Backpage.com Defends Against Criminal Allegations

The Los Angeles Times quoted Jason de Bretteville, chair of Stradling’s White Collar practice and co-chair of the Enforcement Defense & Investigations practice, in an article about the criminal charges recently filed against Backpage.com by the California Attorney General, Kamala Harris. Although Backpage.com purports to be an internet classified advertising marketplace, California prosecutors allege that the majority of the ads are for “adult services” and that the company is profiting from sex trafficking.

Prosecutors claim that Backpage.com’s chief executive, David Ferrer, and the website were more than just hosts of escort ads – Ferrer is accused of taking content posted by Backpage customers and cross-publishing it on related websites. De Bretteville explained that this allegation could limit Backpage’s claims of neutrality, and that “the government is doing its best to show the company is not a passive posting board, but is actively encouraging illegal transactions.”