US Senate approves anti-sex-trafficking bill

On 21 March, the US Senate approved an anti-sex-trafficking bill that permits victims to take sue online platforms that knowingly enable their abuse. Under previous laws, websites are not held responsible for third-party content. The law has generated discussion on the topic, with optimism, such as from WDTN 2 News’ Advocates Hopeful Anti-sex trafficking Measure will Curb Online Exploitation, and the need for protections for victims and survivors, and criticism, as seen in The Baltimore Sun’s Sex Trafficking Bill Likely to do more Harm than Good.  Some issues discussed include implications for freedom of expression and the effect of legal costs for liability cases for small startups. Others discussed possible changes to the Internet, such as Nitasha Tiku’s How a Controversial new Sex-trafficking law will Change the Web.