Filmmaker Mary Mazzio's documentary is a legal thriller on a subject that many don't know is a serious issue in the United States—child sex trafficking. Runaways and disaffected daughters are seduced by pimps and then, often under the influence of drugs, sold repeatedly for sex online. The chief site facilitating the transactions—and profiting handsomely from the business—is Backpage, an online offshoot of Village Voice Media since acquired by New Times. Narrated by Jessica Chastain, I Am Jane Doe depicts long-running efforts spearheaded by parents of recovered girls and their dedicated lawyers to compel Backpage to shut down—or censor—its "Adult Services" section, or face legal responsibility for its use to promote child prostitution. But their efforts have been repeatedly blocked by the argument that doing so would violate the so-called Communications Decency Act of 1996, granting Internet providers immunity from liability for third-party content on their sites. Mazzio follows a series of court cases throughout the country against Backpage—incorporating extensive interviews with victims, their parents and lawyers, former Village Voice editors, and public officials, as well as public testimony from the website's lawyers—before coming to the rueful conclusion that in the end the matter might not be resolved judicially, but may require legislative action (although powerful forces oppose alteration of the law in the name of First Amendment freedom). The difficulty of effecting meaningful change is dramatically presented here in a confrontation between a U.S. Senate Subcommittee and Backpage executives who refuse to answer the politicians' questions—citing their constitutional rights. An enlightening and infuriating documentary, this is highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)
I Am Jane Doe
(2017) 98 min. DVD or Blu-ray: $250: public libraries & high schools; $500: colleges & universities. DRA. Tugg. PPR. Volume 33, Issue 2
I Am Jane Doe
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