*Update* Etsy refuses to remove incest-themed merchandise (read more below)
Etsy continues to host degrading, fetish and incest-themed content despite updated policy
It was 2020 when we first exposed global online marketplace Etsy selling child sex abuse dolls – and for hosting sellers customising dolls in the likeness of actual children. Our investigation was featured in news.com.au.
Early the following year, we exposed incest and abuse-themed products being sold on the platform. In response, fashion designer Anna Cordell shut her Etsy shop (alongside a number of sellers) and, backed by us, started a change.org petition calling on the platform to remove this merchandise.
Three years and almost 70,000 signatures later, we applauded Etsy for their new policy banning sex dolls, pornography and incest-themed content. The site even blocked search terms “sex doll” and “porn”.
Etsy continues to host items in violation of new policy
However, despite the company’s updated policy, we have continued to find (supposedly prohibited) fetish items and incest-themed merchandise on the platform. We reported the following items, all using the term "Daddy" in a sexual context or alongside references to sexual acts, but they remain on the platform.
While we welcome Etsy’s new policy – a significant step forward – without enforcement, it is meaningless.
Etsy must act proactively to rid their platform of incest and abuse-themed merchandise. For a company currently valued at more than $6 billion, we think they can afford to moderate their own site and not leave the job to unpaid community members.
Update - Etsy refuses to remove incest-themed merchandise
According to the Prohibited Items policy, Etsy no longer allows items with “sexual language or slogans that contain references to familial relationships”. But when we reported a number of incest-themed items using the term “Daddy” in a sexual context – including this t-shirt referencing female ej*culation – Etsy failed to act. Weeks after being reported, these incest-themed products remain available for purchase. Etsy continues to profit from incest and abuse-themed products in violation of their own policy.
See also:
Win! Etsy bans sex dolls + porn
Beyond Fantasy: How Etsy’s child-abuse and incest-themed products put girls at risk
Not done yet - let’s get ‘sexy schoolgirl’ outfits off Etsy!
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