Connecticut's Blumenthal, Along With Other AGs, Calls for Closure of Backpage.co

Attorneys general from 21 states on Tuesday called on Village Voice Media's Backpage.com to close its adult services section, Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said.

The move follows Craigslist.org's shuttering its own controversial adult services section earlier this month, which Blumenthal and other attorneys general claimed ran advertisements for prostitution.

“Adult services sections are little more than online brothels, enabling human trafficking and sexual exploitation of women and children,” Blumenthal said. “Because Backpage cannot properly police adult services, the section should be shut down immediately.”

In a statement, Blumenthal claimed Backpage.com was expected to earn an estimated $17.5 million from prostitution ads this year.

In addition to Connecticut, other states calling for the closure are: Arkansas, Delaware, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, Ohio, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.

In a letter sent to Backpage.com's lawyer, the attorneys general say Backpage.com has indicated that prostitution advertisements began migrating to its personals section once it started charging for ads in the adult services section. As a result, the company is also charging for ads in the personals section.

“We urge you to take additional efforts, such as manual review of each ad in theses sections of the personals—and others if it becomes necessary—before ads are posted,” the attorneys general said in their letter.

The letter notes that Backpage.com has taken steps to respond to their concerns about prostitution ads and the company has cooperated since the attorneys general began their probe in 2009.

Backpage.com didn't immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday.

http://blogs.wsj.com/metropolis/2010/09/…

6 comments

Latest

  • spandexman
    14 years ago
    More freedom lost. sad how election years bring out the worst in politicians, not that odd years are good either.
  • sanitago
    14 years ago
    ah, well, it looks like they've found yet-another way to get their faces in front of the TV cameras, haven't they?
  • deogol
    14 years ago
    Thats funny - I thought it was the police's job to police, not a web site editor.

    What I don't like about this, is that it is setting up a standard where if the government doesn't like something about a web site, they can harass until self-censorship.

    Mark my words, this is going to go beyond the borders of sexually oriented web sites into other areas.

    Fuck, Boston is trying to ban soda pop - I won't put anything past these goofs anymore.
  • troop
    14 years ago
    although i haven't used the bp ads i surf them every once in awhile with the thought that i might try one of the girls sometime. guess i better hurry up.. lol

  • troop
    14 years ago
    another thought.. it looks like some of those skanks might have to find a legit job now to supplement their welfare check.
  • harrydave
    14 years ago
    Damn puritanical hypocrites. How many have lived without sin? Among 21 attorneys general, there have to be a few, at least, who have screwed around.
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