Craigslist.com was subpoenaed on Monday by Connecticut’s attorney general, who is investigating whether the popular online classified ad service is doing enough to quash prostitution on its site and whether it may be profiting from it.
Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, who is co-heading a group of 39 states looking into the matter, said in a statement that thousands of ads remain on Craigslist despite assurances from the company they would be removed.
The private company could be earning US$36.3 million or more a year from prostitution and human trafficking, he said, citing published reports.
Most ads on Craigslist are free except for jobs, New York brokered apartments and US adult and therapeutic services.
In a blog posted on the site, Craigslist chief executive Jim Buckmaster wrote that Blumenthal was “once again indulging in self-serving publicity at the expense of the truth and his constituents … As AG Blumenthal knows full well, Craigslist has gone beyond fulfilling its legal obligations, far beyond classifieds industry norms, has more than lived up to any promises it made and working together with its partners is in fact a leader in the fight against human trafficking and exploitation.”
Blumenthal’s request includes documents related to Craigslist’s manual review process, which the company says it uses to remove objectionable ads, correspondence from law enforcement, and documents related to revenue from the “erotic” and “adult” services ads.
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