoexperts.com/duco-tnsrepo...
Duco | Trust & Safety Market Research Report
www.ducoexperts.com
July 17, 2025 at 12:55 AM
"One of the biggest challenges in child safety is resisting the politicization of the issue," I write in the Duco 2025 Snapshot: The Trust & Safety Landscape. Read more and download the report for free: www.ducoexperts.com/duco-tnsrepo...
Reposted by Jeremy Malcolm
how quickly we went from age verification for pornography sites, to social media, to search engines. a reminder that, yet again, it is essential to listen to sex workers when they raise concerns about how technology is being tested on them.
July 15, 2025 at 6:27 AM
how quickly we went from age verification for pornography sites, to social media, to search engines. a reminder that, yet again, it is essential to listen to sex workers when they raise concerns about how technology is being tested on them.
I’ve been sounding the alarm about this trend for years but people would rather listen to conspiracy theorists about why caring about human rights in child protection is sus actually.
Australia's decision to require age/identity verification, including facial scans, in order to do a Google search is dystopian.
We're watching the death of an open, anonymous internet, and the gradual takeover of information online by the state — under the guise of protecting children.
We're watching the death of an open, anonymous internet, and the gradual takeover of information online by the state — under the guise of protecting children.
Australia is quietly rolling out age checks for search engines like Google
Just as Australians are adjusting to the idea of having their ages checked for social media, age assurance rules are being applied to search engines and many other corners of the internet.
www.abc.net.au
July 13, 2025 at 9:02 PM
I’ve been sounding the alarm about this trend for years but people would rather listen to conspiracy theorists about why caring about human rights in child protection is sus actually.
Reposted by Jeremy Malcolm
Some, like communications and internet law lawyer Jeremy Malcolm, said that even if it is "unlikely that mainstream #manga or #anime works" would be affected by the law, "there are still #constitutional questions over laws such as this" answers.justia.com/question/202... (27/?)
Impact of Texas bill SB20 on anime and manga due to obscenity concerns.
Read 3 Answers from lawyers to Impact of Texas bill SB20 on anime and manga due to obscenity concerns. - Texas Communications Law Questions & Answers - Justia Ask A Lawyer
answers.justia.com
July 8, 2025 at 3:55 PM
Some, like communications and internet law lawyer Jeremy Malcolm, said that even if it is "unlikely that mainstream #manga or #anime works" would be affected by the law, "there are still #constitutional questions over laws such as this" answers.justia.com/question/202... (27/?)