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The Free Speech Coalition (FSC) has sent an open letter to Netflix and the producers of ‘Hot Girls Wanted: Turned On‘ accusing the two parties of violating the privacy of some of the people that appear in the show.
According to the letter, a number of people involved in the making of the show say that their images have been used “without their knowledge or consent, as well as having their legal names revealed against their will.”
The letter goes on to note the irony of the complaint, given that the series aims to highlight ethical workplace issues and “focus on issues of empowerment”, but that the production appears to not have held itself to the same standards.
“If the allegations against this project are substantiated, the producers may be perpetuating unfair labor practices against adult performers on their own production,” the FSC said. “For over twenty-five years, our organizations has fought, and won, seemingly impossible legal and political battles protecting the privacy and freedoms of those who work in the adult entertainment industry, as our community is under constant scrutiny — even from those who may have the best intentions.”
In one scene, it is alleged that the show reveals identifying information about a person in the documentary, but the companies say that the information was publicly displayed during a webcam show and falls under ‘fair use’.
“Paradoxically, this series may have made the lives of the workers featured in it substantially less safe by increasing the visibility and accessibility of their private information, such as birth names, and by broadcasting images without consent, and without regard to how that might affect these performers. The dismissal of such concerns by responding only with a reference to “fair use” speaks volumes. Yes, the use of a publicly available live web show may technically fall within legal guidelines of ‘fair use,’ but it is unethical and dangerous for producers who claim to be on the side of the performers to then take those images, and use them to “out” vulnerable workers.”
The FSC is hoping to get Netflix to remove the series from its platform until the privacy issues have been resolved. We’ve contacted Netflix for comment on the issue and will update when we get a response.
