April 10, 2018
Baptist Press: Feds shut down Backpage.com over sex ads
WASHINGTON (BP) -- Opponents of human trafficking have applauded the federal government's shutdown of Backpage.com, reportedly the leading online facilitator of the sex trade.
An April 6 message at Backpage.com announced the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and other government entities had seized the website and its affiliates "as part of an enforcement action." The FBI and the Justice Department have made no further announcements about the investigation...
Donna Rice Hughes, president of the internet safety organization Enough Is Enough®, described it as a "titanic VICTORY" in a written message.
The government's seizure of Backpage came barely two weeks after Congress completed passage of legislation designed to hold accountable online sites that facilitate sex trafficking. The Senate approved the bill in a 97-2 vote March 21 following the House of Representatives' adoption of the measure in a 388-25 roll call in late February. President Trump is expected to sign the bill soon.