OPINION — Editorial

A sensible compromise

With the blessing of major Internet firms, congressional legislation aimed at curbing online pimping and human trafficking, particularly of children, could be headed for a vote soon in the U.S. Senate.

Or not, unfortunately.

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., is blocking a vote on the bill, contending it could harm tech startups, and the influential Electronic Frontier Foundation condemned the measure as limiting the right to free speech, particularly of smaller companies.

But when online sites traffic in prostitution, including with minors, that is not protected by the First Amendment. If the Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act, S. 1693, must be fixed, senators should do so. But they should act. The problem isn’t going away.

In May, Stockton, Calif., police arrested more than 20 people in a human trafficking scheme that involved eight girls between the ages of 14 and 17, apparently involving Backpage.com.

As the law now stands, federal prosecutors could bring charges against online companies that profit from sexual exploitation, but rarely do. The proposal would make clear that state and local prosecutors could bring criminal charges, so long as they can prove online sites intentionally profit from illicit activities. We see no reason why feds should have exclusive jurisdiction.

As the online publication Axios noted, major Internet companies had fought the Senate bill, arguing they were mere platforms and could not be responsible for the materials posted on their sites. Then earlier this month, the Internet Association, which represents Silicon Valley giants Google, Facebook and Twitter, agreed to a compromise to what already looks to be narrow legislation.

The announcement came after members of the House and Senate pilloried the companies for selling ads to Russians during the 2016 election. By supporting anti-sex-trafficking legislation, the social media behemoths could show themselves to be socially responsible.

We understand the importance of the First Amendment. We also know the First Amendment should not be used as a shield to prevent honest prosecutions of people who profit from the exploitation of kids.

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