The Beginning of the Backpage Introduction
Backpage.com was an online classified advertisements website that was established in 2004 as a rival to Craigslist by the alternative newspaper chain New Times Media/New Times Media (which would eventually become known as Village Voice Media or VVM).
Backpage is an online classifieds website similar to Craigslist that enables users to post advertisements in a variety of categories, including personal, automobile, job, and rental, and adult service. It didn't take long for it to overtake Craigslist as the second most popular online classifieds site in the US.
Since a result of pressure from state attorneys general and other opponents, Craigslist was compelled to shut down its "adult services" section in the year 2010, as they contended that the site enabled users to engage in illegal activities such as prostitution. Backpage emerged as the primary winner after the majority of the adult advertising market that had been hosted on Craigslist was moved to other websites.
Former Craigslist detractors were compelled to turn their attention to Backpage, which had resisted efforts to ban the site up until January 2017, when it finally shut down its adult section before congressional hearings.
Backpage.com, the suing party
Plaintiff Backpage.com manages an online classified advertising service that may be accessed through their website, www.backpage.com. Backpage.com serves as a home for millions of advertisements from all over the world every month, making it the world's second largest online advertising business. Backpage.com's website can be accessed through backpage.com. Advertisements are separated into the following categories: state and city, local region, job and community, trade, purchase-Sales, rent, real estate, musicians, jobs, dating, adults, and services. Backpage.com users are the ones who develop and publish the advertisements on the website. They must pay between $5 and $10 to post an ad in the adult part, but only $1 is required to submit an ad in the dating sector. Backpage.com users also have the option to post advertisements for free. In addition to the other available payment methods, customers of Backpage.com have the option of paying an ad charge via credit card. See generally Dkt.
On the Backpage.com service, illegal content as well as illegal action is not permitted, either because of the Backpage.com Terms of Use or because of the service itself. A former. B. Only adults over the age of 18 are allowed to post in adult sections intended for that purpose, and they are not allowed to publish any material that could be construed as sexually explicit. The ID does not allow "obscene or obscene and genital or images that feature obscene imagery, actual or simulated sexual behavior or nudity." The item in question, the AC ("Posting Rules"). Users are warned that any post that exploits a minor in any way may be subject to criminal prosecution and will be reported to CyberTipline for law enforcement purposes.
If a user on ID comes across an advertisement that does not adhere to these guidelines, they have the ability to send a complaint about the advertisement to Backpage.com by clicking the link labeled "Report ad" that is located within the advertisement itself, which they will save. When the user does so, they are taken to a page where they can report ads that have "inappropriate or unlawful content," "uploaded too much spam," or "wrong category." Users are instructed to send an email to abuse@backpage.com if an advertisement "appears to contain images of threats to a child or child exploitation." This instruction may be found in ID F. the webpage.