It appears the federal agencies have seized control of Backpage.com, according to the notice posted late Friday on the infamous adult classifieds website. The notice didn’t give a reason as to why it was seized, only saying that it is “part of an enforcement action by the FBI, the US Postal Inspection Service, and the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division.”
If you don’t know about Backpage, they’ve long been used by prostitutes to advertise services, as well as other manners of conventional adult advertisements. Due to government pressure, the company closed its adult section last year.
According to a statement to The Verge, an FBI spokesperson confirmed that “law enforcement activity” is occurring. For more details about the situation, the Justice Department has said that it will provide more information at 6PM EST on Friday.
