Paxton Applauds Supreme Court Ruling on Facebook; Can be Held Liable for Sex Trafficking on its Platform

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton applauds a recent Supreme Court of Texas ruling that Facebook can be held liable for the actions of sex traffickers who use its platform to recruit and prey on children. The opinion makes it very clear that Big Tech does not have the authority to “create a lawless no-man's-land on the Internet.” In denying relief to the social media giant, the Court held that the federal Communications Decency Act (CDA) does not leave states powerless to impose liability on websites that knowingly benefit from participation in human trafficking. Holding internet platforms accountable for their users' words or actions is unlawful under the CDA, the Court held; but state and federal laws may still hold them accountable for their own misdeeds.

“Big Tech repeatedly acts as if they are above the law and are able to wipe their hands clean of the evil, like human trafficking, that they allow their platforms to host,” Attorney General Paxton said. “Texas' battle against modern-day slavery will not allow this injustice, and we will hold all parties in this reprehensible operation accountable. The child victims in this case deserve more; the parents of these victims deserve more; and Texas deserves more.”

Read the full opinion here.