Teen sex trafficking victims from Houston land major court win against Facebook
The majority wrote, We do not understand Section 230 to create a lawless no-man s-land on the Internet in which states are powerless to impose liability on websites that knowingly or intentionally participate in the evil of online human trafficking.
Holding internet platforms accountable for the words or actions of their users is one thing, and the federal precedent uniformly dictates that Section 230 does not allow it, the opinion said. Holding internet platforms accountable for their own misdeeds is quite another thing. This is particularly the case for human trafficking.
The justices explained that Congress recently amended Section 230 to add the possibility of civil liability for websites that violate state and federal human-trafficking laws. They said under the amended law states may protect residents from internet companies that knowingly or intentionally participate in human trafficking through their action or inaction.