“Dude, Where’s My Data?’ Ashton Kutcher & Thorn’s Plan to Change European Privacy Laws

By Staff Writer Lia Daskalopoulos

“Walk for me baby

I’ll be Diddy, you’ll be Naomi, woah-oh”

Any positive reference to Sean “Diddy” Combs has aged like milk. The rapper, producer and record executive is currently awaiting trial at a New York City jail, and if convicted for his alleged crimes, will face a minimum of 15 years in prison for sex trafficking and up to life in prison for racketeering. Several Hollywood actors have been speculated to be involved in his suspected ‘freak off’ parties, and unconfirmed rumors continue to spread about who could have been involved.

One of the many celebrities rumoured to have attended and even co-hosted the alleged parties, Ashton Kutcher, has been reported to be avoiding the spotlight due to his associations with Diddy. Kutcher is an actor who rose to fame after starring on That ‘70s Show alongside his now-wife Mila Kunis. In 2009, Kutcher and his then-wife, actress Demi Moore founded Thorn, a non-profit organization designed to build technology to defend children from sexual abuse online. The organization has been widely promoted on YouTube, especially on the true crime section of the platform by channels like Rotten Mango and Kendall Rae, however the organization has been raising controversy since 2023. Although the non-profit was founded by Kutcher, he had to resign as chairman of the organization after vocally defending convicted rapist Danny Masterson by sending a letter to a judge requesting leniency to his conviction. On top of this, he has openly defended known sexual abusers on several occasions. Ashton Kutcher stood up for football coach Joe Paterno, whose contract was terminated after he allegedly covered up another coach’s sexual abuse crimes against children. He also defended former Uber CEO Travis Kalanick in 2017, who resigned after allegedly having ignored various reports of sexual harassment and discrimination within the corporation.

Although Thorn presents itself as a non-profit organization, the closer you look into it, the more it looks like a tech company. According to an investigation by Follow the Money, Thorn makes millions off the EU’s fight against child abuse online. The 2023 article states that Thorn pays several of its employees six-figure salaries and has invested almost a million dollars in a

venture capital firm called A-Grade, which is co-founded and co-owned by Ashton Kutcher himself.

So, how does Thorn fight the sexual abuse of children online, and how does it make money doing that? Thorn has worked with tech companies like Microsoft and Amazon to develop artificial intelligence tools used to detect child sexual abuse material on social media and messaging platforms. According to documents obtained by Follow the Money, while advocating for fighting child exploitation, it also heavily promotes its own software to EU officials. In 2022 alone, Thorn spent over 630,000 euros lobbying in Brussels, an amount which would be more likely to come from a tech company than an NGO. On top of that, Thorn has spent a significant sum of money on PR, advertising campaigns, and hiring lobbyists within the EU.

Thorn has been praised as a partner in drafting a new privacy law, and is considered to be the driving lobbying force behind it. The European Commission has proposed a regulation that would allow all user generated content, including images, videos and end-to-end encrypted messages to be scanned by authorities in the EU member states. Apps such as WhatsApp, Instagram and TikTok would be required to scan content on the user’s device before it is sent or after it is received.

Privacy advocates have raised concerns over the proposal. They claim that scanning content indiscriminately targets mostly innocent people, and can be misused by governments for other purposes than originally intended. One of Thorn’s previous tools, Spotlight, drew criticism for being repurposed by the US government in order to target consensual sex work by adults, according to a 2017 article by Reason. The European Commission has been warned by the European Parliament’s Civil Liberties Committee about possible undue influence by Ashton Kutcher and Thorn in the drafting of the law proposal. The Commission has also refused to provide transparent documents to the European Ombudsman regarding Thorn’s influence on drafting the new legislation in 2024, a decision which the Ombudsman has raised concerns over.

Paul Tang, a former member of the European Parliament, stated to Follow the Money in 2023 that “you cannot represent a business interest and [at the same time] the interest of abused children. That is hard to combine.” Wojciech Wiewiórowski, the European Data Protection Supervisor, agrees. “Whilst one can be a movie star to advocate for a good cause, it is a thorny problem when stakeholders hide behind the notion of civil society, therefore misleading the public, even if unintentionally”, he stated at a conference in Madrid in 2023.

However, some within the Commission push back against the criticism. Ylva Johansson, the EU’s Home Affairs Commissioner, stated that she was proud to work with Thorn, and that the legislation would not favour any particular provider for scanning software. Thorn has also received support from Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, who has stated that she and Kutcher have a common cause of protecting children.

Fighting against the sexual abuse of children is one of the most crucial issues online, and many believe that any measures available should be used to prevent the spread of child sexual abuse material. However, some are concerned about the risks posed by allowing tech companies to draft laws that benefit them financially, especially when those laws concern the privacy of all European Union citizens. Some are afraid that loosened privacy laws in combination with new AI surveillance tools can allow businesses and governments to misuse them for previously unstated purposes, possibly compromising the privacy and safety of innocent people. On top of these concerns, Ashton Kutcher’s past of having defended alleged sexual abusers leaves a bad taste in the mouth of some who stand up for victims of sexual misconduct.

SOURCES

https://archive.is/h1BdP#selection-1391.0-1444.0 Follow The Money 2023 https://archive.is/jbSX2#selection-761.0-812.0 Reason 2017

https://www.ombudsman.europa.eu/en/news-document/en/189565 Ombudsman 2024 https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/was-ashton-kutcher-involved-in-sean -diddys-scandals-actor-is-reportedly-anxious-about-his-alleged-link/articleshow/115606495.cms ?from=mdr The Economic Times 2024 (Kutcher & Diddy)

https://www.prestigeonline.com/sg/lifestyle/culture-plus-entertainment/all-the-past-controversies and-scandals-involving-ashton-kutcher/#google_vignette Prestige 2024 (Kutcher controversies)