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: 2) by vux984 on Thursday January 12 2017, @06:43AM
They can't get that from a consensual BDSM experience?
No.
Sure, you could compare it to continued trafficking in legalized countries
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prostitution_in_Nevada [wikipedia.org]
"Despite there being a legal option, the vast majority of prostitution in Nevada takes place illegally in Reno and Las Vegas."
This doesn't really argue for or against my main point, but its still pretty surprising on some level.
This on the other hand is interesting reading that is more connected to the argument at hand:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0305750X12001453 [sciencedirect.com]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 12 2017, @11:53AM
"Despite there being a legal option, the vast majority of prostitution in Nevada takes place illegally in Reno and Las Vegas."
Pricing has everything to do with it. The legal brothels can be quite expensive compared to your local streetwalker.