PistolPete 61421 Report post Posted September 4, 2010 Thought I would post this...... cl removes adult services section after attorneys general urge shutdown By Christopher Leonard, The Associated Press ADVERTISEMENT .......... closed the adult services section of its website Saturday, replacing it with a black bar that says "censored," just over a week after a group of state attorneys general said there weren't enough protections against blocking potentially illegal ads promoting prostitution. The listings came under new scrutiny after the jailhouse suicide last month of a former medical student who was awaiting trial in the killing of a masseuse he met through ........... Critics have likened the services to virtual pimping, while .......... maintained the site was carrying ads even tamer than those published by some newspapers. Like many other free online forums, .......... typically does not review ads before they are posted by users. But in 2008, under pressure from 40 state attorneys general, .......... began requiring posters to provide a working phone number and pay a fee for placing an ad in what is now the adult services section. Several months later, .......... adopted a manual screening process in which postings are reviewed before publishing. State officials believe .......... is still not doing enough to stop illegal ads from appearing. The company said Saturday it would issue a statement on the matter, though it didn't say when. Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, one of the 17 attorneys general who pressed for the change, said in a statement that he welcomed the change and was trying to verify ..........'s official policy going forward. In an Aug. 24 letter, the state attorneys general said .......... should remove the section because it couldn't adequately block potentially illegal ads promoting prostitution and child trafficking. Authorities point to the case of 24-year-old Philip Markoff as a prime example of the dangers posed by .......... services. The former medical student was accused of killing a masseuse he met through the hugely popular classified advertising site, which was founded by Craig Newmark. Markoff committed suicide in the Boston jail where he was awaiting trial. ..........'s adult services section carried ads for everything from personal massages to a night's companionship, which critics say veered into prostitution. ..........'s CEO Jim Buckmaster said in a May blog posting that the company's ads were no worse than those published by the alternative newspaper chain Village Voice Media. He cited one explicit ad which included the phrase: "anything goes $90." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bethany Westbrooke 7532 Report post Posted September 4, 2010 Wow,reading that my heart dropped, I love this site and have to credit it as well as EC for my initial and continued success. So glad it only affects the US, for now.... ? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Megan'sTouch 23875 Report post Posted September 4, 2010 I think it's funny (in a sad way) that they actually think that eliminating erotic services will decrease human trafficking. If only it were that easy. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fortunateone 156618 Report post Posted September 4, 2010 I think it's funny (in a sad way) that they actually think that eliminating erotic services will decrease human trafficking. If only it were that easy. That is my view too. CL in their blog is quite vocal about how they cooperate, and that their discussions with NGOs working on underage and trafficking issues are actually aided by having such a popular site used by these predators. The account system, the CC payment, the ease of posting ads, and the popularity of the site draws in these people, and LE can actually use it to their advantage. With this section gone, these people will still be offering the same things, but it is going to be much harder to figure out who and where. The advertisers will be using the casual encounters and the therapuetic sections, or they are going to be using a variety of other sites and venues, which are not monitored as well as CL was doing. The problem is the issues will continue with or without CL, just as they existed prior to CL. Now how easy is it going to be to find these people? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Amanda Bella 421 Report post Posted September 5, 2010 I dont understand how eliminarting one of the many media of advertisement for the sex industry contributes to the elimination of abuse of miners and the vulnerable? Speaking of generalisations........ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
