AGs to Craigslist: Adult Section Not Wanted

Attorneys general in 17 states are demanding that craigslist remove its adult services section to make sure prostitution and child trafficking ads don't appear.

A joint letter from AGs in Arkansas, Connecticut, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, Ohio, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia. said that even though the San Francisco-based company would lose revenue, no amount of money "can justify the scourge of illegal prostitution and the suffering of the women and children who will continue to be victimized, in the market and trafficking provided by Craigslist."

In November craigslist added protections that include making posters provide a legitimate phone number and pay a fee to post in the erotic services portion of the site.

Craigslist has already been subpoenaed by Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, who wants proof that it is taking action to stop prostitution ads.

In a posting on its site, craigslist CEO Jim Buckmaster wrote that the company is "working intensively ... with experts and thought leaders at leading nonprofits and among law enforcement on further substantive measures we can take."

The post says that craigslist "is committed to being socially responsible, and when it comes to adult services ads, that includes aggressively combating violent crime and human rights violations, including human trafficking and the exploitation of minors."