Craigslist.com blocks access to adult services ads

Craigslist.com has dropped its "adult services" listings, which have become the target of U.S. state attorneys general who say the much-visited online classified ad site is not doing enough to quash prostitution.

Last year, Craigslist replaced its "erotic services" ads with a new "adult" category it said would be closely screened.

The move came after a masseuse who offered her services on Craigslist was killed and a client was charged with her murder. The man charged in the case committed suicide last month in a Boston prison cell.

Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal is co-leading a group of states attorneys general looking into the company's efforts to purge illegal ads from it site.

The private company could be earning $36.3 million or more a year from prostitution and human trafficking, Blumenthal said at the time, citing published reports.

In a May blog post, Craigslist Chief Executive Jim Buckmaster wrote that "... Craigslist has gone beyond fulfilling its legal obligations, far beyond classifieds industry norms, has more than lived up to any promises it made, and working together with its partners is in fact a leader in the fight against human trafficking and exploitation."