Why Backpage was seized

Backpage.com used to be the second largest classified ad website, second only to Craigslist. It came to prominence in 2010 when Craigslist stopped its adult services section. Backpage took the opportunity and became the major provider of these kinds of ads. According to law enforcement, Backpage became the leading source of sex trafficking ads. Something that as you know it is illegal in the majority of U.S. It is rumored that Backpage generated more than $100 million per year in revenue from that kind of ads.
Reports have shown that more than 1 million prostitution-related ads were posted daily. Of course, something like that was really hard to go unnoticed by the federal government. The problem had become enormous and soon the federal law enforcement agencies were forced to take action. More than 1000 people with ties to Backpage ads were arrested in 2017.
Of course, Backpage officials were the first to go down. In the present, Backpage CEO Carl Ferrer has pleaded guilty to charges such as money laundering and conspiracy of prostitution facilitation and he is cooperating with the authorities. Several more Backpage officials were arrested for similar offenses. All of them admitted that they were facilitating illegal prostitution ads.
This seizure had many side effects. An unintended consequence was the fact that many sex workers lost their shelter. Even if we like it or not sex-related employment is a thing and there are thousands of people that leave through that. The majority of them were using Backpage and now they have no place to shelter themselves and as they claim, they are forced back to the street. Thus, they lose the protection of an online platform and the power to choose their clients wisely. This situation brings them back to a situation that involves huge risks.
Anyway, we are not here to judge people's choices or the government's laws. We strongly believe that laws exist for the good of our society and they should be obeyed by everyone. On the other hand, everyone has the right to do the work of his/her choice and he/she should enjoy a safe working environment. The choice to decide if Backpage seizure was right or wrong is yours to decide. We are here just to mention the facts.
In general, the demand and supply for sex working are really big in the U.S. and the biggest part of it is illegal. That is neither good for the clients nor for the workers. Our opinion is that the federal government should find a way to control that traffic and find a way to supply a safe environment for both sex workers and clients. The sure thing is that soon someone else will take Backpage's place as a sex ads supplier. It is simply the laws of demand and supply since those two are there, there will always be someone ready to make money out of them.