Salesforce Win in Backpage Sex-Traffic Suit Upheld in California

Salesforce.com Inc. is not liable for human tracking activities conducted on a website that used its customer relationship management technology, a California appellate court said Thursday.

Fifty Jane Doe plaintiffs who said that as minors they were sexually trafficked and exploited through advertisements posted on Backpage sued Salesforce in San Francisco superior court, seeking damages for sex trafficking and negligence.

Backpage contracted with Salesforce starting in 2013, and Backpage paid for the technology services with money it received from sex traffickers, the plaintiffs said.

Salesforce knew what Backpage was being used for, the suit alleged, and while Salesforce had a ...