http://blog.patyuen.com/2010/09/03/craigslist-removes-adult-services-section-at-the-urging-of-attorney-generals-from-17-states/

Craigslist removes Adult Services section at the urging of Attorney Generals from 17 States
Posted on September 3, 2010 by patyuen

On August 24th, Attorney Generals from 17 States in calling on craigslist to immediately remove the Adult Services portion of the site due to continued rampant prostitution advertisements and mounting public outrage. The multi-state letter, to craigslist CEO Jim Buckmaster and founder Craig Newmark, contends that craigslist cannot — or will not — adequately screen these ads, so it should stop accepting them altogether and shut down the Adult Services section.

It appears Craiglist is complying with the request with little fanfare or announcement. Users from across the country have been reporting the removal of the section in multiple cities including those in the San Francisco Bay Area even though California was not one of the States who signed the letter. It’s unclear why the site decided to mark the section as censored rather than removing it altogether. Perhaps it is a way for them to make a statement. It is not just censored for non logged in users. Users with accounts will see the same black ‘censored’ label over the previous Adult Services listing.

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUS419264813320100826

If anyone looks through archives from around 2006 or 7 I predicted the demise of CL way back then. It took a bit longer, but I'm not surprised. It has been way to out of hand.

In the "old days" of the Internet the girls who advertised on various sites were quality professionals, then CL arrived along with cell phones and every street girl and her pimp brought their ghetto mentality to Internet dating. That is what ruined it. Too many low lifes. Too many criminals. Too many scumbags. Of both (all sexes). Too many robbers. Too many rapists. And a couple of child exploiters.

So now it's gone. I think maybe it's a good thing. It will drive people to sites like this. It will help quality providers regain the trust and confidence of gentlemen who will be less likely to be taken advantage of.

I think this is a chance for sites like RB to improve the quality of experience. Especially by blocking people using stolen photos, knows "robs" etc. I also think eventually most contact sites are going to become semi-private paid membership "clubs" where everyone is vetted and safe.

I also think this CL thing is going to hurt lower end TS providers more than GG's who have better alternatives for contacts.

But what do I know, I could be totally wrong...

TS Jamie

I'm really going to miss it, it served me well for years. Also when I was out of the area it made it easy to find a provider... Damn shame, pot is virtually legal now, but people still freak out over prostitution. Drives me insane!

Dalton