I Am Jane Doe Reveals Backpage.com's Crimes Against Children

How does a parent protect a child from their own community?

IN THEATERS on FEBRUARY 10: I Am Jane Doe is a gut-wrenching human story and fresh look at a social and legal issue that affects every community in America.

(SALEM, Ore.) - I Am Jane Doe chronicles the epic battle that several American mothers are waging on behalf of their middle-school daughters, victims of sex trafficking on Backpage.com, the adult classifieds section that for years was part of the iconic Village Voice.

The documentary follows the journey of these young girls and their mothers in real time as they run headlong into a collision course not only with Backpage but with judges, powerful corporations, special interest groups, and an outdated internet freedom law that has been interpreted by federal judges to protect websites from any responsibility for hosting ads which sell underage girls.

In Doe v. Backpage, the Jane Doe children allege that Backpage “participated” in a trafficking venture. However, the judge found that Backpage had acted as an online publisher and was thus immune from liability for any third party content posted on its site under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.

The children appealed their case to the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals, which found that even if Backpage had engaged in a trafficking venture in violation of the TVPA, Section 230 still required the case to be dismissed. In short, the 1st Circuit determined that Section 230 trumped the TVPA.

Only one case has been decided in favor of children who have filed suit against Backpage. J.S. v Village Voice Media Holdings involved several underage children in Seattle who were advertised for sale on Backpage.

The children argued that Backpage was involved in developing the content (by coaching traffickers/pimps on how to post and evade law enforcement).

The case went all the way up to the Washington State Supreme Court, which found that Backpage did not “merely host” the ads, but alleged sufficient facts that Backpage had helped to develop content, which should be determined at trial.

Narrated by Academy Award-nominee Jessica Chastain and directed by award-winning filmmaker Mary Mazzio, I Am Jane Doe is a gut-wrenching human story and fresh look at a social and legal issue that affects every community in America.

IN THEATERS on FEBRUARY 10