Comments on: Backpage CEO Carl Ferrer takes plea deal, agrees to testify against other site officials

By: Judge Refuses to Dismiss Federal 100-Count Indictment Against Backpage.com Operators - Mike South

Thu, 24 Oct 2019 23:56:40 +0000

[…] of Backpage.com, which was seized by the federal government in early April, has already pleaded guilty to charges in California and Texas. Under the terms of his plea deal, Ferrer agreed to turn […]

By: FOSTA Fallout Continues: USASexGuide Temporarily Suspends Website Operations - Mike South

Fri, 25 May 2018 22:03:26 +0000

[…] its CEO turned state’s evidence in exchange for a lighter […]

By: Backpage co-founder James Larkin released on USD$1 million bond - Mike South

Backpage co-founder James Larkin released on USD$1 million bond - Mike South — Tue, 17 Apr 2018 04:35:49 +0000

[…] third co-founder of Backpage, its CEO Carl Ferrer, turned states evidence and pleaded guilty to facilitating prosecution and money […]

By: LurkingReader

LurkingReader — Sat, 14 Apr 2018 19:56:28 +0000

Mainstream take on the fallout here.

The problem with Backpage and other sites wasn’t advertising sex workers it was sanitizing ads instead of rejecting them when the ad clearly stated or showed underage people.

Shutting down these sites is an immediate economic, ongoing safety concern for sex workers and it didn’t have to happen. If the site owners had openly rejected ads instead of sanitizing them they would still be up.

The industry leaders crossed a line the same way the Catholic Church did. The church claimed passive ignorance while openly claiming the seal of confession barred them from acting (reporting abuses) until it was proven they acted by shuffling abusive clergy. Backpage claimed passive ignorance saying they couldn’t screen and reject ads trafficking unwilling sex workers until it was proven they not only screened ads they altered them.

Passive ignorance in the spirit of live and let live works well until it doesn’t. Backpage and the Catholic Church are two examples where industry leaders choices at a fork in the road followed by years of digging in to justify those choices caused massive harm to the people who most relied on them.

By: LurkingReader

LurkingReader — Sat, 14 Apr 2018 17:53:16 +0000

Lol Karma imagine how Catholic Bishops and other orgs are feeling today realizing that the plea agreement has no fund or open claims period to compensate trafficked sex workers.

The sealed 61page indictment shows extensive C.F. cooperation. Wouldn’t surprise me to see him walk away from Federal Prison with a gig as an expert in preventing child trafficking.

By: Karmafan

Karmafan — Sat, 14 Apr 2018 13:47:36 +0000

The govt. goes after shit like this but does not go after cigarette companies that are tax machines for each state. If I came out with Karmfan’s Spaghetti and meatballs in a can and it was discovered the Spaghetti caused cancer the govt. would put me out of business overnight. But the cancer stick makers get a pass.