THE STORY

When John Doe was 13 and 14-years-old, he was sexually extorted by abusers pretending to be another young teen. Three years later, the child sexual abuse material (CSAM) he had sent was posted to Twitter, circulating throughout his school and causing him immense harm.

When John Doe and his mother—Jane Doe—reached out to Twitter through its reporting system, Twitter verified the child’s age and then inexplicably refused to take down the sexual abuse material. The illegal video of John Doe went on to accrue more than 167,000 views and 2,223 retweets, causing exponential harm to John Doe. The video was only removed when a US federal agent finally requested that Twitter remove the video.

The National Center on Sexual Exploitation Law Center—along with The Haba Law Firm and The Matiasic Law Firm— are suing Twitter on John Doe's behalf for its involvement in and profit from his sexual exploitation. This case alleges that Twitter violated the United States Federal sex trafficking statute, 18 U.S.C. §§ 1591, et seq., failed to report child sexual abuse material, 18 U.S.C. § 2258A, received and distributed child pornography, 18 U.S.C. §§ 2252A, and related state law claims.

THE CASE

INTRODUCTION

Twitter is one of the most prolific distributors of sexual exploitation material—including material soliciting, advancing, and depicting human trafficking and material depicting the sexual abuse of children.

ARGUMENT

Twitter is not a passive, inactive agent in the distribution of this harmful material. Twitter’s own practices, business model, and technology architecture encourage and profit from the distribution of sexual exploitation material.

DESIRED OUTCOME

A measure of justice for survivors and Twitter held legally accountable to the reality that it can and must make a remarkable difference and promote significant steps forward in the fight against sexual abuse and exploitation online.

THE BIG PICTURE

With over 330 million users, Twitter is one of the largest social media companies in the world. It is also one of the most prolific distributors of sexual exploitation material—including material soliciting, advancing, advertising the sale of people for sex acts through prostitution and sex trafficking, and material depicting the sexual abuse of children.

Twitter is not a passive, inactive, intermediary in the distribution of this harmful material; rather, Twitter has adopted an active role in the dissemination and knowing promotion and distribution of this harmful material. Twitter's own policies, practices, business model, and technology architecture encourage and profit from the distribution of sexual exploitation material.

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