Backpage.com Seized by Federal Law Enforcement, Taken Offline

Backpage.com was seized by federal law enforcement agencies today and taken offline. The website listed sex ads, and gained notoriety--and the attention of law enforcement--for posting advertisements that offered children for sex.

A notice posted to the website said, "backpage.com and affiliated websites have been seized as part of an enforcement action" by the FBI and the enforcement arms of the IRS and the U.S. Postal Service.

The notice said other agencies participating in and supporting the enforcement action include U.S. Attorneys offices in Arizona and California, the U.S. Department of Justice's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, and the attorneys general of California and Texas.

RMPBS has reported extensively on child sex trafficking in Colorado. In her report, Traded and Trafficked, correspondent Lori Jane Gliha highlighted cases that had connections to Backpage.com. 

To learn more, view our full report, Traded and Trafficked, and listen to our podcast, go to www.rmpbs.org/insight/traded-and-trafficked/