Prostitutes makes Craigslist $36 Million

Apr 26, 2010, 8:24 PM

The AIM Group, publishers of Classified Intelligence Report ... estimates that Craigslist will make $36,000,000 this year from sex ads, most of which are for prostitutes. It is nearly one third of its estimated projected $122 million revenue this year. Craigslist has been haunted with criticism about how its sex advertising promoted prostitution, and its anonymity serves to make it a center for trafficking in women. They only charge for Sex Ads and Real Estate along with some Job Ads. The rest is free, which makes it a very popular service. Last year a Boston Medical student said he had used Craiglist to find prostitutes who he was accused of murdering. Following that, Craiglist said that it would manually monitor all ads in a New Adult Services Category for illegal activity but it has done no good, last week the FBI said a major crime family used Craiglist to sell the sexual services of teenage girls from 15 to 19 years of age.

Personally I think it's a red herring to go after an advertiser to control hookers. All it does is get make it look like the law is doing some good while it is a total failure. But hey, everyone looks for an easy way outâ€¦ cops and johns both, hence the reason for this story.

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Dudester15 years ago

Just legalize, regulate, and tax prostitution and:

Pimps put out of business
Street violence drop
STD's drop
State coffers will runneth over and taxes drop

wallanon15 years ago

Worked just fine for Mexico...

Yoda15 years ago

Decriminalizing maybe but legalizing and regulating the world's oldest profession won't change much of anything. Most women will still simply choose to work illegally and "off the books" as it will be easier and they are already doing it anyway. This is what goes on in Nevada as the legal brothels are just not an appealing place to work for most escorts.

If you want to get rid of pimps,street violence and STD's you have to go after street walkers, not the vast majority of ladies who work indoors, by appointment and practice safe sex.

Player1115 years ago

I agree with Dudester. It is time our society grew up and accepted the world's oldest profession. IMO its status should be equal to religion, law, and medicine. Instead our government wants to subsidize banksters and their minions.

bigdude01215 years ago

Another vote for legalization of brothels. As one person put it "Fucking is legal, selling stuff is legal; so why shouldn't selling fucking be legal."

inno12315 years ago

Far better than the mexican system is the canadian system. In Canada operating a bawdy house (brothel) is illegal but being a private independent call girl is legal. Street walkers are much less common than in US cities and health/crime issues are much easier addressed.

MisterGuy15 years ago

"Most women will still simply choose to work illegally and 'off the books' as it will be easier and they are already doing it anyway. This is what goes on in Nevada"

Really?? This this is the first time that I've ever heard that. Prostitution isn't legal all across NV, so what goes on in the parts of the state where it isn't legal doesn't count IMO.

"If you want to get rid of pimps,street violence and STD's you have to go after street walkers, not the vast majority of ladies who work indoors, by appointment and practice safe sex."

They actually kind of tried that in RI for almost three decades, but it didn't completely eradicate street walkers or pimps per se.

"In Canada operating a bawdy house (brothel) is illegal"

True, but many of the off-Montreal-island FS strip clubs are basically brothels by another name, and they are tolerated by the officials up there. Pimping is also technically illegal in Canada, as is solicitation in public places, but, again, it is mostly tolerated across much of Canada.

"Street walkers are much less common than in US cities"

I wouldn't say that at all. Street walkers & pimps operate out in the open (mostly at night) in certain sections of Montreal all the time.