Hours after the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations released a report claiming that online classifieds website Backpage "knowingly concealed evidence of criminality by systematically editing its adult ads", Backpage shut down the U.S. adult advertising section of its site:
The online classified advertising site Backpage.com abruptly shut its "adult" section on Monday, yielding to a campaign by state and federal government officials to close a service they contend promotes prostitution and human trafficking. The unexpected move came hours after a U.S. Senate subcommittee released a report accusing Backpage of actively editing posts on the site to remove evidence of child sex trafficking.
In announcing its decision, Backpage said it was the victim of government censorship. Backpage attorneys said executives would appear at a subcommittee hearing on Tuesday, but would not testify.
U.S. Senators Rob Portman and Claire McCaskill, however, said their subcommittee found Backpage had been far more complicit in sex trafficking than previously known. "Backpage's response wasn't to deny what we said. It was to shut down their site," they said in a statement. "That's not 'censorship' — it's validation of our findings."
On the same day, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal from three sex trafficking victims accusing Backpage of facilitating the exploitation of children. The Supreme Court let stand a lower court ruling that said Backpage is shielded from liability by federal law since the site's classified ads are posted by users.
Also at Washington Post, NBC, and USA Today.
Previously: Backpage's Dallas Offices Raided, CEO Charged With "Pimping"
"Pimping" Charges Against Backpage Executives Dismissed
California Attorney General Pursues New Charges Against Backpage CEO
(Score: 3, Touché) by Thexalon on Thursday January 12 2017, @03:42AM
Nah, the Republicans are a bit more traditional and will probably just do their secretaries.
The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 12 2017, @07:15AM
What? Does no one remember Jeff Gannon? Fake ex-Marine cut top? The one who visited Karl Rove in the Whitehouse on multiple occasions? Republicans kill their secretaries (or interns, a la Joe Scarborough), and have sex with steaming hunks of love of the same sex. Karl Rove! Karl Rove! Say it like you means it! Squeal like a pig, Karl Rove! And, the Donald having Royal Golden Showers with Russian prostitutes of questionable gender. "Oh, my!", as George Takei would say. (But, he wouldn't. This is just too perverted.)