Backpage.com seized by U.S. justice authorities
Reuters: U.S. law enforcement agencies have seized the sex marketplace website Backpage.com as part of an enforcement action by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, according to a posting on its website on Friday.
The posting said the U.S. Justice Department would provide more information at 6 p.m. EDT. It said U.S. attorneys in Arizona and California, as well as the Justice Department's section on child exploitation and obscenity and the California and Texas attorneys general had supported the work in shutting down the website.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-u...source=twitter
NY Daily News:
BP Founder Michael Lacey's Sedona home was raided by the FBI Friday morning.
CBS News:
The government is currently in the process of blocking the website. Parts of it are accessible, while other parts may trigger a notice specifically saying the feds have seized it.
AZ Central News:
Backpage Canada ( Backpage.Ca ) was also seized
Local FBI officials confirmed "law enforcement activity" Friday morning at the Sedona-area home of Michael Lacey, a co-founder of the controversial classified-ad website Backpage.com.
There also appeared to be FBI activity at the luxurious Paradise Valley home of Jim Larkin, another Backpage co-founder.
The two raids come amid what appears to be a shut-down of the website.
A screenshot posted on the Canadian version of Backpage contained what appears to be a notice from the U.S. Department of Justice.
"Backpage.com and affiliated websites have been seized," the headline of the notice read.
https://azc.cc/2qenuob