Craigslist Censors Adult Services Section in an Effort to Combat Trafficking and Prostitution

As of earlier today, Craigslist has made a serious effort to censor the portion of its site that is dedicated to adult services.

The site has faced scrutiny over the past few years, with some alleging that it promotes the trafficking of women and children and prostitution.

Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal led a group of 17 attorneys general in an effort to urge Craigslist to discontinue that controversial portion of the site. Blumenthal expressed the group's opinion in a letter, encouraging Craigslist to put "people over profits."

Susan MacTavish Best, who handles press inquires for Craigslist, went on record to say, "We strongly support the attorneys general desire to end trafficking in children and women, through the Internet or by any other means. We hope to work closely with them, as we are with experts at nonprofits and in law enforcement, to prevent misuse of our site in facilitation of trafficking and to combat such crimes wherever they appear, online or offline."

As CNN noted in its piece on the matter, Craigslist faced similar scrutiny in 2008 from state prosecutors, which prompted the site to raise the fees for posting such ads. In 2009, Craigslist began donating portions of the proceeds from those adult services ads to charity.

Although Craigslist representatives did not return calls today, the attorneys general hope this censorship could serve as an example for other similar sites.