Craigslist must ban sex ads

The attorneys general of eighteen US states are calling on advertising site Craigslist to remove the part of the site with erotic advertisements. The site would not take sufficient action against prostitution and child abuse.

Seventeen Attorneys General wrote a joint letter to CraigslistCEO Jim Buckmaster. Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley sent a letter of her own. The attorneys general, who are in charge of their state’s legal policy, want Craigslist to shut down the “erotic services” section of the site.

That section would contain advertisements for prostitution, which is banned in most US states, as well as advertisements that would result in child abuse. In 2008, the site was already under fire for that reason. Then Craigslist promised to work better with the government. In addition, all advertisements in the controversial erotica section would be pre-checked. However, according to the attorney general, the site does too little.

In the past, the erotic ads on Craigslist led to a number of crimes, the attorneys general say. A spokesperson for the site say told the AP news agency that he wanted to cooperate with the government to combat abuse and prostitution, but did not indicate whether the site will close the controversial part.