The 2018 passing of FOSTA (Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act) and SESTA (Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act) set new limits on the free speech protection of Section 230 of the 1996 Communication Decency Act. In the aftermath, many social media sites shut down forums used by sex workers, and on some sites sex workers were systematically deplatformed or shadow banned. Social media platforms are critical spaces for sex workers. In addition to using them to safely do their work, social media platforms offer a place to communicate explicitly about their profession and find community support, particularly for sex workers from marginalized communities who are often physically isolated and lack support networks. We performed a qualitative analysis of Community Guidelines from seven social media platforms (Twitter, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, Snapchat, and Tumblr). Our research focused on guidelines related to nudity, sexual content, and solicitation. The restrictions placed on content by social media platforms have serious implications for the ability of sex workers to do their jobs safely, advocate for themselves, and find community support online. Community guidelines, as they relate to sex workers, need a more nuanced approach to balancing free speech rights and preventing harm that prioritizes the sometimes competing needs of marginalized communities.

中文翻译：

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“生存不易”：社交媒体平台社区准则与性工作者的言论自由权

2018 年通过的 FOSTA（允许各州和受害者打击在线性贩运法案）和 SESTA（停止支持性贩运者法案）对 1996 年《通信规范法案》第 230 条的言论自由保护设置了新的限制。此后，许多社交媒体网站关闭了性工作者使用的论坛，并且在某些网站上，性工作者被系统性地取消平台或影子禁止。社交媒体平台是性工作者的重要空间。除了利用它们安全地完成工作之外，社交媒体平台还提供了一个明确交流其职业并寻求社区支持的场所，特别是对于来自边缘化社区的性工作者来说，他们通常处于孤立状态，缺乏支持网络。我们对七个社交媒体平台（Twitter、TikTok、Facebook、Instagram、Reddit、Snapchat 和 Tumblr）的社区准则进行了定性分析。我们的研究重点是与裸体、性内容和招揽相关的准则。社交媒体平台对内容的限制对性工作者安全工作、为自己辩护和在线寻求社区支持的能力产生了严重影响。与性工作者相关的社区准则需要采取更细致的方法来平衡言论自由权和防止伤害，优先考虑边缘化社区有时相互竞争的需求。