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Letter to Hon. Merrick Garland, Attorney General - Congresswoman Ann Wagner Leads Bipartisan Coalition Calling for DOJ to Investigate OnlyFans for Child Exploitation

Letter

By: Barry Moore, Rick Crawford, Paul Gosar, Young Kim, Lauren Boebert, Mike Waltz, Val Demings, Scott Franklin, Byron Donalds, Lucy McBath, Mariannette Miller-Meeks, Mike Bost, Jim Banks, Hal Rogers, Bill Huizenga, Tim Walberg, Blaine Luetkemeyer, David Rouzer, Ted Budd, Chris Smith, Andrew Garbarino, Claudia Tenney, Bob Gibbs, Tom Cole, Guy Reschenthaler, Diana Harshbarger, Dan Crenshaw, Kay Granger, Jodey Arrington, Michael Burgess, John Carter, Burgess Owens, Jennifer Wexton, Tom Tiffany, Ann Wagner, Gary Palmer, Bruce Westerman, David Valadao, Michelle Steel, Neal Dunn, Darren Soto, Gus Bilirakis, Brian Mast, Buddy Carter, Ashley Hinson, Randy Feenstra, Jackie Walorski, James Comer, Jr., Dutch Ruppersberger, John Moolenaar, Lisa McClain, Billy Long, Madison Cawthorn, Jeff Van Drew, Yvette Herrell, Elise Stefanik, Chris Jacobs, Markwayne Mullin, Brian Fitzpatrick, Tom Rice, Chuck Fleischmann, Michael McCaul, Pete Sessions, Troy Nehls, Sylvia Garcia, Blake Moore, Abigail Spanberger, Kim Schrier, Robert Aderholt, Steve Womack, Debbie Lesko, Ken Calvert, Rosa DeLauro, Bill Posey, Daniel Webster, Greg Steube, Carlos Gimenez, Jody Hice, Cindy Axne, Cheri Bustos, Larry Bucshon, Clay Higgins, Peter Meijer, Elissa Slotkin, Vicky Hartzler, Richard Hudson, Jr., Jeff Fortenberry, Mikie Sherrill, Nicole Malliotakis, John Katko, Anthony Gonzalez, Stephanie Bice, Jeff Duncan, Tim Burchett, Lance Gooden, Randy Weber, Sr., Chip Roy, Henry Cuellar, Colin Allred, Ben Cline, Jaime Herrera Beutler, David McKinley
Date: Aug. 10, 2021
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Technology and Communication Minors and Children Criminal Justice

Attorney General Garland,

With the COVID-19 pandemic forcing our kids to spend more time isolated and online, it is our responsibility to ensure children are protected from bad actors operating via the internet. Of particular concern is the website OnlyFans.com, which has become a major marketplace for buying and selling Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) in the United States, as well as soliciting sexual activity with minors. We write today to call your attention to potentially illegal activity, including child sexual exploitation, that this website is facilitating. We request the U.S. Department of Justice investigate the content sold on OnlyFans.com, as well as the policies, or lack thereof, that OnlyFans employs to report instances of CSAM or child exploitation on their platform.

The presence of CSAM on OnlyFans is undeniable. Over the past two years, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) has seen a continuously increasing amount of CSAM and child exploitation on OnlyFans. In 2019, NCMEC indicated it was aware of 10 cases involving missing children associated with content sold on OnlyFans. In 2021, NCMEC has identified at least 80 cases in which missing children were linked with OnlyFans content. Moreover, in 2021, the National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE) named OnlyFans one of the top contributors to online sexual exploitation in the United States.

It appears OnlyFans does not have adequate mechanisms in place to notify the proper authorities when CSAM is found on the website. Earlier this year, law enforcement in Florida's Miami-Dade County arrested two adults for human trafficking, possession of a sexual performance by a child, and promoting the sexual performance by a child. According to law enforcement officials, these arrests were only made possible when a friend of the underage girl saw videos of the victim being exploited on OnlyFans and notified the authorities. With more than 220 million monthly visitors on OnlyFans, the pervasiveness of CSAM on this website, as well as any business practices used to shield such content from scrutiny, must be investigated.

Based on the concerns outlined in this letter, we request that the Department of Justice utilize its authority and resources to conduct a robust investigation into OnlyFans focused on:

The prevalence of CSAM on OnlyFans, and what measures, or lack thereof, OnlyFans employs to prevent, reduce, and respond to CSAM on its platform.

The prevalence of missing or abducted children linked to content on OnlyFans, and the measures, or lack thereof, OnlyFans employs to report such instances to law enforcement.

The use of direct messaging on OnlyFans to solicit prostitution, and the extent to which minors are solicited for prostitution or other services related to sexual activity.

We appreciate your consideration and look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,


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