Attorneys general in 18 states are ratcheting up the pressure on online classified site Craigslist to discontinue the “adult services” listings on its site, claiming they’re nothing more than a marketplace for prostitutes and other illicit activities.
As eCommerce Guide reports, this isn’t the first time law enforcement agencies have called on Craigslist to shut down the section. Although Craigslist officials claim they’re doing more than many other mediums to stamp out flagrant prostitution ads, the AGs want the sections discontinued because the company’s efforts have failed to dissuade would-be sex trade participants from hooking up.
In the meantime, Craigslist has remained in the spotlight as critics contend that it remains a popular forum for selling sexual services, sometimes involving minors.
The company drew an unwelcome batch of publicity last spring when Philip Markoff, a 23 year-old medical student, allegedly shot and killed a masseuse he met answering an ad in the erotic services section of Craigslist.
A group of 18 states’ attorneys general is calling on Craigslist to drop the “adult services” section of the popular classified site, claiming that the company has failed to live up to its commitment to police its listings for illicit ads linked to prostitution and other criminal activity.
“Only Craigslist has the power to stop these ads before they are even published, and sadly they are completely unwilling to do so,” Kansas Attorney General Steve Six said in a statement.
In a letter to Craigslist CEO Jim Buckmaster and founder Craig Newmark, the attorneys general charged that Craigslist remains home to ads facilitating prostitution and human trafficking, despite promises to clean up the site.