blog.backpage.com

Backpage.com is committed to preventing those who are intent on misusing the site for illegal purposes. We have implemented a series of new safety enhancements over the past several months to better protect our communities and will continue to further increase our safety practices.

– Steve Suskin
Backpage.com spokesperson
[email protected]

Backpage.com Safety & Security Measures

The following are some examples of recent safety measures that Backpage.com has implemented.

Implementing Stronger Policies to Prevent Illegal Activity

• Implemented no nudity policy
• Implemented strict content policies to prevent illegal activity
• Implemented stricter image content standards

Preventing Inappropriate Content

• Images are reviewed for compliance with content policies
• Keyword searches conducted across site to locate inappropriate or illegal content
• Banned inappropriate terms list utilized to identify and prevent illegal content
• Child exploitation response process used to prioritize child related matters

Increasing Online Classified Ad Controls to Prevent Abuse

• Inappropriate ad content removed
• Known bad URLs blocked from being posted on site
• HTML images blocked in ads (except for trusted users)
• Character limit on ads (ad size) reduced significantly
• Users attempting to inappropriately edit ads after review/approval blocked from ad editing process
• All ads edited by user after initial review and approval are reviewed again
• Built tool to restrict ad poster capabilities for policy violations
• Suspicious URLs linked to off-site destinations reviewed manually by staff for appropriateness
• Ad moderator accountability system implemented to increase quality and efficiency and moderation staff increased significantly
• Built quality assurance tool to increase ad moderator effectiveness
• Two tier system used to moderate content to increase quality of ad review
• Time alerts utilized to ensure ads are reviewed within 20 minutes of upload
• Ads deleted for egregious violations of Terms of Use
• CAPTCHAs added to report abuse process to prevent abuse reporting misuse
• Increased security measures to better protect user information

Partnering with Law Enforcement and Safety Advocates/Experts

• Added time, date, and time zone stamps to improve quality of information provided to law enforcement
• Ads containing possible minors investigated and referred to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC)
• All law enforcement inquiries involving minors given first response priority
• Worked with law enforcement to improve understandability of information provided during investigations
• Created FAQ document with each Cybertipline report to assist law enforcement
• Created an automated process to expedite ad reporting to NCMEC.
• Child safety experts enlisted to help guide safety strategies and help prevent illegal misuse of Backpage.com

Click here to download the Backpage Safety & Security Measures (Updated 1/24) in PDF format.

We have selected our final iPad winner; Debbie from Denver, CO is the lucky winning job poster for the month of October after posting an ad in our Jobs section.

Now Debbie can read applicant’s resumes on her brand new iPad!

• The review of all ads and images in the personals and adult sections of the site.
• The implementation of key word searches to quickly identify banned advertisements and inappropriate discussions.
• The significant increase in staff to quickly identify illegal ads.
• The implementation of roadblocks to prevent minors from accessing mature content.
• The implementation of dedicated tools on the site to educate users regarding online safety and security.
• The empowerment of users to report abuse and an expeditious process to handle user complaints.

The safety and security of our community is a top priority for Backpage.com. Backpage.com has just retained Internet safety expert Hemanshu Nigam of SSP Blue to partner with us in implementing a holistic plan centered around preventing criminal activity on our site. We also look forward to continuing our productive dialogue with the Attorneys General and expect to announce some significant changes to our site very soon.

- Steve Suskin, Backpage.com

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Statement from SSP Blue

We understand the very complex safety, security and privacy challenges that Backpage.com faces and we look forward to identifying ways to protect the vulnerable. Immediately, SSP Blue will take a thoughtful look at the site’s infrastructure to determine where necessary and impactful changes can be made to provide a safer site.

- Hemanshu Nigam, Founder, SSP Blue

As promised, we’re keeping the ball rolling with our iPad Giveaway. For the past several months we have been selecting users posting ads in our Jobs section to win free iPads. This month’s winner is Lorraine 0′Neil of 10 Minute Manicure who posted an ad in salon/spa jobs.

Lorraine, a Ft. Lauderdale, FL native, will receive a brand new iPad, courtesy of backpage.com, simply for posting a free ad and helping put America back to work!

Stay tuned because we still have one more winner to go.