Backpage.com – The Battle for Free Speech Continues…

As many of you know, and as I’ve written about, Backpage.com executives have had serious trouble with law enforcement over the accusation of sex trafficking.

In the summer of 2015, the authorities convinced Mastercard and Visa to STOP accepting payments through Backpage.com.

Telling them Backpage was part of underage sex trafficking. They complied without too much convincing.

The stop payment included the use of gift cards, as well as, regular credit and debit cards provided by these financial behemoths.

Then in October of 2016, all three CEOs of Backpage were arrested on sex trafficking charges. The charges were dropped several weeks later.

The Communications Decency Act which protects Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and all other social platforms was used.

This is the law that says websites like Backpage.com can NOT be held responsible for what thirds parties using their site do.

The Latest Development

As of Monday, Jan. 9^th the adult section of Backpage.com has been blocked.

That’s ALL the adult sections from every AMERICAN geographical area on Backpage.com.

The government has forced Backpage into this position. For many this is an issue of free speech. For many more it’s about protecting innocents.

However, it seems there is real evidence that the Backpage executives knowingly encouraged their staff to “green light” ads where underage sex trafficking was a good possibility.

Senator Claire McCaskill has spear headed the effort to shut down the adult section of Backpage in Congress. Her website has a full downloadable report. <– These have been taken down.

HOWEVER…

However… and that’s a BIG however… Backpage seems to have really, really dropped the ball on what they could have done to stop traffickers from posting ads.

There is a VIDEO below where Senator McCaskill discusses the attempts many people have made over YEARS to get Backpage to get a tighter grip on their escort ads.

I now conclude… from reading the report and watching the video that Backpage did NOT do enough to stop traffickers from advertising on their site.

As much as I want to support Backpage and all that their platform has done for me and others in the adult industry…

I have to question the reasoning behind why they weren’t more stringent in their posting moderation.

What Now?

I think we can agree it’s a great thing to save children from abuse.

Unfortunately, this means that many consensual adult workers are now out in the cold.

And so are you.

There are options. Places online where both providers and clients can go to find each other.

They’re just not very good options.

In the meantime, I will continue to write, on this blog and elsewhere… and perhaps create a website.

Maybe another type of Backpage can be “reborn” with the same easy-to-use format and affordability without the sleaze? Just maybe.

After all, this isn’t just about free speech.

As always, I hope you find value in my words. Thank you for your support. (More content below video)

Have a sensual day. Dyann xoxo