MCDANIEL CALLS ON CRAIGSLIST TO REMOVE "ADULT SERVICES" SECTION

MCDANIEL CALLS ON CRAIGSLIST TO REMOVE "ADULT SERVICES" SECTION

LITTLE ROCK -- Attorney General Dustin McDaniel announced today that he has joined a group of state attorneys general to request that online forum Craigslist remove the Adult Services portion of its website because of its inability to stop the use of the site to promote prostitution.

A letter sent to Craigslist CEO Jim Buckmaster and founder Craig Newmark contends that Craigslist cannot, or will not, adequately screen and police submissions to its Adult Services section, so it must stop accepting them altogether and shut down the Adult Services section.

"The states have tried to work with Craigslist, but the site continues to be used for illegal activity," McDaniel said. "In our view, the company should take immediate action to end the misery for the women and children who may be exploited and victimized by these ads."

According to the letter sent by Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal and joined by McDaniel and 15 other attorneys general, Craigslist's "manual review" of Adult Services ads did not yield a discernable reduction in solicitations.

"We recognize that Craigslist may lose the considerable revenue generated by the Adult Services ads," the attorneys general said in the letter. "However, no amount of money can justify the scourge of illegal prostitution, and the suffering of the woman and children who will continue to be victimized in the market and trafficking provided by craigslist."

Even following its 2008 public pledge to attorneys general and the public that it would better police its own site, Craigslist remains a hot spot for blatant prostitution ads.