Lawsuit accuses Facebook of enabling human traffickers

HOUSTON – A human trafficking survivor from Texas has filed a lawsuit against Facebook, alleging the social media giant provides traffickers an unrestricted way to “stalk, exploit, recruit, groom … and extort children into the sex trade.”

The lawsuit was filed Monday in Houston against Facebook, the shuttered classifieds site Backpage.com and the owners of two Houston hotels.

The suit seeks at least $1 million in damages on behalf of a woman identified as “Jane Doe,” who was 15 years old when she was sexually assaulted in 2012 after being allegedly targeted and recruited by a sex trafficker on Facebook.

Facebook did not immediately return an email seeking comment Tuesday.

Legal and trafficking experts say it may be difficult for the lawsuit to show that Facebook knowingly facilitated human trafficking.