![]() ![]() ![]() In late 2011, Kubiiki Pride filled a lawsuit against Backpage after finding sexually explicit images of her 13-year-old kidnapped daughter on a Backpage escort ad. Ads would go live when posted and would be up for hours before a moderator could review and potentially remove them, based on a list of words that were not to be included, including words indicating underage girls like “schoolgirl,” “fresh,” and “teen.” Once removed, ads were often reposted within the week (Mazzio, 2017). A single moderator was responsible for 700-800 ads per day. While Backpage publicly declared itself to be a forerunner in fighting trafficking and claimed to be the sheriff of the internet, moderation, in practice, was less than admirable. In a signal of good will, Backpage implemented a moderating system to review adult ads. In response to accusations of child sex trafficking, Backpage offered to meet with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) in 2010 and promised to do everything possible to fight trafficking. While there are legal problems with Backpage facilitating prostitution in general, the fact that children were advertised for sex through the site automatically moves the discussion into the realm of human trafficking. Online classified ads provide easier access to prostitution and can enhance the ability of buyers, prostitutes, and pimps to avoid visible means of solicitation and therefore better avoid arrest (Makin & Bye, 2018). Men will engage in solicitation privately and anonymously through sites like before meeting at a licit front, e.g. street workers, the use of websites such as Backpage shifts the market to less visible places. While law is typically designed to respond to visible prostitution, i.e. had a significant influence on the potentially illicit markets of massage parlors and strip clubs. The adult services section of Backpage included ads for known prostitution activities, including escort services and massage parlors. Over the next eight years, Backpage hosted 80 percent of online sex ads, saw annual profits rise from 71 million to 154.8 million, was sued by multiple families of survivors for facilitating prostitution of minors, and was investigated by the Senate Permeant Subcommittee for Investigations (SPSI), which resulted in criminal trafficking charges. (Mazzio, 2017). In the two months after Craigslist closed adult services, Backpage saw a 50 percent growth in adult services advertising. However, it was not until Craigslist closed its “adult services” section in 2010 that Backpage exploded, becoming the second largest classified advertising website. was launched in 2004 by New Times Media, owned by Michael Lacey and James Larkin, as a classified ad website similar to Craigslist. ![]()
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