Center for Intimacy Justice

Center for Intimacy Justice (CIJ) is a nonprofit whose first cornerstone program area is working to change BigTech platforms’ systemic digital suppression practices that censor information about female sexual health and wellness. Today, ads for the health of people with vulvas (e.g. for menopause, pelvic pain, and more) are frequently rejected by tech platforms, as this information is misclassified as “adult products.” This censorship is applied in ways that discriminate based on gender and other lenses – which holds back women and nonbinary entrepreneurs in particular, and blocks access to valuable and needed health information. CIJ is working to change this – engaging in media, legal, and policy strategies, from investigative evidence building, to advocacy and PR campaigns, to working with government agencies, and more.

In January 2022, CIJ published a report in the New York Times revealing Meta's systemic rejections of ads benefiting women and people of underrepresented genders’ health. This report prompted Senator Patty Murray to write to Meta demanding answers, and in February 2022, Hillary Clinton's tweets further increased pressure on Meta. By Fall 2022, Meta revised its advertising policies to allow ads related to sexual health and wellness, including those for women and people of diverse genders. CIJ has also filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission on this issue, and is currently undergoing investigations on TikTok, Google, and Amazon, in addition to Meta.