Craigslist Pulls Hooker Ads

Following a complaint filed by seventeen state Attorneys General last week, Craigslist has pulled its Adult Services section.

Craigslist did not announce the move and its blog was not updated as of Saturday morning. Craigslist did not immediately respond to email and voice mail messages seeking comment. The change comes as the service faces growing pressure in the U.S. over sex services advertised on its classifieds network, as well as allegations that it abets in human sex trafficking. The stakes were raised again last week, when the company received a letter from 17 state attorneys general demanding it immediately shut down its adult services listing, citing the case of two girls who said last month that they were trafficked for sex through the site. If Craigslist has bowed to public pressure that would signal a major shift in the company’s strategy. According the AIM Group, Craigslist’s adult services section accounts for 30 percent of its overall revenue — a projected $36.6 million in 2010 out of $122 million. More than half the company’s revenue comes from recruitment advertising and about 17 percent (almost $21 million) comes from apartment ads in New York City, the AIM Group estimates.