Craigslist has reached an agreement with lawyers from 40 states in which it has agreed to control its “erotic services” listings.

Prostitutes and sex-oriented business have often used certain sections of Craigslist to advertise their services. Often pornographic photos have accompanied their ads.

Early in 2008 the attorney general of Connecticut sent a letter to Craigslist demanding that it remove all such material from their site. They also have demanded that Craigslist enforce its own rules against illegal activity, including prostitution. After months of conversations between the two parties, Craigslist has realized their errors and have resolved to rid their site of this material.

In March they began asking their erotic services advertisers to provide a telephone number. Going further, Craigslist now is asking that advertisers provide valid identification. They will charge erotic services vendors a small fee for each ad ($10) and require that they use a credit card for payment.

Craigslist will donate the money to charities that fight child exploitation and human trafficking.