Craigslist Under Fire

Craigslist is back in the hot seat over the Adult Services category on its popular classified advertising site.

On Tuesday, the attorneys general from 17 states wrote an open letter to Craigslist CEO Jim Buckmaster calling on him to “immediately” remove the Adult Services category from the Web site. They argued that removing the category would protect women and children who are often “victimized” because of ads for prostitution that they allege run on the site.

“The increasingly sharp public criticism of Craigslist’s Adult Services section reflects a growing recognition that ads for prostitution — including ads trafficking children — are rampant on it,” wrote the state AGs. “Because Craigslist cannot, or will not, adequately screen these ads, it should stop accepting them altogether and shut down the Adult Services section.”

Craigslist, which is known for running classified advertisements for everything from toasters to treadmills, would not respond to questions about whether executives are considering removing the Adult Services category.

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