Background

Sex, sex work, and related censorship are hotly debated topics in the Western world. These issues can lead to powerful visibility for platforms, but that often comes at a cost of ire from conservative factions. Financial institutions such as Paypal, Visa, and Mastercard have been known to withdraw processing privileges to sites that pay out to sex workers ("SWers"). Other places have come under fire from pundits, courts, and the angry regressive public. Many more regard such content as "impolite" or "crass" in that way that people do when they're too stuck up to acknowledge they have prejudices and blindspots.

In reaction to these threats, or sometimes as an embodiment of them, sites often run hard and fast away in the other direction, causing collateral damage in their wake. Tumblr, gfycat, and imgur banned all such content retroactively, often decimating their userbases. Social media giants such as Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok have actively hunted down personal accounts of SWers that weren't engaging in such content on their sites. Even OnlyFans tried to ban most of their creator base after threats from Visa and Mastercard.

Often SWers flock to one platform or another seeking refuge to carry on with their work, studies, and personal lives, shortly before this shadow once again falls on their doorstep. Moreover, others such as LGBTQ+ people, racial minorities, and war refugees frequently get caught in the broad content policy nets as bycatch, their lives having become a bullet point of "inappropriate content".

Yesterday, despite being a purported bastion of analysis and debate, Manifold took mild but similar steps by categorizing anything sex related as "NSFW" and threw it behind an opt-in-only tag and filter (grandfathering in current users), claiming a need to clean up its public face before a major event such as Manifest happens. Is this an action of fear and prejudice or one of cold calculation that leans on common precedent in a fearful and prejudiced world? Are they under threat from investors and reporters? In these circumstances, could Manifold do better, be better? I don't know.

Aella is a public figurehead, known for her user studies, analyses, and also for her sex work and related content, who is currently planning to attend Manifest. She has brought in a fair amount of attention to the site in these nascent days, but at the same time become a frequent target for purile humor. No doubt, she's faced the issues of internet censorship, brigading, and more related to her work countless times, and probably has a powerful perspective on the matter. If asked her opinion on these new changes, how will she respond?

I also currently plan to attend Manifest and will endeavor to broach the subject with her in an appropriate context and time.

Resolution

This resolves to the answer that is the closest approximation to her response, in my judgment. I will prefer specific and accurate over broad and technically correct when choosing which to resolve to. I may split the resolution if it makes more sense to, but I intend to resolve to only one if it's possible.

If I don't ask her, or she chooses to not engage with the topic with any certainty, this resolves N/A. This is also free to resolve early if she happens to come across this question and engages with the topic here in the comments, or if she has a verifiable discussion with another person about this specific topic.

I've put in a few broad stand-ins for possible responses, but humans are nuanced so feel free to add your own.

As I am being the judge of the resolution, I won't trade here except in cases of rectification and to exit such positions.