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Craigslist to crack down on prostitution ads
Enforcement is part of an agreement with attorneys general in 40 states
by Pat Eaton-Robb

The Associated Press
updated 3:06 p.m. ET, Thurs., Nov. 6, 2008
HARTFORD, Conn. - Under the watchful eye of law enforcement in 40 states, Craigslist pledged Thursday to crack down on ads for prostitution on its Web sites.

As part of Craigslist's agreement with attorneys general around the country, anyone who posts an "erotic services" ad will be required to provide a working phone number and pay a fee with a valid credit card. The Web site will provide that information to law enforcement if subpoenaed.

Jim Buckmaster, Craigslist's chief executive, said the deal will allow legitimate escort services to continue advertising, while providing a strong disincentive to companies that are conducting illegal business.

"We don't view it as a penalty, we view it as raising the accountability," he said. "A legitimate business should have no problem with that. They should have no problem providing a phone number or credit card credentials."

Craigslist filed lawsuits this week against 14 software and Internet companies that help people who post erotic service ads to circumvent the Web site's defenses against inappropriate content and illegal activity.

Craigslist, which posts 30 million ads every month for everything from apartment rentals to jobs in hundreds of cities, will also begin using new search technology in an effort to help authorities find missing children and victims of human trafficking.

Police across the country have been arresting people for using Web sites like Craigslist to advertise the sexual services of women and children.

"The dark side of the Internet must be stopped from eclipsing its immense potential for good," said Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, who brokered the agreement. He added: "I am fully convinced that Craigslist wants to stop this activity as much as we do."

Buckmaster said the agreement does not cover Craigslist's personal ads, where prostitutes have been found advertising for "dates." But he said the San Francisco-based company has been working with authorities on that issue and on cutting down on the sale of stolen merchandise on its sites.


"We are experimenting with telephone verification in those sections," he said. "We don't have any plans to use credit card verification in that section currently. But this partnership is going to be active in that area as well, anywhere where crime does or could occur."

The agreement was joined by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

"The criminals engaged in the sexual trafficking of children no longer parade them on the streets of America's cities," said the center's chief executive, Ernie Allen. "Today, they market them via the Internet."

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27575624/

I was watching the news at 11 on FOX, because I knew it would be about CL, and the reporter was talking about online sex ads, and said "Some are even patriotic. This one offers a military discount with ID"  and zoomed in on my ad AND picture 3 different times. There I was...in my gold corset and heels, for the entire news watching audience to see. I almost fell off the bed.
The new rules could help alot in Atlanta, where pimps and skanks have taken over the hobby, and legitimate providers (those with actual standards, class, discretion, and hygiene)  get expected to cater to the same low end clientele. In a nutshell...in Atlanta, if you aint willing to see clients for almost nothing, do bareback, and not screen, you can't work. I quit working in Atlanta because of this.
A pimp aint gonna spend money to post, and certainly not give any personal info, nor will the trash that works for him. GOOD.
Time for the trash to stay on the streets where it belongs.

trips to Atlanta. I met a few very nice gentlemen. By and large, most of the emails I received were abusive or just plain ridiculous. I came away with a very low opinion of Atlanta gents. It's sad that some men will expect unsafe practices and bypass the wonderful experience of a lady from TER, or other good sites like this one.

I quit working there weeks ago. I just travel now.
It's not worth weeding thru the idiots to get to the good guys.

auditions for singers and other artists nearby. There were rappers and gospel singers all over the hotel! I would gladly visit Atlanta to listen to new young talent, and maybe meet new people. The people I did meet were very nice. Some were pretty hot!

It looks as though the new CL policy is working already.  There are no posts on the Greensboro erotic services page today at all (Sunday).

That they won't cum to this board???? And crack down.

I was thinking the same thing.

Always a possibility, but C.L. has agreed to work with the law, I dont believe this board would give out information unless forced. Also, there is a lot of other crime on C.L. which I believe they are concerned about.

One reason it probably won't happen is that TER is hosted on servers outside of the US, which would make it difficult to enforce.  I believe this is the case, but I'm not 100% sure.