Craigslist shuts down “adult services” worldwide

By Chris Foresman | Last updated a day ago
Just months after shuttering access to the “adult services” category on its US classified sites, Craigslist has removed adult services from all 700 of its international sites. Wired noted the global shutdown on Tuesday, and it was confirmed by Craigslist to Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal on Wednesday.

Craigslist has had a sordid past with its attempts to offer legitimate listings for “adult services,” which first appeared as “erotic services.” State attorneys general hammered Craigslist over listings in the category, which they claimed amounted to enabling prostitution. Craigslist began voluntary measures to try and stem illegal activity, including requiring those creating listings to submit a verifiable phone number and use a credit card to pay a listing fee.

Amid growing pressure from state AGs, however, Craigslist shut down erotic services and started a new “adult services” category for “legal adult service providers.” The new category was actively monitored by moderators and carried a $10 per listing fee.

That still wasn’t enough, however. Those making listings for illegal acts merely changed tactics, posting listings under adult services that were vague enough to get past moderators, or moving listings to other categories like “casual encounters.”

State AGs were not pleased. “[L]ittle has been done to eliminate ads which tout prostitution and, shockingly, ads trafficking children. The company must take immediate action to stop the victimization of women and children,” Kansas attorney general Steve Six said in August. Craigslist then relented, shutting off adult services categories on all its US-based sites in September.

Craigslist did not comment on why it had decided to remove adult services listings from all its global sites. Regardless, Blumenthal applauded the move, saying it was a “victory” against the exploitation of women and children. “This move is another important step in the ongoing fight to more effectively screen and stop pernicious prostitution ads,” he told Associated Press.

It looks like the change isn’t having the effect that Blumenthal et al were hoping for, though. MSNBC noted that many listings have merely migrated to the un-moderated “therapeutic services.”

“Young Thai boy for a sensual massage” read one such ad in Paris, while another in Thailand bragged you could “undress” a masseuse offering a “5 Star Massage.”

Copyright to http://arstechnica.com/