West Houston News

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congressman Troy E. Nehls (R-TX-22) has sent a letter to the Chair of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Lisa Khan, urging an immediate investigation into social media platform Instagram and adult content platform OnlyFans.com for their role in facilitating the purchase of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). The Congressman is also calling for effective guardrails to be established for credit card companies such as Mastercard and Visa, who allow the purchase of content displaying the sexual abuse of children.

In his letter, Congressman Nehls emphasizes the urgency and seriousness of the issue, stating, "Instagram and OnlyFans.com are blatantly facilitating the purchase of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). This is completely unacceptable. Children should not be victims of crimes for the financial gain of social media companies. We must do everything possible to protect our most vulnerable from this horrific Epstein Island-like industry and pursue their traffickers to the fullest extent."

The Congressman highlights the alarming reports and investigations that have revealed how Instagram's features, such as its hashtag system, algorithms, and search options, are enabling the location and purchase of CSAM. Notably, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received 31.9 million reports of child pornography in 2022, with 5 million originating from Instagram alone.

OnlyFans.com, known for its subscription-based model, has also come under scrutiny. The platform's paywall system, which conceals most content behind a payment barrier, poses significant challenges for law enforcement in identifying and pursuing cases of illicit content distribution. Additionally, credit card companies are implicated in facilitating sex-trafficking transactions between OnlyFans channels publishing child exploitation and their subscribers.

Consequently, Congressman Nehls urges the FTC to initiate comprehensive investigations into the alarming issues on both Instagram and OnlyFans.com. He calls for appropriate regulatory or legislative remedies that can address user privacy, platform business models, and the necessity for robust law enforcement mechanisms to combat online child abuse and other illegal material.

The Congressman's letter is supported by the Anti-Human Trafficking Intelligence Initiative (ATII) and the Center for Investigations in Trafficking in Persons. Aaron Kahler, Founder and CEO of ATII, commends Congressman Nehls for his leadership in protecting the most vulnerable and bringing attention to potential child sexual abuse material and exploitation occurring on various online platforms.

The Congressman eagerly awaits a response from the FTC and anticipates diligent action in resolving these concerning issues.

For more information, you can read the full letter here.