Facebook Could Be Held Liable For Sex Trafficking On Its Site, Texas Court Finds
Facebook Could Be Held Liable For Sex Trafficking On Its Site, Texas Court Finds
BY TYLER DURDEN SUNDAY, JUN 27, 2021 - 10:30 PM
In what is hopefully the first step in a long road of
accountability for the big tech giants, the Texas Supreme Court ruled on Friday
that Facebook can be held liable if sex traffickers use the platform to target
children.
The court said that Facebook is "not a lawless
no-man's-land" and that it could be held accountable after 3 lawsuits that
involved teenage sex trafficking victims, Fox News reported.
The victims in the lawsuits were reportedly preyed on through
the social media platform, which caused prosecutors to allege that the site was
negligent in not blocking sex trafficking.
Facebook, as it does, tried to hide behind Section 230, which
says that online platforms aren't responsible for third party content.
But the court disagreed, stating: "Holding internet
platforms accountable for words or actions of their users is one thing, and the
federal precedent uniformly dictates that section 230 does not allow it.
Holding internet platforms accountable for their own misdeeds is quite another
thing. This is particularly the case for human trafficking."
Facebook told Fox News: "We’re reviewing the decision and
considering potential next steps. Sex trafficking is abhorrent and not allowed
on Facebook. We will continue our fight against the spread of this content and
the predators who engage in it."
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