AOL Bans Safe Sex Question

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday August 2, 1999

Contact: John Aravosis
President, Wired Strategies
john@wiredstrategies.com
202/328-5707

IS AOL UNCOMFORTABLE WITH SAFE SEX INFO?
Subscriber booted for asking AIDS-related question

WASHINGTON, DC - On Sunday July 25, America Online (AOL) kicked a man out of a gay-oriented chat room for asking a question about safe sex, according to three witnesses present at the time. A transcript of the chat obtained by Wired Strategies indicates that AOL employee "Guide RBT" suspended the gay member's chat privileges because his HIV-related question contained "sexually explicit language," violating AOL's Terms of Service (TOS).

National AIDS groups immediately criticized AOL's actions. "AOL should be more concerned about public health than policing naughty words," said Daniel Zingale, executive director of AIDS Action in Washington, DC. "No one should be discouraged from seeking online information about HIV and AIDS prevention."

The incident arose in the "Ask Gay Guy Anything" chat room when Dave, a 33 year old gay man from California, posed a question about the risk of HIV infection of a specific sex act. "Does the hiv virus weaken at all once it hits the air?", Dave asked the room. He indicated he was embarrassed to complete his question, but after prodding from the room's members, wrote: "ok had sex 1st time with a man and he came on my back then 1 min later he put his finger up my anus with cumm on it."

The guide immediately intervened, telling Dave: "sexually explicit language is a violation of the Terms of Service! Your chat has been suspended for the next 60 minutes. Please use that time to review Keyword: TOS."

But a review of AOL's Terms of Service shows that the provider's standard for appropriate language depends on the subject matter of the chat room involved. The TOS specifically says that "some chat rooms may use stronger language than others" and "some online areas may deal with more adult-oriented topics such as sexual dysfunction, rape, or infidelity." It was therefore surprising to those present that the guide intervened to stop a safe-sex question in a room clearly labeled "Ask Gay Guy Anything."

"The room was in an uproar about it after it happened," AOL member John from St. Louis told Wired Strategies. Rick from Durham, NC, who was also present, said that "the room tried to explain to the guide [that Dave was simply asking a safe-sex question], but the Guide had made his/her decision and was not going to change it."

"It was a legitimate Safe Sex Question," said a third AOL member and witness, Bill from Columbus, Ohio. Others in the room concurred. "[He] was legitimately trying to express himself the best way he knew how....There has to be this type of contact for those who may not wish to talk face to face with someone, or who may not know where to go and who to talk to. They may be scared they will be beat up if they talk to someone in person and ask the wrong people," said Rick.

Some fear more serious ramifications. John called AOL's response "insensitive and homophobic," and described it as an "action that not only may adversely affect the health of those involved but scare others away from asking sincere questions about safe sex. I seriously doubt a guide would suspend a woman asking questions about women's health care issues and requesting advice on how to do a breast exam. Why a gay man for a sincere concern about his health?"

In fact, AOL's Terms of Service details the proper way a woman should discuss her breasts online. According to the TOS, "in a discussion about forms of cancer, the words 'breast' or 'testicular' would be acceptable, but slang versions of those words would not be acceptable anywhere."

Yet a cursory review of AOL's heterosexual health areas shows an abundant use of anatomical slang that has not met the online service's ire. In the "Sexuality and Women" and "Women's Health" bulletin boards alone, AOL subscribers have posted numerous health-related questions and answers including the following words: "nuts," "cum," "piss," "dick," "fuck," "clits," and "mongo boobs."

Some took exception to AOL's language standards. "AOL is saying that it's ok to discuss life-saving medical information so long as you're educated enough not to speak in slang," said AIDS Actions' Zingale. "For millions of Americans who might be less-educated, or simply nervous about asking such an important personal question, that's a troubling standard. The people most at risk today from HIV are disproportionately young, poor and less educated. They need the facts more than they need their mouths washed out with cyber-soap," Zingale said.

Internet experts say this incident points to a larger dilemma for online businesses. "Businesses forget that virtual communities are made of real people, with real needs," said John Aravosis, president of Washington, DC-based Wired Strategies Internet consulting. "It's a double-edged sword. Big business wants to profit off of online communities, but doesn't want to be held responsible for how it manages them," Aravosis said, "they can't have it both ways."

When asked how AOL could make amends for its actions this past week, John in St. Louis said: "I fully expect an apology to the members involved and a commitment from AOL to increase training in sensitivity to its guides. Actions by guides such as Guide RBT can cause irreparable harm to the health of members."

Wired Strategies (http://www.wiredstrategies.com) is a Washington, DC-based political Internet consulting firm specializing in using the Internet to influence and implement public policy. Wired Strategies has worked on a number of gay-related civil rights issues, including assisting Master Chief Timothy McVeigh in his online privacy case against the US Navy (http://www.wiredstrategies.com/mcveigh.htm ), and helping disseminate information on the Matthew Shepard murder (http://www.wiredstrategies.com/shepard.html ).

                    # # #

Click here to visit the Wired Strategies Hate Speech home page.