Beyond the Filter

In this episode of Beyond the Filter, Brandy and Jeremy host Varsha Vaishali, founder of Cyber Harassment Support, to explore the multifaceted issue of cyber harassment. They delve into practical support strategies, the evolving landscape of online abuse, and innovative solutions to make digital spaces safer for all.

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In the season finale of Beyond the Filter, Jeremy and Brandy are joined by Shambhawi Paudel (ILGA Asia) and Mar Díaz (digital rights and LGBTQ advocate) for a wide-ranging conversation on censorship, platform power, and queer expression across Europe and Asia.

From colonial-era morality laws and online entrapment in parts of Asia to shadowbanning, algorithmic bias, and the limits of the EU’s Digital Services Act, the episode explores how governments and platforms alike are reshaping digital space in the name of “safety.” The guests examine why sex workers and LGBTQ+ communities are often first and hardest hit by over-moderation, how fictional and AI-generated content is being swept into expanding criminal frameworks, and whether privacy and human rights law offer better tools to address real harms like deepfake abuse.

As a preview of two upcoming RightsCon workshops, the conversation asks a central question: how do we protect people online without collapsing the line between personal expression and lived abuse?

Drawing the Line Watchlist 2025 – A research report covering 10 countries that reveals how the conflation of personal expression with lived abuse is diverting resources away from protecting real victims from harm.

Resources – ILGA Asia – A central repository of reports, policy briefs, statements, and research publications produced by ILGA Asia, covering LGBTIQ human rights, civic space, legal reform, and regional advocacy developments across Asia..

Legal Barriers to Freedom of Expression – From the ILGA World Database, an interactive global database documenting laws that restrict freedom of expression related to sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, and sex characteristics (SOGIESC), including criminal, administrative, and morality-based provisions affecting LGBTIQ communities.

Platform Accountability: a rule-of-law checklist — a report by the European Sex Workers’ Rights Alliance outlining recommendations on platform governance, content moderation, and accountability for sex workers’ rights. 

Freedom on the Net 2024: The Struggle for Trust Online — Freedom House’s annual digital rights assessment across 72 countries, covering internet freedom and online expression. 

Repro Uncensored Research Page — the research archive page for Repro Uncensored, featuring reports and investigations on digital censorship and platform control. 

Manifesto for Sex-Positive Social Media — a manifesto setting out guiding principles for platforms, governments, and policymakers to support sex-positive approaches to social media content and governance. 

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In this episode of Beyond the Filter, Brandy and Jeremy examine how gender-based harm is being amplified by digital platforms and AI tools, using the recent Grok scandal on X as a case study. The chatbot’s ability to generate sexualized, non-consensual images of real women and girls exposed serious failures in platform governance and safeguards beyond-the-filter-ep-11.

Joining the discussion is Sofia Bonilla, Director of Strategy & Partnerships at the Integrity Institute, who explains what TFGBV is, who is most vulnerable to it, and why online abuse often escalates into lasting psychological, social, and economic harm. The conversation explores how AI image generation has lowered the barriers to abuse, blurred legal and ethical boundaries, and intensified the silencing of women, girls, and gender-diverse people online.

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This episode discusses Australia’s groundbreaking social media minimum age law, which mandates that platforms block users under 16. The conversation explores the implications of this law on free expression, mental health, cyberbullying, and the responsibilities of both the government and parents. It also delves into the enforcement challenges and the potential impact on adult users’ privacy, while considering alternative approaches to protecting children online without infringing on their rights.

Australian social media minimum-age law & age assurance

Prevalence of youth social-media use

Mental health & social media

Cyberbullying

Online child sexual exploitation & grooming

Radicalisation & extremism online

Age assurance & bias / effectiveness

Parental controls, parenting practices

Alternatives: age-appropriate design, targeted age checks, etc.

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In this special edition of Beyond the Filter, hosts Brandy Brightman and Jeremy Malcolm present the global launch of the Drawing the Line Watchlist—a groundbreaking report examining how ten countries around the world are increasingly blurring the line between personal expression (art, fiction, advocacy, consensual adult material) and lived abuse involving real victims.

