Senators Propose Bill Targeting Websites That Facilitate Sex Trafficking (usatoday.com)

An anonymous reader quotes a report from USA Today: A bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced legislation Tuesday that aims to make it easier to sue and criminally prosecute operators of online classified sites like Backpage.com that have been used to advertise sex workers. The proposed bill would amend the Communications Decency Act to eliminate a provision that shields operators of websites from being liable for content posted by third-party users. In addition to removing liability protections for websites that facilitate "unlawful sex acts with sex trafficking victims," lawmakers are seeking to amend the CDA to allow state prosecutors -- not just federal law enforcement -- to take action against individuals and businesses that use websites to violate federal sex trafficking laws. "For too long, courts around the country have ruled that Backpage can continue to facilitate illegal sex trafficking online with no repercussions," said Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio. "The Communications Decency Act is a well-intentioned law, but it was never intended to help protect sex traffickers who prey on the most innocent and vulnerable among us. This bipartisan, narrowly crafted bill will help protect vulnerable women and young girls from these horrific crimes."

Comments

Don't eliminate valuable data!

[Locke2005]

Ever have one of those days when you google the number the cute girl gave you in a nightclub, and it shows up in an ad on backpage.com? I have. At least now I understand why she gave me her number!

Safe Harbor...

[thesupraman]

Great.

So, are they going to remove safe harbor for newspapers? The postal service? Phone companies? Hell, you see such adds posted on library community noticeboards! All of those mediums can and do have an involvement in the sex trade. Are they going to shut down strip bars? or do we just keep pretending that they have nothing to do with the sex trade.

Or just perhaps it is time to grow up out of the 1800s and accept that pushing these things deeper and deeper into hidden markets actually makes things much worse for the women involved, and that they should legalise and regulate - as many countries have done - with a matching reduction in drugs, violence, disease and abuse in that inevitable industry? The way things stand, a girl going to the police because of abuse is more likely to end up in trouble herself than get any protection - is that the way things should be?

Interestingly you will find, just like the drug 'industry' the lawless 'big players' running most of these things are actually strongly against legalisation - because it reduces their own control and profitability. They would need to clean up their act a lot, would face competition, and would need to treat their workers much, much better than many do.

But no, the US will continue burying its head (like many other countries) in an 'us and them' view of the world where the women caught up in such situations are bad and the people passing laws to punish them for their situation are good, and a blid eye is turned to the fact that many of the people passing the laws are violating them themselves, with impunity..

Sad, really.