HARRISBURG – Attorney General Tom Corbett announced that Pennsylvania, 42 other states and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) have reached an agreement with Craigslist intended to reduce and deter content and illegal activity in its erotic services sections of that popular website.
Corbett said that under the terms of the agreement, Craigslist will require that anyone posting advertisements for erotic services provide a working phone number and pay a fee with a valid credit card.
“Requiring forms of positive identification, including the credit card fee and valied phone number, are expected to significantly reduce the number of online ads involving illegal activity,” Corbett said. “Additionally, Craigslist will provide information about the individuals posting these ads in response to law enforcement subpoenas, providing investigators with details that are essential to prosecuting illegal activity.”
Corbett said that Craigslist has also committed to suing 14 software and Internet companies who allegedly sell services that help erotic service posters circumvent the website’s defenses against inappropriate content and illegal activity. Information about those businesses will be provided to attorneys general across the country for possible civil and criminal prosecution.
Corbett said that Craigslist will also deploy search technology that was initially developed to assist the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and law enforcement agencies in identifying missing persons, children and victims of human trafficking. It will also explore new technology to block the uploading of inappropriate photos and to filter for code words and euphemisms for illegal activity.
The agreement also requires Craigslist to take additional steps to crack down on erotic services ads, including:
-Attaching “tags” to the erotic services section that assist parental screening software.
-Employing “digital tagging” to identity and eliminate inappropriate content.
-Allowing users to “flag” ads that violate Craigslist’s terms of service, which include prohibitions on pornography and criminal activity (Ads that reach a certain threshold of “flags” will be automatically eliminated).
-Meeting on a regular basis with the attorneys general to discuss additional ways to fight inappropriate content and making the site safer.
Corbett noted that the Attorney General’s Child Predator Unit has aggressively investigated and prosecuted cases involving Internet predators who have attempted to use Craiglist, MySpace, Facebook and other websites to sexually exploit children. The office has also continued to pressure website operators to play a strong role in making their services and communities safer for children and families.
Since its creation in 2005, the Attorney General’s Child Predator Unit has arrested 175 Internet predators from Pennsylvania and several other states.
“Every day, adults are using Internet chat rooms, message services, social networking sites, online classified ads and other Internet resources to search for vulnerable young victims,” Corbett said. “The number of predators we have been able to identify and arrest has been growing rapidly, and it is vital that parents and children understand this threat.”
Corbett said that suspected Internet predators can be reported to the Attorney General’s Child Predator Unit by using the “report a predator” link, located on the front page of the Attorney General’s Web site, or by calling the Child Predator Hotline, at 1-800-385-1044.
Internet safety tips and other information are available in the “Operation Safe Surf” and “Just for Kids” sections of the Attorney General’s Web site. Organizations interested in materials, speakers or presentations, contact the Attorney General’s Education and Outreach Office at 1-800-525-7642 or via email at education@attorneygeneral.gov.