John Oliver took on Internet trolls on this week’s Last Week Tonight with the help of some “vintage AOL ads.”
The Internet was supposed to change the world, but it has become a place where you can see “glamour shots of cats” and “angora show bunnies” or rickroll your entire audience with a clip of Rick Astley singing “Never Gonna Give You Up” (twice). It’s also become a place to say horrifying things to complete strangers and dabble in revenge porn, according to Oliver.
Get The Brief. Sign up to receive the top stories you need to know right now.
In his weekly missive, Oliver not only addressed GamerGate and the online abuse of women like Anita Sarkeesian and others who dare to state their opinion online, but also called out the “vindictive perverts” that disseminate so-called revenge porn on the web. While only 23 states have enacted statutes banning revenge porn, according to Oliver, in the other 27 states, revenge porn is something that should be illegal, but isn’t, “like using a golf umbrella in Manhattan.”
While websites like Google and Reddit have banned revenge porn, the Internet can still be a scary place for women. To warn women and their allies, Oliver updated those vintage AOL ads making the dangers of the web much more obvious.
Read next: John Oliver Conscripts Helen Mirren to Read the Senate’s Report on Torture
Download TIME’s mobile app for iOS to have your world explained wherever you go
- Who Will Be TIME's Person of the Year 2023?
- Why Cell Phone Reception Is Getting Worse
- The Dirty Secrets of Alternative Plastics
- Column: It's Time to Scrap the Abraham Accords
- Israeli Family Celebrates Release of Hostage Grandmother
- In a New Movie, Beyoncé Finds Freedom
- The Top 100 Photos of 2023
- Want Weekly Recs on What to Watch, Read, and More? Sign Up for Worth Your Time
