R.I.P. Backpage???

[bostonman]

Let's not get to Armageddon predictions so fast. Please.

[LivingnLA]

Interesting replies. I'm bummed by the replies that try and demonize one side or the other. Is it possible this is a "witch hunt" as at least one post said? Sure, but it's also entirely possible it's legitimate.

 

We know human trafficking and sexual slavery exists. It's probably existed for the entirety of our species' history. Those of us who are ethical and moral members of the human race have taken a stand against the idea that any of us could be property. That means we must fight human trafficking and modern forms of slavery. It's harder to battle because technology enables greater anonymity for those who kidnap/trick victims into slavery and those who exploit them.

 

Sites like Backpage, Craigslist, and more are great places for such criminals to trick people. They can post jobs for "modeling" or whatever, get responses, and find new "properties" to acquire. Since such postings generally require money or other traceable / identifiable actions if you post frequently and extensively, those sites know who is behind the ads in a real way that removes the anonymity.

 

I'll freely admit the statistics and data on all of this are difficult to find and assess. It's entirely possible the numbers are smaller than we think, but given all we know about how under reported sexual crimes are, I err on the other side. Plus even if we're "only" talking about 400 ads a month as the TC article below suggests, that's still several hundred CHILDREN who are sexual slaves right now in America and Backpage--like every ethical & moral being/organization--should fight to save them!

 

https://techcrunch.com/2012/10/06/sex-trafficking-on-backpage-com-much-ado-about-statistically-nothing/

[+ José Soplanucas]

Thanks for this link!

 

Peace,

 

Kipp

 

I'm afraid skipthegame.com was just a backpage mirror site. I just checked it and their last update is Monday, backpage's last day.

[Zman]

I'm afraid skipthegame.com was just a backpage mirror site. I just checked it and their last update is Monday, backpage's last day.

 

I wondered why I never heard of it before.

[handiacefailure]

As liberal as a lot of states are becoming to Marijuana, I'm surprised this country isn't doing the same for prostitution/escorting instead of cracking down on it.

 

Providing sites like backpage and rentmen are used there are no victims and who is it hurting?

 

I can understand when children are exploited or if someone is forced into it against their will, but with a site like Backpage or Rentmen it's between two consenting adults of their own free will.

[+ saminseattle]

As liberal as a lot of states are becoming to Marijuana, I'm surprised this country isn't doing the same for prostitution/escorting instead of cracking down on it.

 

Providing sites like backpage and rentmen are used there are no victims and who is it hurting?

 

I can understand when children are exploited or if someone is forced into it against their will, but with a site like Backpage or Rentmen it's between two consenting adults of their own free will.

 

Unfortunately, I don’t think we can really say that “with a site like Backpage…it’s between two consenting adults of their own free will.” Obviously, in many cases that is true, but it is also well documented that there have been tragic cases where the site was used to traffic minors. I still think that if people use a website to do something terrible, the proper response of LE is to arrest those people instead of shutting down the entire website, but “liberals” like Kamala Harris apparently have a different view. (Ironically, Backpage has frequently helped LE arrest people who were involved in trafficking; with Backpage gone and this activity going further underground, it may actually be harder for LE to identify the perpetrators).

 

In any event, I think this explains why we seem to be seeing paradoxical, contrary trends when it comes to legalization/decriminalization of marijuana versus sex work. It’s not that the “abolition,” “end demand” crowd really has the public on their side. Opinion is actually quite divided about the issue as a general matter https://today.yougov.com/news/2015/09/01/country-split-legalizing-prostitution/ Rather, their success is because they have managed to disguise their effort to crack down on all prostitution, about which people are ambivalent, by constantly conflating it with the most abusive forms of prostitution that everyone is against. And as @LivingnLA points out, these abuses are a very legitimate concern. If advocates for decriminalization can find a way to address this concern, I think we will see cultural and legal changes around sex work similar to what we are seeing with respect to marijuana.

