CEO of Backpage, an online advertising website which makes most of its revenue off adult escort ads, was charged by Attorney General Kamala Harris on the felony charges of pimping a minor, pimping and conspiracy to commit pimping back in October. However, last week California judge Michael Bowman, dropped the charges ruling federal free speech laws.
Judge Bowman ruled the website’s speech was covered under the Communications Decency Act, as it protects online service providers from the actions of third-parties. Backpage is similar to Craigslist, as it allows users to posts ads onto the website. Therefore, since the ads for the “escort services” are posted by a third party, the CEO and owners were freed from upholding these parties’ actions.
Human trafficking is a $32 billion industry. This is more than what McDonald’s makes in one year, according to Zoe®, a program who works side-by-side with law enforcement and government agencies in raids, prosecutions and rescuing of trafficking victims. This industry is just like every other industry — there would be no business if there was no supply and demand.
Backpage contributes to this business as they are known as an online brothel generating millions from their escort ads and illegal sex trade. In the press release from the Office of the Attorney General, it was stated “Backpage’s internal revenue reports show that from January 2013 to March 2015, 99% of Backpage’s worldwide income was directly attributable to the “adult” section.”
This is a legal online website for human trafficking, as the ads for the prostitution services, include photos exploiting children under 18. Thus, leading to the arrest of the CEO of the website along with two other owners, done from a three year investigation.
In a journal article done by Kimberly Kotrla, for the National Association of Social Workers, she says “youths constitute the most vulnerable group in the United States for becoming victims of sex trafficking.”
She continues to speak about pimping of minors, and how our American culture seems to glamorize pimping and prostitution from how it is perceived in the media. Through clothing, television, video games, and songs, Kotrla believes these outlets are what makes our culture find this crime as normal.
Max Ehrenfreund, wrote an article for The Washington Post, explaining how Backpage helps ensure the safety of sex workers online, than if they were on the streets. By allowing them to contact potential buyers online through a controlled medium, it assists them in pointing out the suspicious customers. Ehrenfreund also includes data from the Economist explaining how the price of sex has declined since 2006. By favoring the website for increase competition in the sex industry, the article lacks the reality of who these sex workers are.
As many may hold a tainted view on sex workers, most of them have been forced into the business when they were trafficked as minors. By changing how we view these sex workers from criminals to victims, this will help bring more awareness to the human trafficking problem here in the United States. While online websites such as Backpage are still running, this will only destroy the path to stopping human trafficking in our country.
