It's... a Craigslist clone. The article makes it seem like backpage.com is some online brothel whose sole (or main) focus is "teh trafficking of innocent wimminz and children oh my!", but a quick spin through the site seems to show that it's more like Craigslist with less traffic and the greatest site design techniques from 2004. With that in mind, the NYT article strikes me as more of an attack piece against Village Voice Media, and a screed against online prostitution in general.<p>In my experience as a semi-professional musician who gets a significant chunk of work from the 'gigs' and 'talent' section of Craigslist, the quality of those sections diminished GREATLY when Craigslist shuttered their 'adult' section. I say leave backpage.com alone, and don't penalize the rest of their community by using a sledgehammer to squash a housefly.
Such a hysterical, over-amped campaign. I can't wait till he turns his guns on the Internet itself because, to paraphrase him a bit "There’s no doubt that [lots of stuff on the Internet is placed there] by consenting adults. But it’s equally clear that [the Internet] plays a major role in the trafficking of minors or women who are coerced.<p>And he cites one recent case where, yes indeed, a girl was "drugged, tied up, raped and sold to johns through Backpage and other sites."<p>So even if a medium is used by adults for consensual activity, it should be stomped out if there's any chance that someone will abuse it.