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Article snippet: Sens. this month that would make it easier to prosecute websites that facilitate sex trafficking. Unfortunately, the Portman-McCaskill bill would have unintended consequences that would threaten free speech online and expose lawful companies to significant legal jeopardy. A better approach would be for the U.S. Department of Justice to take action under current law against sites that facilitate sex trafficking. The proposed legislation—the Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act—would modify Section 230 of the Communication Decency Act to make it easier to prosecute websites that contribute to sex trafficking. Specifically, the bill would allow states to bring criminal cases and individuals to bring civil lawsuits against any online business involved in sex trafficking. The intent is to make it easier for state attorneys general and victims to file lawsuits against sites like Backpage.com, a notorious classified ads website, which, mounting evidence suggests, has knowingly facilitated sex trafficking online. But the risk is that it would unintentionally expose good actors, such as responsible social networks and dating sites, to frivolous lawsuits. Unfortunately, the proposed changes to Section 230 would have many negative implications for average Internet users and online platforms. By limiting Section 230 protections, many online hosting platforms would be fair game for civil lawsuits that ordinarily would be dismissed out of hand. Online platforms wanting to shie... Link to the full article to read more