Backpage.com Asked to Close Adult Services

Jackson, MS (Sept. 21)-- Attorney General Jim Hood today, along with 20
other state attorneys general, called on backpage.com to close its adult
services section to fight prostitution, human trafficking and sexual
exploitation of children.

The request of the attorneys general comes after craigslist earlier
this month complied with the attorneys general request that it shut down
its adult services section. Craigslist and backpage are two of the
nation’s largest online classified ad websites.

The  attorneys general said in a letter to backpage, “Although we
appreciate these efforts and the cooperation the site has demonstrated
since we began our investigation in 2009, more needs to be done. We are
writing to request that you immediately take down the adult services
portion of backpage."

“We believe that ads for prostitution -- including ads trafficking
children--are rampant on the site and that the volume of these ads will
grow in light of craigslist’s recent decision to eliminate the adult
services section of its site. In our view, it is time for the company to
follow craigslist’s lead and take immediate action to end the misery of
the women and children who may be exploited and victimized by these ads.
Because backpage cannot, or will not, adequately screen these ads, it
must stop accepting them altogether.”

The AGs are urging the company to take steps to prevent migration of
prostitution ads into its personals section, including charging for and
manually reviewing all personals ads.

"We can not, and will not,  stand by and allow this online wave of
illegal prostitution to continue," said Hood.

Contact Jan Schaefer, public information officer, 601-359-2002, or
jscha@ago.state.ms.us