Stop online sex trafficking - fix the law!
Feel free to edit these emails in your own words!
It is easier than ever before to buy and sell women and children for sex thanks to the Internet. Sex traffickers have realized that they can remain anonymous, and make lots more money, if they just move their “business” from the street corner to the Internet.
Companies like Backpage.com are profiting from sex trafficking by providing classified advertising platforms that allows users to market and purchase women and children for sex. These companies are shielded by the Communications Decency Act (CDA), a law that has been misinterpreted by the courts to extend immunity to websites even if they engaged in actual criminal conduct.
In 1996, Congress passed the CDA in an effort to protect children from indecency online, while at the same time, section 230 of the CDA was specifically written to protect websites from being held responsible for content generated by third-party users it could not reasonably manage or police. The Supreme Court later invalidated the CDA, except for Section 230.
Section 230 also ensures that no provider or user is held civilly liable on account of any action voluntarily taken in good faith to restrict access to or availability of objectionable material. Furthermore, 230(c) entitled “Protection for ‘Good Samaritan’ Blocking and Screening of Offensive Material;” provides protection to ICSPs for private blocking and screening of offensive material. But Section 230 was never intended to prevent a State from criminally prosecuting a provider or user for facilitating sex trafficking, since such providers/users are not acting in good faith.
Nevertheless, as it stands now, website operators providing the national operational superstructure for and profiting from sex trafficking, are a protected class of criminals. This must change.
Very soon the Senate will have a very important decision to make: whether to side with the kingpins of sex trafficking or to #ListenToSurvivors and pass H.R. 1865, the historic FOSTA-SESTA package which will restore to law enforcement vital tools for holding criminals accountable and sex trafficking victims their rights of civil action.
The Senate must vote to pass this vitally needed legislation, and support the fundamental principle that people are not objects to be sold online.
Contact your senators by filling out this form and asking them to amend the law with the bill H.R. 1865, FOSTA-SESTA.
The National Center on Sexual Exploitation (www.EndSexualExploitation.org) is able to help you learn more about these issues and aid you in your efforts if you take this on.
ASK THEM TO AMEND THIS LAW!
If you are not a US Citizen, you cannot take action on this campaign as it is only to Elected US Officials. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!
Stop online sex trafficking - fix the law!
Feel free to edit these emails in your own words!
It is easier than ever before to buy and sell women and children for sex thanks to the Internet. Sex traffickers have realized that they can remain anonymous, and make lots more money, if they just move their “business” from the street corner to the Internet.
Companies like Backpage.com are profiting from sex trafficking by providing classified advertising platforms that allows users to market and purchase women and children for sex. These companies are shielded by the Communications Decency Act (CDA), a law that has been misinterpreted by the courts to extend immunity to websites even if they engaged in actual criminal conduct.
In 1996, Congress passed the CDA in an effort to protect children from indecency online, while at the same time, section 230 of the CDA was specifically written to protect websites from being held responsible for content generated by third-party users it could not reasonably manage or police. The Supreme Court later invalidated the CDA, except for Section 230.
Section 230 also ensures that no provider or user is held civilly liable on account of any action voluntarily taken in good faith to restrict access to or availability of objectionable material. Furthermore, 230(c) entitled “Protection for ‘Good Samaritan’ Blocking and Screening of Offensive Material;” provides protection to ICSPs for private blocking and screening of offensive material. But Section 230 was never intended to prevent a State from criminally prosecuting a provider or user for facilitating sex trafficking, since such providers/users are not acting in good faith.
Nevertheless, as it stands now, website operators providing the national operational superstructure for and profiting from sex trafficking, are a protected class of criminals. This must change.
Very soon the Senate will have a very important decision to make: whether to side with the kingpins of sex trafficking or to #ListenToSurvivors and pass H.R. 1865, the historic FOSTA-SESTA package which will restore to law enforcement vital tools for holding criminals accountable and sex trafficking victims their rights of civil action.
The Senate must vote to pass this vitally needed legislation, and support the fundamental principle that people are not objects to be sold online.
Contact your senators by filling out this form and asking them to amend the law with the bill H.R. 1865, FOSTA-SESTA.
The National Center on Sexual Exploitation (www.EndSexualExploitation.org) is able to help you learn more about these issues and aid you in your efforts if you take this on.
ASK THEM TO AMEND THIS LAW!
If you are not a US Citizen, you cannot take action on this campaign as it is only to Elected US Officials. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!