Feds Seize Backpage.com for Alleged Prostitution of Minors
Backpage.com has come under fire in recent years for ads that used code words such as “amber alert” to signify the trafficking of minors. Federal authorities have taken down the website due to these allegations.
Backpage co-founders Lacey and Larkin stated that the website notifies law enforcement whenever they suspect illegal activity. They also point to the Communications Decency Act, which protects websites from being held for legal responsibilities on what others post on their site.
The Act will however, be weakened by the Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act that congress had passed last month. This bill will make it less complicated for states to prosecute internet companies that play a role in human sex trafficking. Internet companies and free speech advocates criticize the bill that it would lead to censorship and that the government already has the “ability to prosecute people” that uses websites for sex trafficking.
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