Backpage

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About

Backpage is a classified advertisement website in which users can create listings to trade various products and services, bearing many similarities to the site Craigslist. In early October 2016, Backpage controlling shareholders Michael Lacey, along with CEO Carl Ferrer, were charged with conspiracy to commit pimping due to listings created on the site.

History

In 2004, the company New Times Media (now known as Village Voice Media) launched Backpage.com^[2] as a free classified service following the success of the site Craigslist. The site subsequently became the second largest online classified site in the United States. In 2010, Craigslist closed the categories for adult services in the United States, leading to a influx in adult-oriented posting on Backpage.

Features

The site contains classified listings in a variety of categories in local areas across the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, Latin America, Africa, Asia, Pacific and Middle East. Categories where listings can be searched and created include real estate, jobs, automotive, musician, community and buy/sell/trade. Additionally, the site contains an "adult" category, which often contain sexual innuendo along with sexually explicit images. The site prohibits illegal services and prostitution in the Terms of Service, which users must agree to prior to submitting a listing.

Controversies

Sex Trafficking

In September 2014, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children released an amicus curiae brief, which reported that Backpage efforts to curtail underage sex trafficking on the site were inadequate. Additionally, the organization claimed that the site "encourages dissemination of child sex trafficking content on its website."^[1] Advocates of the site have claimed that Backpage's reporting of potential sex trafficking cases of trafficking to authorities was helping law enforcement find and convict criminals. In additional, NGO legal experts and the Electronic Frontier Foundation have argued in favor of back page's First Amendment rights.

Arrests

On October 6th, 2016, the Backpage headquarters in Dallas, Texas was raided by authorities and CEO Carl Ferrar was arrested on felony charges of pimping a minor, pimping and conspiracy to commit pimping. Additionally, warrants were issued for the site's controlling shareholders Michael Lacey and James Larking, who were charged with conspiracy to commit pimping.