But the same photos would quickly reappear with a new ad. Although Backpage executives made a show of cooperating with the FBI and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, agreeing to delete ads for underage girls. Owners weren’t legally responsible for what people posted. Under that 1996 law, sites like weren’t treated like old-fashioned newspapers but like modern bulletin boards. The couch ad? Not one.Ĭlearly, was being used to promote prostitution, but there was a big hurdle, thanks to the Communications Decency Act. The sex ad garnered 806 replies within two days.
The other offered a nice, reasonably priced couch. One, featuring the photo of a young staffer, promised sex with a teenager. Of course, it accepted ads for other things, but Krell guessed that was mostly a sham. (Author’s own)Įventually, Krell zeroed in on, where sex was for sale.