Joined by three members of the project’s Advisory Board—Emma Shapiro, Ashley Remminga, and Zora Rush—this live podcast-webinar explores how censorship, moral panic, and poorly drafted laws are reshaping the digital landscape for artists, queer communities, and marginalized creators.

Together, the panel unpacks:

Guests share on-the-ground insights from their domains—arts advocacy, queer cultural research, and responsible AI—while Jeremy previews the Watchlist’s findings, including startling shifts in enforcement patterns and international case studies.

The conversation closes with actionable recommendations for policymakers, platforms, and civil society about how to genuinely keep children safe without eroding creative and queer expression.

For the full report and the Drawing the Line Principles, visit: drawingthelineprinciples.org.

You can also watch this episode as a webinar, with bonus live Q&A content.

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Hosts Brandy and Jeremy talk with Dr. Craig Harper of Nottingham Trent University about his research on whether fantasy sexual materials—like AI-generated images, cartoons, or sex dolls—are linked to real-world offending.

Dr. Harper explains that, despite common policy assumptions, there’s no evidence such materials increase risk. Across multiple studies, his team has found no connection between fictional sexual content and offending, and in some cases, higher sexual satisfaction may even relate to lower self-reported risk.

He discusses the ethical limits of this research, why criminalization may target low-risk individuals, and how therapists can thoughtfully navigate disclosures about fantasy material use. Harper also addresses the backlash researchers face when data challenge moral intuitions, urging listeners to base prevention efforts on evidence, not instinct.

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Brandy and Jeremy unpack the political turmoil after the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. They highlight the double standards in how violence is mourned across party lines and how Kirk’s death was used to justify sweeping crackdowns—from visa cancellations to labeling Antifa a terrorist group.

The hosts then explore the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel after he mocked the right’s narrative, exposing how Trump-era pressure on media threatens free speech. With historical parallels to authoritarian propaganda, they warn of growing censorship while noting the pushback that forced Kimmel’s return. Their message is clear: defending satire and dissent is essential to defending democracy itself.

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Brandy and Jeremy speak with journalist Michael McGrady Jr about two growing threats to online sexual expression: financial censorship and age verification laws. They discuss recent crackdowns, including the financial censorship of adult games on Steam and itch.io, and the effects of the UK’s Online Safety Act requiring ID checks for many sites. Michael explains how these measures harm both privacy and the livelihoods of sex workers, game developers, and queer creators. Learn how long-running moral campaigns combined with corporate risk aversion are creating a perfect storm for the suppression of lawful expression worldwide, and discover real ways to protect children without censorship.

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In this episode of Beyond the Filter, hosts Jeremy and Brandy delve into the creation of Fan Refuge, a new social media platform designed for fans by fans. Jeremy shares insights into how Fan Refuge aims to provide a censorship-free space while ensuring user safety through innovative tools and community guidelines. Discover the challenges and inspirations behind this project, and learn how Fan Refuge plans to stand out in the landscape of fan websites. Join us as we explore the future of fan communities online.

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In this episode, hosts Jeremy and Brandy speak with F15-H (Fish), an artist from Hong Kong now living in mainland China, about a shocking wave of arrests targeting fanfiction writers on the Chinese platform MyHD Books. Over 500 authors—predominantly young women and college students—were arrested in May on charges of public indecency, facing penalties of up to 10 years in prison simply for writing erotic fanfiction. Fish reveals how these arrests were triggered when the Taiwan-based platform introduced monetization features, giving authorities a pretext to crack down on content that had existed for years. The conversation explores China’s gendered approach to censorship, where female-created content faces harsher penalties than male-oriented material, and draws troubling parallels to rising puritanical movements worldwide. From doll nipples getting creators shadow-banned from payment systems to fans reporting writers to the government over shipping preferences, Fish paints a picture of a surveillance state where fiction is treated more seriously than real crimes—and warns that similar trends are emerging globally.

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