World's Oldest Profession Goes Digital

The women of the night have taken to the virtual streets of Craigslist.org, the Times reports, sometimes flying across the country to meet clients and trade money for sex. On Long Island, Nassau County authorities have made over 70 arrests since last year, part of a nationwide crackdown using decoy ads on the website to catch prostitutes and their customers.

“Craigslist has become the high-tech 42nd Street,” said one detective. Authorities say the site has made the world’s oldest profession easier, but legal experts say it cannot be held liable for postings. One prostitution advocate accused detectives of entrapment, saying they “are as inventive and as wily as sex workers are.” (More prostitution stories.)