Though Backpage.com began as a classifieds section for used kayaks, modeling gigs, and apartment rentals, the site has largely been taken over by prostitution advertisements. Today, Backpage.com serves more than 600 cities and runs hundreds of thousands of unscreened ads daily.

 

In Colorado and other jurisdictions across the country, law enforcement officials are using Backpage.com as a tool to crack down on prostitution and other sex crimes. Typically,