Craigslist's statement about closing erotic services

SAN FRANCISCO, May 13th, 2009 - Craigslist has finally given in to demands that it drops its "erotic services" category following the April 14 murder of 25-year-old masseuse Julissa Brisman, who according to authorities advertised her services on Craigslist in Boston.

The classified advertising site Craigslist today announced it would replace its "erotic services" ads with a new adult category. In a statement, a Craigslist spokesman said

"A new category entitled adult services will be opened for postings by legal adult service providers. Each posting to this new category will be manually reviewed before appearing on the site, to ensure compliance with craigslist posting guidelines and terms of use. New postings will cost $10, but once approved, will be eligible for reposting at $5".

Craigslist is a centralized network of online communities, featuring free online classified advertisements – with sections devoted to jobs, housing, personals, for sale, services, community, gigs, resumes, and discussion forums.

Craigslist's sex-service listings have been under intense pressure to drop its "erotic services" category following April killing of Julissa Brisman. Authorities claim the alleged killer Philip Markoff, a 23-year-old Boston University medical student, who also attacked two other women meet his victim through Craigslist's "erotic services" listings.

Craigslist's 14 year online presence has since drained off advertising revenue from newspapers. It currently generates over 20 billion page views per month. In 2004, eBay bought a 25 percent stake in Craigslist.

Whereas the announcement was lauded in law enforcement circles, some people are mulling where they will post their ads. It still remains to be seen whether Craigslist will implement the changes.