SESTA/Fosta Act Signed by President Trump

 We are pleased to share that sex crime advocates, law enforcement and NGOs have prevailed and scored a major victory in the fight to end the exploitation of children with the passage of the Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act (FOSTA).

President Donald Trump signed the bill on April 11, 2018,  co-authored by Ohio Republican Senator Rob Portman, that establishes fines and prison terms for operators of websites that knowingly engage in online sex trafficking. This bill was aimed at services that sites such as Backpage, Reddit, Craigslist and hundreds of smaller sites offered users that often contributed to sex crimes. Veterans For Child Rescue and the Investigative Teams have conducted sting operations in coordination with law enforcement agencies around the country using these sites and apps. Among the most prolific sites for catching online child predators for law enforcement and NGOs was Backpage.

Addressing the victims present at the ceremony, President Trump said, “I’m signing this bill in your honor … You have endured what no person on earth should have to endure and we are going to do everything in our power to make sure that traffickers are brought to a swift and firm justice.”

The New York Post (4/11, Fonrouge) reports that Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act (FOSTA) “paves the way for law enforcement to crack down on websites that facilitate sex trafficking, such as Backpage, Craigslist and other platforms where victims of human trafficking are bought and sold.” The Post adds that “previously, websites were protected by the Communications Decency Act, which shielded them from being held responsible for the content other users may post to their domain.”