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SALT LAKE CITY -- After battling allegations it promoted and facilitated prostitution, Craigslist has removed its "adult services" section and replaced it with an inactive link.
Authorities say many prostitution rings here in Utah involve Internet advertising. Those in the fight against human trafficking and prostitution hope this change will crack down on the people behind the ads.
Related:
Craigslist strikes adult services under pressure
Craigslist appears to have surrendered in a legal fight over erotic ads posted on its website, shutting down its adult services section Saturday and replacing it with a black bar that simply says "censored.""The Internet is unquestionably used very extensively for human trafficking and just prostitution in general," said Sgt. Roger Williams with the Salt Lake City Police Department Vice Squad in a phone interview Sunday.
Craiglist replaced the adult services section with the word, "censored" this weekend. The link is now inactive.
Many say the change is a step in the right direction.
In a statement released Sunday, Utah's Attorney General Mark Shurtleff said, "I applaud Craigslist for taking responsibility without legal action to remove the offending adult sections, which were really fronts for prostitution."
I applaud Craigslist for taking responsibility without legal action to remove the offending adult sections, which were really fronts for prostitution.
–Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff
He went on to say, "I am proud that I was able to work with other state attorneys general and Craigslist officials to bring about this needed change."
In November of 2008, Shurtleff signed an agreement with Craigslist to stop inappropriate content and illegal activity. Forty-two other states and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children also signed the agreement.
Then on Aug. 17, 17 attorneys general wrote a letter to the classified ad website, requesting the adult services portion be taken down immediately. The request came a week after the accused "Craigslist Killer" committed suicide in jail.
Philip Markoff was charged in the shooting death of Julissa Brisman inside a Boston hotel room. Police say, he answered ads on Craigslist posted by women offering massage or erotic services.
In Williams says the change is progress, but it may not make much of a difference.
"There's just too many other websites people can go to and post their ads for prostitution," he said.
He doesn't expect other sites that make money from these kinds of ads will follow suit.
"A lot of the other websites don't seem to care," Williams said. "They still get nude photos and very, very explicit graphic language in their ads."
The erotic services link still appears to be active for users outside the U.S. Craigslist has not released a statement about the change, but company officials say they will at a later time.
E-mail: syi@ksl.com
