Been a while since I've done one of these. Been even longer since I've bothered to do legit research beforehand. Reminds me why I don't do these as much. Okay, enough stall. "DHT" or Digital Human Trafficking is topic of this little jaunt. Enjoy.
The topic's coming up because of the recent passing of the FOSTA-SESTA bill(s) in the US. What makes this worthy of the 2.0 moniker however is of course the twist. The bills essentially target websites in what many have been decried as a misguided attempt to "do good" which ultimately, like everything else attempted by the current ruling government could be said to be, "...doing more harm than good." Sort of like that run-on sentence just now. There's more than enough coverage of the negatives of the bill. There's more than enough coverage of how the name of the bill justifies itself from the other side. But that's probably what brought me to the conclusions I'm about to share. It would appear that we've reached the point where the "crusties"--read as old crusty dudes in power--have come to accept, at least in part, that the internet isn't a fad. At this rate though it would seem like it's gearing up to blow the lid off what it has been all along. Another global power in and of itself. The internet is at its best a sovereign place or country. But, at its worst, the ruling bodies try to treat it like a tool or slave. It's laughable. No. It's sad.
So where does "DHT" fit in? Simple. One of the biggest targets of FOSTA-SESTA is based on the accusation that sex trafficking linked to sites is reason enough for said hosts to be held accountable. That makes sense on paper. But then let's release the part of our brains which is so ingrained in a "simpler time" and see the truth for what it is. If this wasn't already a market, it sure is about to be now. The new Human Trafficking. The new sex trade in the digital age. Cam sites.
For all that's said and done, it's honestly a lucrative business. How do I know this? I did research. Porn is already an industry giant. Internationally. And when word gets out about investments in the crypto market and ICO launches netting millions, clearly there's staying power for sure. So that brings us to the real meat of the subject. Who makes the money? Ideally it'd be the "cam model." But realistically, why would that be the case. Whether it be an offshoot of my own twisted sense, I implore you and anyone else to stop and really think about it for a second. What forces a susceptible person into being trafficked? What keeps them in that line of work? Then how would the digital space be any safer from such practices? The truth is, it's probably even easier in a digital landscape. "Out of sight, out of mind," right? This is but a sliver of the real world. These "lights" that are being brought to the dark corners of society are sadly doing only one thing. They're showcasing just how little the masses have cared to look at the life outside of their little bubbles. The world is full of sharp edges and the light just breeds longer, darker shadows.