Craigslist Pulls Plug on Adult Services Ads

By Prescott Carlson in News on Sep 4, 2010 9:00PM

Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart has scored a victory in his war against Craigslist and their "Adult Services" section, albeit indirectly, as the online classified ad service has currently removed the section from its site. The previous links to the section have been replaced with a black box with white text reading "CENSORED."

Dart has been critical of Craigslist and its adult services listings (previously listed as "Erotic Services"), saying that they were a hotbed of prostitutes and johns. Dart even went as far as filing a lawsuit against the site for helping to facilitate prostitution. That lawsuit was dismissed last October.

But Dart wasn't the only one denouncing the ads -- attorneys general in 17 states just recently piled on Craigslist, sending Craigslist founder Craig Newmark a joint letter that said in part:

"No amount of money... can justify the scourge of illegal prostitution and the suffering of the women and children who will continue to be victimized, in the market and trafficking provided by Craigslist."

A statement was posted on the Craigslist blog last month stating that the site "is committed to being socially responsible, and when it comes to adult services ads, that includes aggressively combating violent crime and human rights violations, including human trafficking and the exploitation of minors." Whether or not the removal of the adult services ads is permanent is currently unknown.