The front-page is where major news stories are found in a newspaper or magazine. The back pages usually contain lesser known articles or advertisements. In the broader sense, front-page can also refer to any article that is considered to be highly important or significant. For example, a cricket player’s five wickets or century might get a front-page mention in the newspaper.
The online marketplace Backpage became the focus of an investigation by several government agencies in 2014, including the FBI, US Postal Inspection Service and NCMEC, alleging that it facilitated sex trafficking through its adult services sections. Three Jane Does who were sex trafficked as minors sued in federal court, claiming that their traffickers used Backpage to advertise them for sex. The district court ruled against them, but on appeal the First Circuit Court of Appeals held that Backpage satisfies the “traditional publisher functions” test and thus is shielded by CDA Section 230 for its editorial, business and design decisions regarding third-party content.
The court also enjoined New Jersey’s law attempting to regulate Backpage, finding it preempted by Section 230 and in violation of the First Amendment and the Commerce Clause. This was the third time that a federal judge has struck down state laws trying to legislate Backpage out of existence, and the second time for the New Jersey law. Other courts have ruled similarly against laws in Washington and Tennessee.
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