I Am Jane Doe 2017
Distributed by 50 Eggs Films, 231 Forest St., Woodland Hill, Bldg. 4, Babson Park MA 02457
Produced by Mary Mazzio and Alex Sokolow
Directed by Mary Mazzio
DVD , color, 99 min.
High School - General Adult
Activism, Child Abuse, Constitutional Law, Human Trafficking, Justice, Law, Legislation, Sex Crimes
Date Entered: 07/25/2018
Reviewed by Margaret M. Reed, Riley-Hickingbotham Library, Ouachita Baptist University, Arkadelphia, ARWhen the law of unintended consequences and criminal activity collide, society’s most vulnerable often bear the brunt. I Am Jane Doe puts a human face on this nexus, delving into the nefarious world of child sex trafficking and a legal loophole that has enabled it. The film profiles victims and their families as they fight to shut down the highly profitable Backpage.com, an adult site filled with elusively coded child sex ads. With the support of technology giants such as Google, the owners of Backpage.com were able for years to triumph in the courts, claiming that Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act protected them from being sued for content that third parties posted on their site. Victims and their families finally began making headway when lawmakers in Washington, D.C. took notice of their shocking stories, which, in part, were illuminated by I Am Jane Doe’s meticulous exposé of the child sex trade.
Since the film’s release, Backpage.com’s owners were indicted, the site has been removed, and FOSTA-SESTA was signed into law in 2018 to make website publishers accountable for content that facilitates prostitution.
A crucial wake-up call for parents and children, I Am Jane Doe is a chilling revelation of how easily information technology can be leveraged to skirt the law and ensnare innocents for profit.
Highly recommended for all libraries, I Am Jane Doe is a timely, eye-opening resource for courses in education, law, and sociology.