According to the court, Facebook is not "a lawless no man's land on the Internet."No-Mans-Lawless LandTexas Supreme Court ruled that Facebook is liable for sex traffickers using the platform to attack children on Friday.According to the Houston Chronicle, the ruling was made after three lawsuits were filed against the social media platform. They involved teenage victims of sex traficking. They were targeted via Facebook Messenger by their pimps, who then sued the social media giant because they did not take more steps to stop sex trafficking.Facebook's legal team claimed that they were immune from liability under Section 230 of Communications Decency Act. This law states that users can say things online that arent the same as publishers.The court disagreed with the court and stated in the majority opinion that Section 230 does not create an Internet lawless no-mans land in which states cannot impose liability on websites who knowingly or inadvertently participate in online human trafficking.AdvertisementAdvertisementA recent amendment to section 230, which opened the door for liability for websites that violate human-trafficking laws, was one of the most important factors in the court's decision.Tragic TalesAccording to victims, they were recruited and groomed on the platforms as young as fourteen years old.According to The Houston Chronicle, their pimps lured them in with false promises of love, a better future and false claims of modeling jobs.Although we still have a long way to go, we are thankful that the Texas Supreme Court will allow these brave trafficking survivors to have their day before the court against Facebook. Annie McAdams, lead attorney for victims, stated, "While we have a long journey ahead of us, we are grateful that they will allow them to have their day before the Texas Supreme Court,". We believe that Texas trafficking survivors can expose and hold accountable companies like Facebook for these crimes of exploitation.AdvertisementAdvertisementLater, a Facebook spokesperson stated that the platform would continue its fight against the spread and predators of such content.READ MORE: Houston Chronicle wins major court case against Facebook for teens involved in sex trafficking [Houston Chronicle]Scientists Find a Clear Connection Between Facebook and DepressionFuturism readers are invited to join the Singularity Global Community. This is our parent company's forum for futuristic science and technology discussions with other like-minded people around the globe. Sign up today to get started!AdvertisementAdvertisement
