Craigslist Axes "Adult Services" in U.S.

People around the world use Craigslist to find apartments, treadmills, or a by-the-hour date. Yesterday, however, founder Craig Newmark and chief executive officer Jim Buckmaster announced that the site will permanently end its adult services section to stop the sex trafficking and exploitation of minors, according to the Associated Press.

However, a quick survey of cities around the world such as Bulgaria, Jerusalem, and Manila shows that the site still offers a space to advertise adult services.

The site temporarily blocked the area where adult services were offered earlier this month after a group of 17 attorneys general demanded that Craigslist shut the operation down. A company official told federal lawmakers Wednesday that the change would be made permanent but still warned that people looking to advertise sexual services would go to other sites.

The announcement follows the death of the so-called Craigslist Killer, Phillip Markoff, who committed suicide in jail in August. The 24-year-old Boston University student was arrested in April 2009 on charges of murdering a masseuse he met through Craigslist.