Craigslist to help find missing and sexually exploited kids
The classified ads site will install new search technology to help authorities, according to an announcement made today. The agreement was made between Craigslist and attorneys general in 40 states and the District of Columbia.
Law enforcement officials said that they have been arresting people for using sites like Craigslist to advertise the sex services of women and children.
“The criminals engaged in the sexual trafficking of children no longer parade them on the streets of America’s cities,” said Ernie Allen of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in an Associated Press report. “Today, they market them via the Internet.”
Craigslist is now also requiring anyone who posts an “erotic services” ad to provide a working phone number and pay a fee with a valid credit card. That information could be subpoenaed by police. The company also plans to sue 14 software and internet businesses that help circumvent the web site’s defenses against inappropriate content.
