Craigslist should remove its adult services section because the website cannot adequately block potentially illegal ads promoting prostitution and child trafficking, attorneys general in 17 states demanded Tuesday in a joint letter. The joint letter acknowledged Craigslist faces the prospect of losing revenue if it were to remove the adult services section.
Craigslist supports states' efforts to stop illegal exploitation, spokeswoman Susan MacTavish Best said in a statement that did not indicate whether the website plans to get rid of its adult services section. Some encounters set up through Craigslist have ended in violence and even death, authorities have said. Last week, authorities said a former medical student accused of killing a masseuse he met through Craigslist committed suicide in the Boston jail where he was awaiting trial.
Philip Markoff, 24, was found unresponsive in his cell Aug. Both crimes happened at Boston hotels within four days in April Rhode Island prosecutors also accused him of attacking a stripper that week.
Markoff had met the women through advertisements for erotic services posted on Craigslist. The website has put safeguards in place as it has evolved over the years. In November , after pressure from 40 state attorneys general, Craigslist required posters to provide a working phone number and pay a fee for placing an ad in the erotic services section. In May , the website renamed erotic services to adult services and said it would adopt a manual screening process, where postings would be reviewed before publishing.
But state officials believe Craigslist is still not doing enough to stop illegal ads from appearing. Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal subpoenaed Craigslist in May, asking the website to provide proof it was holding up its promise to help stop ads for prostitution. Craigslist should provide its evidence in a few weeks, said a spokeswoman for the Connecticut attorney general's office. Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley released a separate letter Tuesday that was sent to Craigslist officials and also called for the removal of adult services.
