The lawyer whose sex trafficking case against Instagram could spell trouble for big tech

Annie McAdams represents clients who claim Meta's products connect vulnerable people with sex buyers

On 14 March 2022, Annie McAdams, a personal injury lawyer running a small firm in Houston, Texas, filed a civil action suit on behalf of one of her clients. The plaintiff was a 23-year-old woman, who had endured years of sexual exploitation at the hands of a convicted trafficker. The defendant was one of the most powerful technology companies in the world.

Contained within McAdams's federal suit was a series of allegations that Meta - the owner of Facebook and Instagram, which are used by more than 3 billion people every day - had knowingly created a breeding ground for human trafficking and was actively facilitating the buying and selling of people for sex online.