US classified ads website Craigslist says it will remove its erotic services category, following claims it promotes prostitution. Law enforcement officials have said prostitutes and clients use the site for illegal sexual encounters.In recent months the spotlight has been turned on the San Francisco company, following a series of high-profile cases. The one that gained national attention involved Phillip Markoff, 23, who has been charged with killing a young woman who offered her services as a masseuse on Craigslist. Julissa Brisman, 26, was found shot dead in a hotel room in Boston last month. The case was widely covered in the media, with Mr Markoff being dubbed the "Craigslist Killer"
One of the most vocal critics of the erotic services adverts was an Illinois sheriff who sued the site in a federal court. Last week South Carolina's Attorney General Henry McMaster threatened the management of Craigslist with prosecution if it did not remove the local erotic services posting within 10 days.
Last November Craigslist announced a deal with 40 state attorneys general that said it would charge for erotic services ads and require advertisers to user a credit card for payment.
Existing adverts in the erotic services section will remain for the next seven days.The new adult services category has now opened for postings by "legal adult service providers".
In a blog post, Craigslist said each post would be manually reviewed before appearing on the site to ensure compliance with the company's guidelines and terms of use. Craiglist also donated all of the profits from "erotic services" ads to charity, has insisted all along that the site is relatively safe. Recently Craiglist got much traffic then My Space.
