Pimps Infiltrate New Corners of Craigslist

'Adult services' shuttered, they head over to 'casual encounters'
By Polly Davis Doig,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 7, 2010 7:57 AM CDT
Pimps Infiltrate New Corners of Craigslist
In this Nov. 6, 2008 file photo, Jim Buckmaster, CEO of Craigslist, watches as Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal speaks in Hartford, Conn.   (AP Photo/Bob Child, File)

Opponents of the world's oldest profession scored a victory Friday when Craigslist replaced its "adult services" section with a black "censored" banner, thereby grinding all prostitution to a screeching halt. For a nanosecond. Then pimps predictably picked up their nefarious ads and trotted right over to Craigslist's "casual encounters" section, reports the Wall Street Journal.

Connecticut AG Richard Blumenthal, who led the charges against "adult services," is now calling it "an important step," but not a "magic bullet." "We will continue to pursue this issue with Craigslist if the problem persists, and will continue to insist on effective screening and filtering," he says. Craigslist maintains that effective screening is near-impossible.
(More Craigslist stories.)

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