[Mocha]

Sex trafficking of a minor is an enormous and horrendous issue. It's not on the news much because it involves those who cannot speak for themselves, ie young children and immigrants. Also it has nothing to do with Trump. Any efforts to help eliminate this horror will get all my support. The loss of BP, though unfortunate for some of our escorts, may help the effort. If I stand in the minority here, so be it.

 

I also agree I don't think Trump is the cause, like people keep saying. His administration hasn't even started, he can't sign nothing into effect. I think this further makes it true: "years of bullying".

 

http://reason.com/blog/2017/01/10/backpage-shutters-adult-ad-section

[Irtwo]

Good article, Mocha.

[+ bigjoey]

Interesting replies. I'm bummed by the replies that try and demonize one side or the other. Is it possible this is a "witch hunt" as at least one post said? Sure, but it's also entirely possible it's legitimate.

 

We know human trafficking and sexual slavery exists. It's probably existed for the entirety of our species' history. Those of us who are ethical and moral members of the human race have taken a stand against the idea that any of us could be property. That means we must fight human trafficking and modern forms of slavery. It's harder to battle because technology enables greater anonymity for those who kidnap/trick victims into slavery and those who exploit them.

 

Sites like Backpage, Craigslist, and more are great places for such criminals to trick people. They can post jobs for "modeling" or whatever, get responses, and find new "properties" to acquire. Since such postings generally require money or other traceable / identifiable actions if you post frequently and extensively, those sites know who is behind the ads in a real way that removes the anonymity.

 

I'll freely admit the statistics and data on all of this are difficult to find and assess. It's entirely possible the numbers are smaller than we think, but given all we know about how under reported sexual crimes are, I err on the other side. Plus even if we're "only" talking about 400 ads a month as the TC article below suggests, that's still several hundred CHILDREN who are sexual slaves right now in America and Backpage--like every ethical & moral being/organization--should fight to save them!

 

https://techcrunch.com/2012/10/06/sex-trafficking-on-backpage-com-much-ado-about-statistically-nothing/

 

Interesting link. I dislike the way the statistics on prostitution and child-trafficking are being produced. They are being quoted as fact when it is clear they are artificial.

[+ bigjoey]

I also agree I don't think Trump is the cause, like people keep saying. His administration hasn't even started, he can't sign nothing into effect. I think this further makes it true: "years of bullying".

 

http://reason.com/blog/2017/01/10/backpage-shutters-adult-ad-section

 

Yes, Trump is hardly the cause. Last year in California, Democrat and now Senator, Kamala Harris, then the state's attorney general, filled criminal charges against Backpage executives.

[+ bigjoey]

What is worrying me (and most likely Daddy) is that media is being held responsible for the content of ads. This places a huge burden on media and the Constitutional rights of a free press. We all know now that VW criminally lied and manipulated the results of its automobile environmental tests; should all of the media that carried their ads be liable to the buyers of their cars for the fraud?

 

As a strong free speech advocate, what starts against something terrible like child-sex trafficking can set a very bad precedent for other speech.

[LivingnLA]

Interesting link. I dislike the way the statistics on prostitution and child-trafficking are being produced. They are being quoted as fact when it is clear they are artificial.

 

The problem with statistics on these topics, is the difficulty in doing them well. They're all estimates and extrapolations based on very limited information. I agree more people need to be more clear about their sources and methods.

 

As I said previously, even if we're "only" talking about a few hundred children across the whole country, they're still worth saving, the challenge is how to find and rescue them. That's why I was pleased by the recent change to California law that allows them to come forward without worry of being charged and prosecuted for what they were forced to do by their pimp or slave owner.

[+ José Soplanucas]

The problem with statistics on these topics, is the difficulty in doing them well. They're all estimates and extrapolations based on very limited information. I agree more people need to be more clear about their sources and methods.

