Laila Mickelwait

Co-Founder/CEO, Justice Defense Fund | Founder, Traffickinghub | Author of National Bestseller, Takedown (Penguin, 2024)

[Laila Mickelwait @LailaMickelwait]

Go inside the fight and uncover the dark secrets of a p*rn empire. TAKEDOWN reveals the never-before-told inside story of how P*rnhub was exposed for enabling and profiting from countless videos of child rape and trafficking.

But the fight for justice isn’t over yet...

[Rep. Nancy Mace @RepNancyMace]

Nonconsensual sharing of intimate images destroys lives. Careers. Relationships. And until now, the law has not done enough to stop it.

Deepfake porn. Sextortion. Voyeurism. Revenge porn.

We introduced the VANISH (Victimizer Accountability for Nonconsensual Images and Spiteful Humiliation) Act to address these issues head on. The VANISH Act puts victims first, holds predators accountable, and sends a clear message: if you exploit someone, there will be consequences.

We will always stand up for women and victims who deserve justice.

Hold the line.

[Nicholas Kristof @NickKristof]

Horrifying story of how Jeffrey Epstein obtained "work-release" from his Florida jail to go to his office each day and sexually exploited women there, while he was nominally incarcerated. Another reminder that we don't take sex trafficking seriously. https://t.co/1s14DI7FMB

[Michael Salter @mike_salter]

How child sexual abuse material drives an illicit global economy of harm https://t.co/grPuQEcDv8

[Heidi Blake @HeidilBlake]

For the past 9 months, I've been investigating Andrew Tate's empire of sexual exploitation — drawing on thousands of private messages and sealed court files, as well as interviews with the Tates, their associates & more than a dozen alleged victims. Here's what I found: https://t.co/q1L65EVG1O

[Laila Mickelwait @LailaMickelwait]

The Justice Defense Fund and I join with 100+ organizations, survivors, and advocates in supporting the bipartisan STOP CSAM Act.

The Act would help create a clearer path to justice for survivors by allowing them to pursue accountability against online platforms that knowingly enabled, hosted, or profited from child sexual abuse material.

In just three minutes, you can call your members of Congress and urge them to co-sponsor the STOP CSAM Act to help hold offenders accountable and protect children online.

https://t.co/c8E7xgVZCd

[Laila Mickelwait @LailaMickelwait]

The U.S. DOJ let Pornhub’s parent company sign a deal: ADMIT to intentionally profiting from sex trafficking and pay a fine with no executive prosecuted.

This isn’t justice — it’s a parking ticket.

@ChuckGrassley @HawleyMO — hold a hearing before the charges vanish in 2027.

[rights4girls @rights4girls]

More than 100 organizations across the country, incl. rights4girls, have come together to urge Congress to pass the STOP CSAM Act & strengthen accountability for platforms that facilitate the exploitation & abuse of children online. Read our letter here https://t.co/XR5ELpioHn

[Laila Mickelwait @LailaMickelwait]

UN experts call for the full criminal prosecution of P*rnhub.

[United Nations Geneva @UNGeneva]

UN independent experts alarmed by complicity of online pornographic platforms and other intermediaries in sexual exploitation of women & girls.

“A red line must be drawn,” the experts said.

https://t.co/pIG7ys3oF4
@UN_SPExperts

[United Nations Geneva @UNGeneva]

UN independent experts alarmed by complicity of online pornographic platforms and other intermediaries in sexual exploitation of women & girls.

“A red line must be drawn,” the experts said.

https://t.co/pIG7ys3oF4
@UN_SPExperts

[Laila Mickelwait @LailaMickelwait]

But EDNY gave P*rnhub a “deferred prosecution agreement” after its owners admitted to intentionally profiting from trafficking victims and there is a mountain of hard evidence they knowingly distributed and profited from the sexual abuse of tens of thousands of child victims.

[FBI New York @NewYorkFBI]

Following an investigation by FBI New York and @EDNYnews, Cornelius Shannon and Arturo Hernandez were charged with violations of the TAKE IT DOWN Act, which was enacted one year ago and prohibits the nonconsensual publication of AI-generated digital forgeries pornography.

If you are aware of non-consensually published intimate visual depictions posted on the internet, you can advise authorities through the Internet Crime Complaint Center at https://t.co/Vk0rrDhzIq or through the FBI tip line: 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324).

Read more at: https://t.co/kULzv1MR2K

[Laila Mickelwait @LailaMickelwait]

P*rnhub’s parent company has spent over $100 million in legal defense fees from over 25 trafficking and child exploitation victim lawsuits since 2020.

Now they are also losing privacy lawsuits for exploiting the data of their users.

[Josh Hawley @HawleyMO]

It’s time to rescue the thousands of children trapped in sex trafficking.

As part of the DHS bill, we will create 200 new analysts and investigators to find these kids and rescue them. And we will stand up new partnerships with state and local law enforcement. Let’s save these children
https://t.co/kntLMh37ll

[Laila Mickelwait @LailaMickelwait]

@Kellyforwomen 100%

[Laila Mickelwait @LailaMickelwait]

Today, the FTC began enforcing the TAKE IT DOWN Act — a law requiring online platforms to remove nonconsensual abusive content in 48 hours, with financial penalties for noncompliance.

The FTC also launched https://t.co/ft9tdEHNme where survivors can report platforms that fail to remove abuse images.

[Laila Mickelwait @LailaMickelwait]

“UN human rights experts have widened scrutiny of Pornhub and its parent company Aylo Holdings to Visa, Mastercard, Google, and Meta, in a bid to hold tech and payment systems accountable for harmful content.

In a statement on Friday, two UN special rapporteurs called for the full scale-criminal prosecution of Pornhub and added that companies including Visa, Mastercard, Google, Meta, and Microsoft formed part of the broader infrastructure that helped abusive material circulate and generate revenue online.”

https://t.co/uiPTmGPZhG

[Laila Mickelwait @LailaMickelwait]

Days later the site is back online and is still full of completely unverified content that was never checked to ensure those featured are not underage or rape victims.

This is when it becomes crystal clear that we need corporate gatekeeper and governmental policy requiring independent, third-party, age and consent verification for all individuals featured — with heavy financial and criminal consequences for violations.

[Laila Mickelwait @LailaMickelwait]

BREAKING: Dutch authorities have shut down the Motherless crime scene website after CNN exposed that it was disturbing unverified user-generated p*rn infested with real rape videos to 60 million site visitors per month.

Victims finally have their traumatic assaults taken offline

[APPG on Commercial Sexual Exploitation @APPG_CSE]

Last month, a law was passed giving @ShabanaMahmood the power to force p*rnography companies to verify the age & permission of everyone featured on their site - as advocated for by members of @APPG_CSE

UN experts have now joined calls for governments to enforce this 👇

[Uldouz @Uldouz]

Uldouz Wallace Takes Center Stage at the UN, Championing the PROTECT Act for Real Digital Safety https://t.co/BMWR6FD3Bv

[Laila Mickelwait @LailaMickelwait]

Very important article about UN experts calling for the full criminal prosecution of P*rnhub/Aylo and for mandatory, third-party, age and consent verification policies for all websites that distribute user-generated p*rn.

(Like this one)

https://t.co/sLDLvNYV4D