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Can We Stop Kids From Watching Porn?

Zeve Sanderson @zevesanderson.com · Aug 31

I discussed our paper and the broader policy space with Jerusalem on an Atlantic podcast this spring: open.spotify.com/episode/51PT...

open.spotify.com

Zeve Sanderson @zevesanderson.com · Aug 31

In our paper, we show massive substitution of compliant sites for non-compliant sites in the US. Not only does this reward noncompliance, but (worse) it also pushes kids towards less regulated corners of the internet

osf.io/vp9z6/

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Reposted by Zeve Sanderson

Claire Woodcock @clurrese.bsky.social · Aug 27

"The misinformation paradigm, for all its limitations, has shown that rapid, large-scale coordination around democratic challenges is possible."

Noema Magazine @noemamag.com · Aug 26

“The last decade has made clear that we aren’t going to fact-check or inoculate our way toward a healthier civic culture.”

— @zevesanderson.com & Scott Babwah Brennen

#misinformation #disinformation #democracy

We Failed The Misinformation Fight. Now What? | NOEMA

Defending democracy in the digital age will require moving beyond the focus of fighting online misinformation.

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Zeve Sanderson @zevesanderson.com · Aug 27

Not at all! Appreciate the pushback and think you’re doing really important work on this — glad it’s brought in conversation here

Zeve Sanderson @zevesanderson.com · Aug 27

💯 I’m excited about some of the recent platform design work I’ve seen — and lots of it takes a much broader view of discourse / information quality than veracity

Zeve Sanderson @zevesanderson.com · Aug 27

Lots of thoughts about why it developed this way.

And should’ve linked to your paper in our piece so hoping to boost it here! Is it under review?

We Failed The Misinformation Fight. Now What? | NOEMA

Zeve Sanderson @zevesanderson.com · Aug 27

Appreciate your read & critique! And love the paper you shared. Relative to other pieces, we don’t see this as central to our diagnosis. Our bigger issue is the broader frame that groups all information together under a single analytical lens — making veracity the central feature of communication

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Zeve Sanderson @zevesanderson.com · Aug 27

But the fight also built coalitions and energy we shouldn’t lose.

The challenge now is to sustain that momentum while redirecting efforts toward healthier, more democratic information systems.

Read here: www.noemamag.com/we-failed-th...

Defending democracy in the digital age will require moving beyond the focus of fighting online misinformation.

We Failed The Misinformation Fight. Now What? | NOEMA

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Zeve Sanderson @zevesanderson.com · Aug 27

Scott & I with a new piece in @noemamag.com

We argue the “misinformation paradigm” has:
– Overstated online misinformation’s role in politics
– Ignored much of what we know about communication
– Directed attention to strategies ill-suited to today’s environment

Noema Magazine @noemamag.com · Aug 26

“The last decade has made clear that we aren’t going to fact-check or inoculate our way toward a healthier civic culture.”

— @zevesanderson.com & Scott Babwah Brennen

#misinformation #disinformation #democracy

Defending democracy in the digital age will require moving beyond the focus of fighting online misinformation.

We Failed The Misinformation Fight. Now What? | NOEMA

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Reposted by Zeve Sanderson

Noema Magazine @noemamag.com · Aug 26

“The last decade has made clear that we aren’t going to fact-check or inoculate our way toward a healthier civic culture.”

— @zevesanderson.com & Scott Babwah Brennen

#misinformation #disinformation #democracy

Defending democracy in the digital age will require moving beyond the focus of fighting online misinformation.

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Zeve Sanderson @zevesanderson.com · Jun 16

some good & important questions in a terribly framed article www.nytimes.com/2025/06/16/m...

Algorithm Shrugged - Ctrl-Alt-Speech

Zeve Sanderson @zevesanderson.com · May 30

Since I entered this space as a grad student, @mmasnick.bsky.social has been one of my favorite thinkers and writers on a range of topics. And so it was an honor & blast for me to spend the afternoon with him yesterday discussing algos, AI, and what we can do about potential harms - link below 👇

Mike Masnick @mmasnick.bsky.social · May 29

New Ctrl-Alt-Speech this week: Algorithm Shrugged with guest host @zevesanderson.com.

This week, we talked a lot about algorithms, AI, and how persuasive any of them are (and how liability should or should not apply when they are persuasive).

podcast.ctrlaltspeech.com/2315966/epis...

In this week’s roundup of the latest news in online speech, content moderation and internet regulation, Mike is joined by guest host Zeve Sanderson, the founding Executive Director of the NYU Center f...

podcast.ctrlaltspeech.com

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Zeve Sanderson @zevesanderson.com · May 14

Thanks, Larry!

Zeve Sanderson @zevesanderson.com · Apr 23

Thanks for the kind words, Mike! Great ep, as usual :)

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Zeve Sanderson @zevesanderson.com · Mar 11

You can find the full working paper: osf.io/z83ev
And please DM with any feedback on the paper!

OSF

osf.io

Zeve Sanderson @zevesanderson.com · Mar 11

2) More broadly, studies around content moderation, platform policies, & privacy regulations similarly show that users find ways to bypass digital restrictions. As states expand digital access laws, understanding these adaptation behaviors is crucial for effective policy design.

Zeve Sanderson @zevesanderson.com · Mar 11

This research has two key policy implications:

1) Multiple states are implementing age-verification laws this year, with others considering similar measures. Policymakers can use these findings to refine implementation strategies and future legislation.

Knocking on the door of a porn empire

Zeve Sanderson @zevesanderson.com · Mar 11

Why does this matter? While age-verification laws may successfully reduce traffic to regulated platforms, they also appear to drive users toward potentially less regulated & more dangerous alternatives. See this @FT podcast for more on Pornhub vs XVideos: www.ft.com/content/cc9a...

Financial pressure pushed MindGeek to alter its practices radically. But one of its biggest rivals changed almost nothing

www.ft.com

Zeve Sanderson @zevesanderson.com · Mar 11

Using pre-registered synthetic controls, we find that users in affected states simply shift their habits by searching for non-compliant sites or ways to circumvent the laws
- PornHub searches dropped 52%
- XVideos searches increased 48.1%
- VPN searches increased 23.6%

Zeve Sanderson @zevesanderson.com · Mar 11

We focused on Pornhub and XVideos for the analysis. They're both top 20 websites in the US based on traffic (and the only 2 adult sites in the top 20). They also provided a natural comparison since one (Pornhub) complied w/these laws and the other (XVideos) didn't.

Zeve Sanderson @zevesanderson.com · Mar 11

In this paper, use Google Trends data to examine what happened after age verification requirements went into effect. Did users change their search habits? Were there differences btwn sites that complied and those that didn't? Did overall search interest in adult content change?

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Zeve Sanderson @zevesanderson.com · Mar 11

While proponents argue these laws are essential to protect minors and prevent them from accessing online pornography, critics claim they are ineffective, compromise user privacy, and could drive users to less regulated platforms with more dangerous content.

Age Verification Bills – Action CenterExpandExpandExpandToggle MenuExpandExpandExpand

Zeve Sanderson @zevesanderson.com · Mar 11

Over the past 2 years, 19 states have passed age-verification laws, which require adult websites to verify users' ages through govt-issued ID or commercial age verification tools. SCOTUS recently heard arguments on the constitutionality of Texas's law.

action.freespeechcoalition.com/age-verifica...

action.freespeechcoalition.com