[jgunsch]

> One of the advertisers, identified only as 15-year-old "E.S.," ''was forced into prostitution at the age of 13 by her pimp," according to an affidavit filed with the complaint. She used other online advertising services until they were shut down, the court filing says, when she turned to Backpage.

This reads horribly: the feds took down multiple sites and knew about this 15-year-old, but didn't manage to reach her in the process?

[ben_jones]

It was my impression that sites like Backpage were massive "honey pots" that feds and local law enforcement used to contain and frequently thwart illicit activities such as prostitution. It seems like they are taken down at arbitrary times afterwards either after their usefulness as a law enforcement mechanism has diminished and, slight tin foil hat here, whenever an agency needs a "big bust" for political purposes. Go figure many are hurt in the process.