Drawing the Line Between Personal Expression and Lived Abuse
Principles
01. Expression is Not Abuse
Fiction, art, fantasy, personal narratives, and other creative content are essential components of human expression, cultural exploration and critique, and personal growth. Content reflecting lived experiences and creative expression which includes queerness, kink, LGBTQ identities, survivor identity, and racial or cultural identity must not be restricted or stigmatized based on those factors.
02. Defend Creative and Cultural Expression
Fictional work and creative expression should not be conflated with acts of sexual abuse against others in policy, enforcement, or language. Collapsing this distinction risks diluting the seriousness of real abuse and undermining the rights of creators and communities alike, while also funneling resources and attention away from meaningful efforts to prevent and combat abuse.
03. Respect Survivor Autonomy
Survivors of sexual violence deserve respect, support, and autonomy. The way that content thresholds are set in digital spaces can stigmatize and disenfranchise survivors, or trivialize their lived experience. Ethical content policies should prioritize the agency of survivors and not co-opt them into supporting overbroad censorship measures.Â
04. Support Evidence-Based Safety and Prevention Practices
Effective prevention of sexual violence and abuse requires investments in public health, education, consent culture, economic justice, and social services. The censorship of legal content cannot be justified as an evidence-based abuse prevention measure. Meaningful progress in protecting people and building a safer society will be made through anchoring public discourse and policy in facts, not fear.
05. Create Robust Digital Due Process Practices
Rules restricting lawful creative content must be clearly articulated and interpretable and meet a high bar of justification and proportionality. Creators, researchers, and users must be protected from intrusive, disingenuous, or coercive demands for their private data in the course of content moderation. Platforms and regulators must provide notice of content removal decisions and the opportunity to challenge them.
06. Evaluate Impact on Marginalized Individuals and Communities
Poorly conceptualized and overly broad policies impact marginalized individuals and communities the most. Responsible and fair policies can only be created when those who are most likely to face erasure or restrictions, including survivors, sex workers, members of the LGBTQ community, and racial or ethnic minorities, are meaningfully involved in policy development. Policy changes should be evaluated for their impact on these communities.
Preamble
Reaffirming the fundamental human rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, we recognize that human dignity requires balancing protection from harm with creative freedom. We acknowledge that sexual expression constitutes a fundamental aspect of human experience and creativity, and assumptions about its inherent danger represent discriminatory practices that harm both individual rights and artistic freedom.Â
We emphasize that fiction and creative expression must never be equated with actual abuse. Blurring this distinction harms both victims and creators by misdirecting attention and resources away from real abuse prevention and toward stigmatizing lawful expression.
We affirm that abuse survivors should have a voice in policy discussions and creators should be able to explore all themes and experiences without stigma or overbroad restrictions.
These principles guide our commitment to creating spaces both online and offline that truly protect survivors and preserve fundamental freedoms through informed and balanced approaches.
Principles
01. Expression is Not Abuse
Fiction, art, fantasy, personal narratives, and other creative content are essential components of human expression, cultural exploration and critique, and personal growth. Content reflecting lived experiences and creative expression which includes queerness, kink, LGBTQ identities, survivor identity, and racial or cultural identity must not be restricted or stigmatized based on those factors.
02. Defend Creative and Cultural Expression
Fictional work and creative expression should not be conflated with acts of sexual abuse against others in policy, enforcement, or language. Collapsing this distinction risks diluting the seriousness of real abuse and undermining the rights of creators and communities alike, while also funneling resources and attention away from meaningful efforts to prevent and combat abuse.
03. Respect Survivor Autonomy
Survivors of sexual violence deserve respect, support, and autonomy. The way that content thresholds are set in digital spaces can stigmatize and disenfranchise survivors, or trivialize their lived experience. Ethical content policies should prioritize the agency of survivors and not co-opt them into supporting overbroad censorship measures.Â
04. Support Evidence-Based Safety and Prevention Practices
Effective prevention of sexual violence and abuse requires investments in public health, education, consent culture, economic justice, and social services. The censorship of legal content cannot be justified as an evidence-based abuse prevention measure. Meaningful progress in protecting people and building a safer society will be made through anchoring public discourse and policy in facts, not fear.
05. Create Robust Digital Due Process Practices
Rules restricting lawful creative content must be clearly articulated and interpretable and meet a high bar of justification and proportionality. Creators, researchers, and users must be protected from intrusive, disingenuous, or coercive demands for their private data in the course of content moderation. Platforms and regulators must provide notice of content removal decisions and the opportunity to challenge them.
06. Evaluate Impact on Marginalized Individuals and Communities
Poorly conceptualized and overly broad policies impact marginalized individuals and communities the most. Responsible and fair policies can only be created when those who are most likely to face erasure or restrictions, including survivors, sex workers, members of the LGBTQ community, and racial or ethnic minorities, are meaningfully involved in policy development. Policy changes should be evaluated for their impact on these communities.
Preamble
Reaffirming the fundamental human rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, we recognize that human dignity requires balancing protection from harm with creative freedom. We acknowledge that sexual expression constitutes a fundamental aspect of human experience and creativity, and assumptions about its inherent danger represent discriminatory practices that harm both individual rights and artistic freedom.Â
We emphasize that fiction and creative expression must never be equated with actual abuse. Blurring this distinction harms both victims and creators by misdirecting attention and resources away from real abuse prevention and toward stigmatizing lawful expression.
We affirm that abuse survivors should have a voice in policy discussions and creators should be able to explore all themes and experiences without stigma or overbroad restrictions.
These principles guide our commitment to creating spaces both online and offline that truly protect survivors and preserve fundamental freedoms through informed and balanced approaches.
Endorsements
Organizations
Center for Online Safety and Liberty
Non-Profit Organisation
Scarlet Alliance
National Sex Workers Association
ZMO Law PLLC
Legal Professional Corporation
Heal Sweet Home
Sexuality Acceptance/Embracement Group
TBC
Individual
Ashley Remminga
Graduate Researcher, University of Tasmania
Zora Rush
Sociotechnical Linguist
TBC
TBC
TBC
Organizations
Center for Online Safety and Liberty
Non-Profit Organisation
Scarlet Alliance
National Sex Workers Association
ZMO Law PLLC
Legal Professional Corporation
Heal Sweet Home
Sexuality Acceptance/Embracement Group
TBC
Individual
Ashley Remminga
Graduate Researcher, University of Tasmania
Zora Rush
Sociotechnical Linguist
TBC
TBC
TBC
Add Your Endorsement
Drawing the Line Coalition Resources
Drawing the Line Background Paper
This background paper accompanies the release of the Drawing the Line Principles, a set of guiding principles for an ongoing program of research and advocacy work intended to clearly delineate the boundary between personal expression and lived abuse in the context of digital content regulation and moderation.
U.S. v Anderegg Amicus Brief
This brief in the U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals responds to a government argument that it is constitutional to criminalize a person over expressive materials that they possess or create privately in their own home, simply by labelling them as obscene. The brief argues that this would be an impermissible intrusion into constitutionally protected privacy rights.
Drawing the Line Background Paper
This background paper accompanies the release of the Drawing the Line Principles, a set of guiding principles for an ongoing program of research and advocacy work intended to clearly delineate the boundary between personal expression and lived abuse in the context of digital content regulation and moderation.
U.S. v Anderegg Amicus Brief
This brief in the U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals responds to a government argument that it is constitutional to criminalize a person over expressive materials that they possess or create privately in their own home, simply by labelling them as obscene. The brief argues that this would be an impermissible intrusion into constitutionally protected privacy rights.