 

As I said previously, even if we're "only" talking about a few hundred children across the whole country, they're still worth saving, the challenge is how to find and rescue them. That's why I was pleased by the recent change to California law that allows them to come forward without worry of being charged and prosecuted for what they were forced to do by their pimp or slave owner.

 

Of course the best way to fight child prostitution is legalizing sex work. A legal and regulated activity is easier to police, easier to protect the workers rights, easier to serve customers' interests, easier to develope its own standards and keep the bad apples out.

[JayCeeKy]

Of course the best way to fight child prostitution is legalizing sex work.

In today's political environment, that's about as likely as a bus full of nuns going to Hooters.

[LivingnLA]

Did you see the OpEd in NYT?

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/12/opinion/when-backpagecom-peddles-schoolgirls-for-sex.html?_r=0

 

I thought it contributed well to our discussion.

 

@latbear4blk, I agree. Legalization would be very helpful for fighting sexual slavery. Until we get there, we must continue to fight it aggressively and as the above OpEd discusses, Backpage wasn't willing to fight too strongly since as their own internal data shows, a significant amount of their ad revenue came from questionable sources. Heck, they even had automatic "editing" of posts that would allow a post to go live but remove any references to underage participants. In other words, they intentionally would clean-up an ad if it mentioned underage and then post the ad; which effectively meant they helped a potential human trafficker make money and exploit their captives.

 

I haven't had a chance to read the committee's report, but the executive summary looks promising.

 

http://www.portman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/files/serve?File_id=5D0C71AE-A090-4F30-A5F5-7CFFC08AFD48

[+ José Soplanucas]

In today's political environment, that's about as likely as a bus full of nuns going to Hooters.

 

I agree, but that does not make it less true.

[ncc1701d]

A new website will come up, the same happened to craigslist's.

 

Really? What is the new website?

[azhiker]

Backpage has a new section called "dating".

[ncc1701d]

Ah....never knew that. Thanks!

[bostonman]

Backpage has a new section called "dating".

 

It's not new - it's always been there. Just that it wasn't nearly as popular. And some of the ads there were escort ads even before this happened - just that now everyone's becoming aware that it's a viable loophole.

[handiacefailure]

The escort ads are still there for Toronto

[Mocha]

What I couldn't understand about BP was some of the gay escort ads would have nude pictures or even videos of guys stroking off and cuming. Yet, when I would even remotely place something suggestive, my ad would be removed or edited.

 

Did you see the OpEd in NYT?

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/12/opinion/when-backpagecom-peddles-schoolgirls-for-sex.html?_r=0

 

I thought it contributed well to our discussion.

 

@latbear4blk, I agree. Legalization would be very helpful for fighting sexual slavery. Until we get there, we must continue to fight it aggressively and as the above OpEd discusses, Backpage wasn't willing to fight too strongly since as their own internal data shows, a significant amount of their ad revenue came from questionable sources. Heck, they even had automatic "editing" of posts that would allow a post to go live but remove any references to underage participants. In other words, they intentionally would clean-up an ad if it mentioned underage and then post the ad; which effectively meant they helped a potential human trafficker make money and exploit their captives.

 

I haven't had a chance to read the committee's report, but the executive summary looks promising.

 

http://www.portman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/files/serve?File_id=5D0C71AE-A090-4F30-A5F5-7CFFC08AFD48

[LivingnLA]

What I couldn't understand about BP was some of the gay escort ads would have nude pictures or even videos of guys stroking off and cuming. Yet, when I would even remotely place something suggestive, my ad would be removed or edited.

 

Oh? Huh. Maybe they don't see the videos in their "moderation?"

[+ Axiom2001]

Today is February 1, 2017, and at www.backpage.com, there are a few explicit ads for male-to-male action in its "Male-for-Male" section. I hope this remains but hope that the feds will not do a review

and censor this area of the site. Two or three men have hot ads which are accompanied by pics that are "out there!" ...just wrote as an FYI.