Backpage CEO arrested over sex ads that allegedly led to forced prostitution

[Eugene]

Source: Associated Press

State agents raided the Dallas headquarters of adult classifieds site Backpage and arrested CEO Carl Ferrer on Thursday following allegations that adult and child sex-trafficking victims had been forced into prostitution through escort ads posted on the site.

Ferrer, 55, was arrested on a California warrant after arriving at Houston’s Bush Intercontinental airport on a flight from Amsterdam, Texas attorney general Ken Paxton said. In a statement, Paxton said agents from his law enforcement unit participated in a search of Backpage’s headquarters and Ferrer’s arrest.

“Making money off the backs of innocent human beings by allowing them to be exploited for modern-day slavery is not acceptable in Texas,” Paxton, a Republican, said in a statement. “I intend to use every resource my office has to make sure those who profit from the exploitation and trafficking of persons are held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”

California attorney general Kamala Harris said Ferrer was arrested on felony charges of pimping a minor, pimping and conspiracy to commit pimping. He is being held in lieu of $500,000 bond and will face an extradition hearing before he can be returned to California.

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Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/oct/06/backpage-ceo-arrested-sex-ads-forced-prostitution

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Associated Press
Friday 7 October 2016 01.54 BST

[scscholar]

1. Good. The press should be held accountable for what they publish. (ntxt)

[Codeine]

10. Really?

I'm not sure I agree.

[truthisfreedom]

2. I wonder if they can make that stick. A really good lawyer might wriggle out

using first amendment issues, I'm guessing.

[Travis_0004]

8. A really bad lawyer should be able to wriggle him out as well

I would think he is also protected by section 230 of the communications decency act which states "No provider or user of an interactive computer service shall be treated as the publisher or speaker of any information provided by another information content provider"

So Backpage is not the publisher. The person who created the add is the publisher, and they are responsible.

[RedRocco]

3. so is any place that sells ad space now liable for any crimes

committed by it's advertisers?

[Liberalagogo]

4. Why isn't Paxton in jail?

He's just as much a criminal.

Fuck him.

[bucolic_frolic]

5. You know it's election time

when they suddenly put on a show of law and order

Will they track down and nab all the wealthy clients?

[elmac]

6. Craigslist shut down their adult section years ago

because of pressure from law enforcement and others.

[Travis_0004]

9. Craigslist also didn't make any money of their adult section

Craigslist makes money off job listings, and apartment listings (in some cities). I'm sure for them it was worth it to keep their reputation up and protect their only source of revenue.

[Codeine]

11. All that content just migrated to the personals.

A bit more carefully coded, I suppose.

[ToxMarz]

7. The media (love it or hate it) is not the source of the problem

This will not do anything to solve the problem. But it looks good in print.