Backpage Removes Adult Content

[Mister Purple]

The following is from their site:
http://www.backpage.com/classifieds/Media

Press Release: January 9, 2017

"Washington, D.C. - As the direct result of unconstitutional government censorship, Backpage.com has removed its Adult content section from the highly popular classified website, effective immediately. For years, the legal system protecting freedom of speech prevailed, but new government tactics, including pressuring credit card companies to cease doing business with Backpage, have left the company with no other choice but to remove the content in the United States.

As federal appeals court Judge Richard Posner has described, the goal is either to “suffocate” Backpage out of existence or use the awesome powers of the government to force Backpage to follow in the footsteps of Craigslist and abandon its Adult advertising section. Judge Posner described such tactics as “a formula for permitting unauthorized, unregulated, foolproof, lawless government coercion.”

“It's a sad day for America's children victimized by prostitution,” said Dr. Lois Lee, Founder and President, Children of the Night, a leading national hotline and shelter program for victims of sex trafficking based in Los Angeles. “Backpage.com was a critical investigative tool depended on by America's vice detectives and agents in the field to locate and recover missing children and to arrest and successfully prosecute the pimps who prostitute children.” She added, “The ability to search for and track potentially exploited children on a website and have the website bend over backwards to help and cooperate with police the way Backpage did was totally unique. It not only made law enforcement's job easier, it made them much more effective at rescuing kids and convicting pimps.”

Backpage.com was created thirteen years ago by Jim Larkin and Michael Lacey, through their newspaper company, New Times Media, to compete with Craigslist, the nation’s largest online classified ad platform. Larkin and Lacey were pioneers in independent journalism, establishing Village Voice Media in 1970 to provide alternative news coverage of the Vietnam war and later served as editor and publisher of twenty weekly newspapers.

As The Center for Democracy and Technology and the Electronic Frontier Foundation have observed, the Senate subcommittee has engaged in an “invasive, burdensome inquiry into Backpage.com’s editorial practices [that] creates an intense chilling effect, not only for Backpage but for any website operator seeking to define their own editorial viewpoint and moderation procedures for the third-party content they host.”

This will not end the fight for online freedom of speech. Backpage.com will continue to pursue its efforts in court to vindicate its First Amendment rights and those of other online platforms for third party expression."

Thoughts?

[DallasRain]

I rarely used bp....but once in awhile when i did,I found some great clients from it
I know that in some towns,like Springfield & Columbia,backpage was a major revenue for escorts

[angel23]

Is it permanent or just temporary?

[grayturner]

Escort ads are now on the dating section of BP

[katee]

Yes, but how many gentlemen will now to look there? I guess it's better than nothing. But as you know, we are so limited in SW mo as to where we have access to post an ad. I've talked to ladies who've posted under "dates" hours ago, they are usually very busy, but have told me their phones haven't rang.
I just posted there, so we will see.
Any other ideas Grayturner?

[billyjones88]

Well there is the electronic billboard at Battlefield and National. Haha that would stir them up.

[grayturner]

Originally Posted by katee

Yes, but how many gentlemen will now to look there? I guess it's better than nothing. But as you know, we are so limited in SW mo as to where we have access to post an ad. I've talked to ladies who've posted under "dates" hours ago, they are usually very busy, but have told me their phones haven't rang.
I just posted there, so we will see.
Any other ideas Grayturner?

You sound like a kid who can't wait for Christmas morning.
When Craigslist shut down people did not immediately flock to Backpage.
Give it some time. At least it is on the same site.
Bodyrubs seem to be in the massage section.

[Mister Purple]

Originally Posted by angel23

Is it permanent or just temporary?

It could be permanent. If not, it may take a while for it to go back to the way it was. They said they were willing to fight it in court, but that could be a rather lengthy process. The Dating section appears to be another option, though it may take a while for the word to spread. There are some other sites like BP, but again it may be a while before one of those catches on. That's why review sites like this are so valuable.

[fredtheenigma]

I hope that when she comes up for re-election we all remember that Claire McCaskill (D) was a big advocate in shutting down BP under the guise that it was a human trafficking site.

[DallasRain]

Originally Posted by billyjones88

Well there is the electronic billboard at Battlefield and National. Haha that would stir them up.

lol there is actually a BIG billboard on the highway between west memphis & memphis that says "come take the Highway to Hell"...it is an advertisement for a casino!

[Phil Hur]

You got to miss backpage fake pictures, and the chance to get robed . I know those type of people will find another way to draw clients into their dishonest world. They just hit a speed bump. This site at least has some accountability and higher quality providers. Shut down backpage should not effect the best of the best .... they actually get repeat customers.

[cycleguy]

Senate Hearing Finds Backpage.com Complicit in Underage Sex Trafficking

https://abcn.ws/2im4zqD

[fredtheenigma]

Originally Posted by cycleguy

Senate Hearing Finds Backpage.com Complicit in Underage Sex Trafficking

https://abcn.ws/2im4zqD

An interesting article that' should have pointed out the following:

1. Tom and Nacole must have done something wrong to cause their 15 year old daughter to run away from home. Now they want to blame their failures and what happened to their daughter on BP. What they should do is to seek counseling for the dysfunctional home they have and go after the pimp who was the real bad guy.
2. Sen. Clair McCaskill is a waste of air space. I hope no one votes for her when she comes up for re-election.

[cycleguy]

You must live in a dream world. Parents don't have to be anything but parents and their kids still run off.

[ohwhyn0t]

If you use your own phone, watch where you leave it. A backpage girl I'd never seen or talked to, but someone I HAD texted one time over a month ago at least (no response) evidently went looking for customers by randomly texting whatever numbers she had. My wife handed me the phone with her text. A not so great conversation ensued.