The United States government has seized Backpage.com, the controversial classifieds website. A notice informing visitors of the seizure was posted on the site, and a Justice Department spokesperson confirmed the notice.
According to the notice, the website and its affiliates were seized “as part of an enforcement action” by the FBI, as well as other federal and local agencies. The notice provides little other information, saying the Department of Justice will provide more at 6PM EST today.
Backpage was the target of allegations that it facilitated sex trafficking and prostitution through its adult section, a controversy that took years to unwind and culminated in the arrest of the company’s CEO and eventual removal of...
