BP Demise Vs SA Longevity
[QUOTE=FarFarAway;5065835]
Anyway, I am all in favor of keeping (not LE) but legislators, etc. , out of the hair or Mr. Brandon Dude who started SA. We don't want it to go the way of back page and CL. That was because those were too blatant about being sites for connecting with hookers you'd otherwise find walking streets. I am NOT interested in anything like that, I have found several SBs from the site that weren't seeing others and truly were interested in (some) relationship elements, without the commitment of a real BF. I've also run into a few who needed their daddy kinks fulfilled. All great. If SA were to go away, there likely would be some replacement for it, but it is still far superior to the other sites out there now.
[/QUOTE]No, I believe you have the history of the demise of BP a bit muddled. [B]What got BP in hot water was trafficking and the trafficking of under-aged girls.[/B] There were numerous efforts to try to get BP to make changes to avoid trafficking, but BP hid behind the liability protections of Section 230; the Online Providers Immunity Act; the Communications Decency Act. Several NGO's tried to work with BP to help them change in ways that would thwart trafficking, but BP arrogantly ignored them.
Backpage was editing adverts to strip out references that indicated an under-aged girls, which did nothing to stop the practice. In fact, BP limited the number of reports to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children as it would give no positive PR value.
It got so bad that some Sheriff in IL got the CC companies to stop processing payments to BP, so they went around that restriction illegally and also laundered money through Bit Coin. There were numerous lawsuits against BP by under-aged victims of sex trafficking that all failed due to Section 230. In the end, the only way to stop the blatant under-aged sex trafficking on BP was to pass a law that shut them down. Unfortunately, you can't pass a law for one individual or company, so there is blow back that effects others.
So BackPage through its in actions lead to its own demise. Read the details, as they appeared in the indictment. (The case is still open).
[URL]https://www.justice.gov/file/1050276/download[/URL]
So Mr. Brandon Wade is walking a tight rope with SA and WYP. His sites need to make sure that no under-aged girls appear on the site and any attempts are sent to authorities. I think a few months after the BP take down, he adjusted the site. This is the reason that guys get banned, when they treat the site like an open air market for prostitution. SA needs plausible deniability and with the ability to demonstrate they are banning obvious prostitution, they stay on the tight rope. In the past Wade was quite visible in promoting the sites, which is / was unwise. I believe he has toned things down since BP fell. So while everyone 'knows' what SA is about, they can claim it isn't because overt cases are banned. So the dance continues.
Legislatures respond to crises and are often not very good at forward thinking of proactive policies. Don't hold your breath looking for changes to the laws. Maybe when those who grew up during the Jerry Falwell phase dwindle and those raised on internet porn emerge, then perhaps society changes?