⚖ Oral Arguments, with Context

The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit hears argument in Doe versus WebGroup Czech Republic. The case centers on whether a victim of child sex trafficking can sue a foreign-owned adult website operator under federal anti-trafficking law when videos depicting her abuse were uploaded to the site and remained accessible for years. The plaintiff alleges she was raped and sex-trafficked at age fourteen, that her trafficker posted the resulting footage to two popular pornography platforms operated by the defendant, and that the sites not only hosted the videos but shared advertising revenue with the uploader. At stake is the scope of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which broadly shields internet platforms from liability for third-party content, and the interplay between that immunity and the federal Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act. The case raises questions about when a website's business model—tagging, search tools, revenue-sharing partnerships—transforms passive hosting into active participation in a criminal venture, and whether a foreign defendant who benefits from domestic sex trafficking may be reached under U.S. law.

Doe v. WebGroup Czech Republic, AS (No. 25-2424) — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, argued July 8, 2026.