In a piece published by the Washington Post, Law Professor and former director of the National Center for the Prosecution of Child Abuse, Mary Leary, argues that Congress hasn’t done enough to stop the sexual trafficking of children by sites like Backpage. One of the main culprits she feels is preventing this is the Communications …
Backpage co-founder Michael Lacey is awaiting his trial on human trafficking and money laundering charges that is set to take place in 2020. Meanwhile, he’s free to go about his business while wearing an ankle monitor. I find that kind of ironic since I’m sure a number of Backpage’s victims probably had actual chains attached …
UPDATE 4/30/2018: Lacey and Larkin’s federal trial has been scheduled for January 2020. *** I’ve been behind in posting stories about the legal battles befalling Backpage, such as the passage of the SESTA/FOSTA bill that would amend section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996. The legislation is worded so websites that knowingly facilitate …
Previously, I’ve posted about how tech giants like Google opposed amending the Communications Decency Act of 1996. After the drubbing Google and Facebook took during last week’s Senate hearing about the Russian political ads debacle, they now have seemed to thrown their support behind the Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act. This is the bill that …
Nicholas Kristof, of the New York Times, is one of the few nationally known journalists who has continually reported on the transgressions of Backpage when it comes to Backpage’s part in the sex trade. In one of his recent columns, Kristoff goes after an even bigger fish in the polluted waters of internet sex trafficking, …
Back in December, I was concerned that incoming California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, wouldn’t pursue charges against Backpage like his predecessor Kamala Harris did. Those fears were allayed after the Sacramento County Superior Court overruled defense dismissal motions, meaning prosecution against Backpage CEO Carl Ferrer and Backpage shareholders Michael Lacey and Jim Larkin. While the …
A week ago today (because I’m current like that), the Senate submitted a bill that would add an amendment to the Communications Decency Act of 1996 that would specifically remove the protection Backpage has hidden behind so they could continue to facilitate the trafficking of women and children in their ads. The bill, sponsored by …
The Washington Post recently received documents from a lawsuit unrelated to Backpage that allegedly shows Backpage was not only creating and editing the content of their adult ads, but they were copying ads from competing websites and actively soliciting people to post sex ads on Backpage for free. The lawsuit was filed against a company …
A domestic violence shelter in Arizona and a human rights group in Florida have both filed lawsuits against Backpage claiming that Backpage was knowingly running a site for prostitution and human trafficking. The Sojourner Center in Phoenix, and Florida Abolitionist in Orlando, are both seeking unspecified damages from Backpage for the time, money and counseling …
Five separate underage victims who claim that they were trafficked on Backpage for sex are suing the embattled website in four different states. The victims, ranging in ages from 14 to 16 at the time of the crimes, have filed suits in California, Texas, Washington and Alabama. Previous lawsuits like this have been defeated in …
