Craigslist takes down adult services section

Under pressure from 17 attorney generals, Craigslist has removed the adult services section from its website.

A black bar appeared in place of the category label on the site's home page on Friday. That step followed a letter sent last month by numerous attorney generals urging Craigslist to remove the section.

One sharp critic of the adult services section is Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal. In the letter, he urged Craigslist "should take immediate action to end the misery for the women and children who may be exploited and victimized by these ads".

Taking down the section could prove costly to the site's bottom line. Stemming from similar pressure in 2008, Craigslist charged a fee to post ads in the adult services section. An April Classified Intelligence Report said 30 percent of the site's estimated $122 million in revenue would come from the adult services section.

News of the removal comes shortly after accused "Craigslist Killer" Philip Markoff was found dead in his Boston jail cell last month. Markoff had been accused of soliciting a prostitute on Craigslist before killing her in a Boston hotel room.