AIM Group | September 14, 2021 | Marketplaces
A federal court judge Tuesday declared a mistrial in the case of James Larkin, Michael Lacey and four other Backpage.com executives, ruling that government...
Peter M. Zollman | September 01, 2021 | Marketplaces
More than three years after the U.S. government shut down general classifieds site Backpage, it comes down to this: Were Michael Lacey and Jim Larkin, co-founders...
Greg Spencer | June 22, 2020 | Marketplaces
CityXGuide.com, a classified site specializing in prostitution ads, has been seized and its owner charged in a 28-count federal indictment, the U.S. Attorney for...
Brian Blum | August 26, 2018 | Marketplaces
The rise and fall of Backpage — the online publication that became infamous for its thinly-veiled prostitution ads and more recently for the arrest of its...
AIM Group | August 20, 2018 | Marketplaces
A U.S. representative claims sex-trafficking ads have been reduced by 90 percent since the seizure and closing of Backpage.com and the signing of a new law...
AIM Group | August 19, 2018 | Marketplaces
Sentencing is scheduled Nov. 19 for Dan Hyer, former sales and marketing director of Backpage.com, who pleaded guilty Friday in federal court in Phoenix, Arizona,...
Anastasia Gnezditskaia | June 20, 2018 | Marketplaces
The second largest generalist classified site of France VivaStreet has closed down its escort section to prevent "abuse" by "some users." This happened in the...
AIM Group | June 04, 2018 | Marketplaces, People on the Move
The Paris prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation into prostitution activity on VivaStreet France, France’s second-largest horizontal...
AIM Group | June 01, 2018 | Intel
• Craigslist traffic is down since the company eliminated personal ads • Annual revenue may be approaching the billion-dollar mark • The site has added fees for...
AIM Group | June 01, 2018 | Intel
We at the AIM Group have been reporting on the global landscape of classifieds and marketplaces for over 20 years, and our team of senior consultants and...
AIM Group | May 31, 2018 | Intel
Does a key filter in Facebook’s Ad Manager tool break the law? A class-action lawsuit against the social media giant says yes. The Communications Workers of...
Brian Blum | May 30, 2018 | Marketplaces
Does a key filter in Facebook’s Ad Manager tool break the law? A class-action lawsuit against the social media giant says yes. The Communications Workers of...
AIM Group | May 01, 2018 | Marketplaces
Seven people charged in connection with the Backpage.com advertising and money-laundering case have been scheduled for trial in January, 2020. Michael Lacey, one...
AIM Group | April 26, 2018 | Intel
• Backpage CEO pleads guilty, agrees to testify against his cofounders • The seizure of Backpage is having international repercussions as far away as New Zealand •...
Peter M. Zollman | April 13, 2018 | Marketplaces
The CEO and cofounder of Backpage.com pleaded guilty to conspiracy to facilitate prostitution and agreed to help the U.S. government shut the site down, the...
AIM Group | April 12, 2018 | Intel
The U.S. government seized local general classifieds site Backpage.com on Friday, following this up with an indictment charging seven Backpage employees with 93...
Peter M. Zollman | April 09, 2018 | Marketplaces
The U.S. Department of Justice today released a 61-page indictment including 93 criminal counts against two founders and five other employees of Backpage.com, the...
Peter M. Zollman | April 06, 2018 | Marketplaces
Updated with charges, Justice Department follow-up The U.S. government on Friday seized Backpage.com, a leading general-classified website that has been the...
Brian Blum | March 25, 2018 | Marketplaces
Craigslist has shut down its popular personals category, which has long been criticized as a base for sex trafficking and prostitution, in response to new U.S....
AIM Group | February 02, 2018 | Intel
Blockchain, the technology that powers bitcoin, ethereum and other cryptocurrencies, promises numerous benefits to today’s classifieds. In terms of payments,...
AIM Group | September 14, 2017 | Marketplaces, Intel
Blockchain, the technology that powers Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, could be one of the more important tech innovations in recent years. Yet while being...
AIM Group | January 25, 2017 | Marketplaces
Arraignment for the “Backpage Three” — CEO Carl Ferrer and former (or current) owners Michael Lacey and James Larkin — has been rescheduled for Feb. 9....
AIM Group | January 19, 2017 | Marketplaces, Intel
Just as Craigslist did in September 2010, Backpage.com today eliminated its adult services ads, blaming “unconstitutional government censorship.” Ironically, the...
Peter M. Zollman | January 10, 2017 | Marketplaces
Updated Jan. 10, 11 a.m. (EST), with quotes from and links to the committee report and the Backpage response Just as Craigslist did in September 2010, Backpage.com...
Peter M. Zollman | January 10, 2017 | Marketplaces
In a major victory for Backpage and all internet content sites that carry disputed content, the U.S. Supreme Court today declined to hear an appeal from three...
Peter M. Zollman | December 24, 2016 | Marketplaces
We thought we were done with the “Backpage as pimps” story — because a judge ruled it was bogus — but sadly, not just yet. California Attorney General...
Peter M. Zollman | December 10, 2016 | Marketplaces
A California state court judge today [Friday] dismissed charges against the CEO of Backpage.com and two other men linked to the company, saying the state acted...
Peter M. Zollman | November 17, 2016 | Marketplaces
The ruling won’t be final until Dec. 9, but a judge in California today [Wednesday] said he plans to throw out pimping and other sex-related charges against Carl...
Peter M. Zollman | November 08, 2016 | Marketplaces
UPDATE: A California judge ruled tentatively on Nov. 16 that the charges against the three Backpage-related executives should be dismissed, although he...
Peter M. Zollman | October 26, 2016 | Marketplaces
The free ride is over on Craigslist recruitment ads, at least in the United States and parts of Canada. Craigslist has posted notices on more than 60 local sites...
