Texas Court Rules Facebook May Be Liable for Sex Trafficking Recruitment
A Texas Supreme Court ruled that Facebook can be held liable for sex trafficking recruitment after a recent report revealing online recruitment in active sex trafficking cases in 2020 involving Facebook. Facebook’s argument that it is shielded by Section 230 will be challenged as the Texas Supreme Court ruling will seek to consider three local lawsuits involving teenage victims who met their traffickers through Facebook’s messaging tools according to a report issued by the Houston Chronicle.
With Section 230 becoming a common conversation surrounding the moderation and censorship of many Big Tech platforms, it's possible that the Texas Supreme Court will also join the chorus of those who are calling for tech companies to be treated as publishers. According to recent reports from the Human Trafficking Institute, most online recruitment in active cases last year occurred on Facebook.
District Judge Christina Snyder ruled that the policy illegally discriminated against federal officers by singling them out while excluding state and local law enforcement.