Anti-child sex trafficking and public interest groups Wednesday reported (see 1705160078) that Google funded groups and individuals that defended Backpage.com, which has been sued by sex-trafficking victims and was the subject of a nearly two-yearlong government investigation. "Legal scholars and groups supported by Google have written letters and amicus briefs in support," reported Consumer Watchdog, DeliverFund, Faith and Freedom Coalition, The Rebecca Project and Trafficking in America Task Force. "More than half of the 42 signatories of a letter opposing a bill to tackle online child trafficking -- 22 in all -- were either directly funded by Google, or worked at institutions that were funded by the company." The groups seek to change Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which is designed to protect website operators from lawsuits arising out of third-party content. The report said the Center for Democracy & Technology and the Electronic Frontier Foundation defended Section 230 and benefited from Google's funding. Like other internet companies, Google has "long contributed" to organizations like CDT and EFF for their advocacy of privacy, surveillance reform and the open Internet and related issues, a company spokeswoman said. "We will continue to use our technology to combat the tragedy of child sex trafficking, will continue our significant funding of organizations that combat this crime, and maintain our zero-tolerance approach to ads for this illegal activity.” EFF has defended Section 230 "practically since the inception of our organization because it's essential to free speech on the Internet," emailed Legal Director Corynne McSherry. "The suggestion that our advocacy is at the behest of any one organization is ludicrous." CDT didn't comment. Backpage.com has been at the center of Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations probe, which issued a report in January saying the company knowingly facilitated prostitution and child sex trafficking and edited content to conceal evidence (see 1701100001).
Section 230
Advocacy groups will report Wednesday about Google's support for Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which they said protects "notorious hub of child sex trafficking, Backpage.com, from any accountability," said Consumer Watchdog Tuesday. CW, the Faith & Freedom Coalition, Rebecca Project, Trafficking in America Task Force and "Nacole S.," the mother of a trafficking victim will urge tech companies to back a change in Section 230 -- which is designed to protect website operators from lawsuits arising out of third-party content -- that will permit families of trafficking victims to hold accountable websites that aid and abet child sex traffickers. Google didn't immediately respond. Nacole S.'s daughter sued Backpage.com in 2014 with two other victims, saying the company engaged in sex trafficking of minors in violation of the federal 2008 Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act and the Massachusetts version (see 1603180035). In January, Nacole S. testified before the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, probing the online classified advertiser for 20 months at the time. Backpage.com executives were said to have knowingly facilitated prostitution and child sex trafficking and edited content to conceal evidence (see 1701100001). The 1 p.m. EDT news conference can be viewed via Facebook.
FARMINGTON, Pa. -- Cable and telco officials and critics disputed privacy and net neutrality at an FCBA seminar Saturday. There were sharp differences over the FCC 2015 open internet and Title II broadband reclassification order and its 2016 broadband privacy order, and over recent Republican moves and proposals to roll them back. There was some agreement that common ground could be found on open internet rules, that much of the fight is over FCC authority under the Communications Act, and that a legislative fix is needed but difficult.
Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., will be interviewed by Internet Association President Michael Beckerman in a live-streamed event Tuesday at 6 p.m. EDT. An IA spokesman said issues likely to be discussed include Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, copyright and digital trade, in addition to questions from online viewers. The event is billed as a fundraiser for Wyden, who was re-elected last year to his fourth full Senate term.
AT&T was the giant among Q1 lobbying spenders at $4.58 million. That's more than double what others such as Charter Communications and Qualcomm spent, and exceeded Verizon's spending by more than $1 million. It beat what trade associations tended to expend, with such entities as NAB spending $3.76 million and CTIA $2.7 million. Comcast was another big spender, at $3.7 million. The lobbying disclosure forms were due Thursday.
An attorney for Dawn Hassell's law firm, which sued a former client for a "defamatory" review posted on Yelp, said Yelp's challenge to a California court order to remove the comment doesn't stand on solid ground. "Contrary to what appears to be a chorus of misinformed voices, this case is not a First Amendment case and does not threaten the structure or purpose of the Communications Decency Act," emailed Duckworth Peters attorney Monique Olivier Wednesday, referring to Hassell v. Bird. "Instead, it presents a narrow issue: what remedy does a party have to stop the republication of statements that have been adjudicated by a court of law -- after review of an evidentiary record -- to be false and defamatory. The First Amendment does not protect lies, whether in a print publication or an anonymous internet bulletin board. No constitutional interest is advanced by such a notion." Olivier represents Hassell, who sued Ava Bird in 2013 for posting what Hassell said is a defamatory review. Yelp wasn't party to the suit but Hassell, who won the case by default judgment, asked a state court to enter an order to have both Bird and Yelp remove the content. Yelp challenged the order but the California Court of Appeal last year upheld it. The company appealed to the California Supreme Court. In recent days, major civil society, media and tech organizations rallied around Yelp, filing amici briefs (see 1704180017) saying the company is protected by the First Amendment and from liability through Section 230 of CDA. They argued Yelp also wasn't given due process rights since it wasn't party to the lawsuit.
Yelp, which is challenging an order from a California state court to remove an individual's online "defamatory" review against a lawyer, is getting support from major civil society, industry and technology organizations including CTA, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), Facebook, Google and the Internet Association, arguing online free speech is threatened. The briefs also back Yelp's arguments to the California Supreme Court, which is hearing the challenge in Hassell v. Bird, that the lower court's order violates the company's due process rights and Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act (CDA), which protects online platforms from being held liable for content posted on their sites.
President Donald Trump's repeated accusations that news organizations like CNN and The New York Times are producing "fake news" may threaten efforts by Facebook, social media platforms and others fighting hoaxes and misinformation, further undermining authority of well-sourced, accurate stories, said tech and media experts in recent interviews. It's difficult to say how the president's accusations could affect Facebook, Reddit, Twitter and other social media sites, where 62% of U.S. adults get at least some of their news, said a Pew Research Center poll last year. But experts agree less well-sourced stories or those that the president may favor over more mainstream reporting could become more widely disseminated through these sites, confusing readers about what is accurate. “Social media tends to create a false validity simply through republication," said Fletcher Heald attorney Kevin Goldberg, counsel to the American Society of News Editors (ASNE) and Association of Alternative Newsmedia (AAN).
Backpage.com executives including CEO Carl Ferrer invoked their constitutional rights and refused to answer questions at a Tuesday hearing held by the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI), which has been probing the online classified advertiser for 20 months as part of a larger inquiry into underage sex trafficking on the internet. The panel, which concluded its inquiry into the matter, released a scathing 53-page report that implicated the company, saying it knowingly facilitated prostitution and child sex trafficking and edited content to conceal evidence. PSI Chairman Rob Portman, R-Ohio, said the subcommittee will consider legislative remedies and refer the matter to DOJ and state attorneys general.
Airbnb dropped a lawsuit against New York City and state over a state law that could hold the online property rental company liable for users who place advertisements for short-term rentals. The home-sharing company said it settled a complaint in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York that invoked Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act (see 1611080029). Airbnb sees the settlement “as a material step forward for our hosts,” a company spokesman emailed Monday. “We look forward to using this as a basis to finding an approach that protects responsible New Yorkers while cracking down on illegal hotels that remove permanent housing off the market or create unsafe spaces.” In the agreement, Airbnb and the city agreed to work together on ways to address New York’s housing shortage, including through host compliance with Airbnb's One Host, One Home policy, the spokesman said. The Airbnb policy limits hosts to make their homes available for only short-term rentals. The New York governor and New York City mayor’s offices didn’t comment.