.::SIGNAL BOOST — ATTEND EARN IT – ZOOM ONLINE CALL with Sex Workers, Lawyers, and Digital Security Experts — MARCH 25th::.

====================================================== Event Link Sign-Up (FREE): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/earn-it-zoom-call-with-sex-workers-lawyers-and-digital-security-experts-tickets-100311388062

DATE & TIME: March 25th (Wednesday), 6:30 PM — 8:30 PM EDT =====================================================

Join us March 25th @ 6:30 PM EST for an informative call breaking down the “Eliminating Abusive and Rampant Neglect of Interactive Technologies Act of 2020” or the EARN IT Bill. Hacking//Hustling will be joined by sex workers, lawyers, and digital security experts to talk about the EARN IT Bill.

This bill is a clear extension, and expansion of SESTA/FOSTA; even more aggressively geared toward surveillance and government anti-encryption crackdowns.

We need education and concerted efforts to oppose and defeat the so-called “Earn It” Act of 2020, especially from fellow sex working/trading and hustling comrades already invested in ending state surveillance and its rampant whorephobic punishment policies.

The EARN IT Act was proposed from Senators Graham and Blumenthal, and drafted with help from Trump’s Justice Department. The act aims to address child sexual abuse online by threating to allow more lawsuits against websites over user-created content, unless they comply with new government speech guidelines. It would create a commission to set government control of online speech, and experts believe it is a thinly veiled attempt to mandate encryption backdoors. This means, in practice, ending encryption.

If you care about free speech, dissent and freedom of expression online, your fellow queer and trans sex workers of color, drug-using workers and harm reduction advocates, or political opponents of the current administration, you should care about smashing this proposed act. This act would create a massive new threat to anyone who could be a target of the DOJ, by letting their new cherry-picked committee certify whether websites are living up to new federal speech rules, ostensibly to protect children. But those rules could easily be used to limit speech about abortion, LGBTQAI peoples, harm reduction methods, criticism of law enforcement, and so on.

Government, and law enforcement in particular, love punishment policies in the name of saving women, young girls and children. These policies allow for carte blanche punishment if compliance is not met, meaning online and encrypted platforms will be compelled to relinquish user data and content in order to stay operational, and not face fines and jail time. Here are a few articles about the bill!

The EARN IT Bill Is the Government’s Plan to Scan Every Message Online :..>EFF EARN IT Act First Amendment Letter to SJC :..>Casey Newton — the Intercept

Privacy Note: This call will be recorded for future distribution. If you have a question before we end the recording for questions, please note that you will be included in the recording. Please note that your name is visible on zoom, so please call in from a number or name you are comfortable with being public. Feel free to make an anonymous account! We will save time at the end for questions for folks who are not comfortable with being recorded.

See you March 25th @ 6:30 PM EST!

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