US Senate Goes Toe To Toe With Silicon Valley to Stop Sex Trafficking On The Web

Senators on Tuesday vowed to press ahead with an anti-sex trafficking bill opposed by the biggest names in the tech industry, in the latest sign that Silicon Valley has lost some of its luster in Washington.

At issue is a measure introduced by Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) that would make it easier for law enforcement to go after websites that host sex-trafficking ads. The bill would do that by changing Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which protects websites from litigation over content posted by users, even though tech companies warn that tinkering with the provision could wreak broader collateral damage to the internet economy.