With Backpage Taken Down, Feds Now Targeting 3 Other Sex Ad Sites

The online classified ad site Backpage.com was “seized” and shut down by federal authorities more than 17 months ago due to what law enforcement claims was the site’s role in enabling online sex trafficking, as AVN.com reported. But even with Backpage gone and its top executives facing trial and potentially substantial prison sentences, the feds are back in the business of targeting sex advertising sites. Three sites that the authorities believe may be controlled by Swiss businessman David Azzato—who was already convicted once of sex trafficking-related charges connected to online advertising sites, in France eight years ago—are now under investigation by the United States Department of Homeland Security and Justice Department, according to a major report published Sunday by The Wall Street Journal. One of the three sites, Eros.com, saw an immediate and dramatic spike in traffic when Backpage was shut down in April of 2018, according to an analysis of data from the internet traffic monitoring site Alexa.com. The analysis was compiled by ChildSafe.ai, which describes itself as “the world’s first artificial intelligence platform for monitoring, graphing and modeling child exploitation risk on the Web,” and is reportedly utilized by multiple law enforcement agencies in the United States. The other two sites, EroticMonkey.ch and Rubmaps.ch, also “benefited substantially from the seizure of Backpage,” according to ChildSafe.ai founder Rob Spectre, as quoted by the Journal. Neither site, however, saw the sudden and dramatic increase experienced by Eros.com. Eros.com is an online directory for the adult entertainment industry, while EroticMonkey provides customer reviews of escorts and escort services, and Rubmaps.ch offers reviews of massage parlors. Rubmaps.ch is a recent replacement for Rubmaps.com, which was cited earlier this year in the case against billionaire New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, who was arrested in Florida earlier this year on charges of soliciting prostitution. Kraft has denied the allegations. According to the Journal account, Azzato has denied that he owns or controls the three sites, but a review by leading forensic accountant Bassem Banafa shows that “critical parts of the intellectual property and payment and network infrastructure of these sites are linked to David Azzato. Based on this analysis, he is likely still the beneficial owner of all three sites.” Photo via Backpage.com