A bill seeking to curb the use of websites and apps for sex trafficking cleared the U.S. Senate Wednesday despite efforts by several tech industry associations to block its passage.

The Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act would give the government greater authority in prosecuting companies that knowingly allow people to use their websites or apps to engage in sex trafficking. The legislation passed the Senate on a 97-2 vote with the House of Representatives having previously approved the bill, the technology news site Wired reported. President Donald Trump previously endorsed the legislation. http://bit.ly/2pzCZqs

Currently, section 230 of the Communications Decency Act prevents the prosecution of website and app owners for content posted by users. An effort to end that exemption launched after the owners of the website Backpage.com used federal law to avoid prosecution even though the company maintained an "adult" section containing user posts for sex solicitation, including solicitation of minors.

Craigslist, which also has been accused of turning a blind eye to the use of its site for sex trafficking, announced Friday it was removing all personal ad listings to comply with the new law. The passage of the bill also dealt a significant policy blow to several tech industry trade associations that had argued it was too broad.

"While senators no doubt have good intentions, the unintended consequences of this bill will deter online platforms' efforts to alert law enforcement to signs of trafficking," said Ed Black, CEO of the Computer & Communications Industry Association. "It is disappointing for victims and all those working to stop trafficking that we did not get legislation that would better target the real problem and support solutions."

The Internet Association released a more neutral statement, with CEO Michael Beckerman saying his industry "shares the goals of lawmakers who want to put an end to trafficking online."

"To that end, CDA 230 is the key tool that allows internet companies to make good Samaritan efforts to fight against trafficking and other forms of abuse without facingbroader legal risk for doing so," Beckerman said. "Intermediary liability protections enable virtually all user-generated content online, allowing enormous parts of the internet ecosystem to function."

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