In the story of the "prodigal son" included in this Sunday’s longer gospel option, the elder son complains bitterly to his father that the younger had “swallowed up your property with prostitutes.” Attorneys general and advocacy groups have been pressuring the popular website Craigslist to close down its lucrative “adult services” section because of the number of prostitution ads it attracts.

The website responded over Labor Day weekend by shutting down the services and slapping a “censored” label in its place. Analysts say the move may be a high-stakes stunt to gain sympathy and influence public opinion.

A letter from 17 state attorneys general dated August 24 demanded that Craigslist close the section, contending that it helped facilitate prostitution and the trafficking of women and children.

Since blocking access to the ads—and suspending a revenue stream that could bring in an estimated $44 million this year—Craigslist has refused to discuss its motivations. But using the word “censored” suggests that the increasingly combative company is trying to draw attention both to its fight with state attorneys general over sex ads and to issues of free speech on the internet.

Analysts said that if the block were a temporary statement of protest, it could backfire because of the avalanche of news coverage that the site had received for taking down the ads.

“I’m very convinced that this is permanent, even if it was not their intention to make it permanent,” said Peter M. Zollman, of Advanced Interactive Media Group, a consulting firm that follows Craigslist closely. “I think it will be difficult, if not impossible, for them to go back and reopen that section without really running into a buzz saw of negative publicity and reaction.”

Source: An article by Claire Cain Miller for the New York Times