ST. PAUL, Minn.--The tremendous jump in online requests for sexual services that seems to occur during large political conventions has placed police departments and advocacy groups on the alert.
Denver and St. Paul police, as well as nonprofits the Klaas Foundation and the Polaris Project, have turned to classified advertising Web sites like Craigslist to monitor such illegal activities during the Democratic and Republican conventions.
The Colorado branch of the Polaris Project, a national organization that combats human trafficking, monitored ads on Craigslist, particularly in the "casual encounters" section, from April 1 through the Democratic convention last month.
"This is one way we can publicly document participation in the commercial sex industry and the increase during large events," said Amanda Finger, the coordinator for Polaris Project Colorado.
The results mirrored what CNET News reported last week, according to Finger. She said through July, there was an average of 390 posts per day requesting sexual services, but that the ads spiked to more than 800 per day on Monday and Tuesday during the week of the convention. She said the online activity is typical for an event of that type.
Carl Ferrer, founder of classifieds site Backpage.com, said that large events do spur an increase in postings in all of the site's categories, including its adult section.
To be sure, neither the police nor the advocacy groups turned up any evidence of human trafficking--meaning the involvement of people under 18 years old, or situations involving coercion--at either the Denver or St. Paul conventions. Nor was there evidence of additional prostitution, at least in the form of increased arrests.
The Denver police department, according to a report in The Denver Post, has not seen an increase in online prostitution ads during the week of the convention (the department did not return our phone calls for this story). Similarly, the St. Paul police department has not seen any unusual illegal activity online during the Republican convention, according to Tom Walsh, the department's public information officer--although he added: "We have information that supports the idea that human trafficking and prostitution increases during large events."
This raises the possibility that there may be zero human trafficking and minimal additional prostitution occurring during these events--and the spike in sex ads online amounts simply to more people in town partaking in a perfectly legal practice between consenting adults.
In preparation for the Republican convention, the St. Paul police contacted police departments in New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and San Diego--the previous locations of the last few Republican and Democratic conventions.
"St. Paul takes the idea of human trafficking very seriously," Walsh said.
Even with other departments' help, however, "we're learning as we go," he said. "Four years ago, the Internet wasn't the tool it is today."
A nationwide effort
The Klaas Foundation, a national organization that helps to locate missing children, has found a number of ads for high profile escorts servicing the Denver and St. Paul areas explicitly for the conventions, according to Brad Dennis, the director for the foundation's national search center for missing and trafficked children.
"The activity is unusually high," Dennis said. "They're coming in for the conventions--that's exactly what they put on their Web sites."
The Klaas Foundation monitored more than 135 sites for Denver-based sexual services during the Democratic convention, as well as about 80 targeted at St. Paul during the Republican convention, for any indications of child sex trafficking.
Dennis said the organization has not found any ads in either region indicative of child trafficking.
"We do it for large events to help us understand the situation better and to see if we can find some child that is listed as missing," he said.
Overall, the Klaas Foundation is currently monitoring more than 300 sites for suspicious sexual ads. Besides those affiliated with the political conventions, they're also monitoring sites in regions of the country where there are missing children, in the event they are being prostituted by human traffickers.
Anyone under the age of 18 who is providing commercial sexual services would be considered a victim under Trafficking Victims Protection Act (PDF) if there is another person benefiting from the minor's services, such as a pimp.
Dennis said the Klaas Foundation looks for certain indications on Web sites of trafficking, such as key words having to do with age, out-of-state phone numbers, or photographs that hide a person's face. He said the Klaas Foundation searches Craigslist, Backpage.com, and a number of other sites that he would not disclose.
"There are sites we monitor with law enforcement circles, but we don't think they know about the monitoring," he said. "Craigslist and BackPage know we're on there, but people on those sites don't care. Quite frankly, the ads are getting worse and worse."
Web sites try to discourage trafficking
Contrary to Dennis' findings, Craigslist CEO Jim Buckmaster told us: "The trend on Craigslist is clearly positive."
The site implemented new measures in March of this year such as telephone verification for ads that have reduced inappropriate erotic service ads by 80 to 90 percent, Buckmaster said.
The new measures supplement Craigslist's previously established protocol, which includes prohibiting illegal activity and asking users to flag inappropriate ads. Additionally, Craigslist derives no revenue from erotic service ads.
The Web site also participates in the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children's CyberTipline program and collaborates with law enforcement when contacted.
Ferrer said Backpage.com also bans ads for illegal services and responds to law enforcement subpoenas promptly. Like Craigslist, the site tries to deter inappropriate ads by soliciting the help of its users, who remove 150,000 postings each month out of the million the site hosts, according to Ferrer.
"It is a big challenge for sites like ours to keep out spam, scam, inappropriate, and illegal content," he said.
Backpage.com also requires users to submit credit card information when posting any adult service or in the massage category.
Mobilizing support online
The Polaris Project has turned to the Internet for more than just monitoring sex ads. The organization uses sites like Facebook, MySpace, and Change.org to enhance their grassroots efforts to promote awareness of trafficking risks. The organization also makes daily updates to its online grassroots action center.
"We recognize that online advocacy is incredibly important and critical to reach whole new populations who are more online- and tech-savvy," said Bradley Myles, Polaris Project deputy director.
He said Polaris is using the Internet to appeal to people who may be vulnerable to trafficking and sexual exploitation, mobilize supporters to contact their representatives in the U.S. Congress, promote media awareness of the issue of trafficking, and to solicit donations to support victims of trafficking.
While certain Web sites have made it easier to track what's happening in this area, Finger and Myles said the rise of Internet pornography has exacerbated the problem of trafficking. Internet pornography desensitizes the public to human trafficking, Finger said, and enables traffickers to exploit victims worldwide. (In the United States, child pornography laws prohibit the possession or distribution of lascivious visual depictions of a minor. Obscenity laws regulate what kind of material depicting adults can be distributed; only a handful of Web sites have ever been declared by a court to be obscene.)
"When we're talking about individuals being forced into trafficking, many have been videotaped, and it's difficult to track those images online and remove," Finger said. "We're talking about the constant victimization of these people globally."
Day 4 of the Democratic National Convention, held on the 45th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I have a dream" speech, ended with a Democratic presidential nominee acceptance speech by Barack Obama that left many attendees in tears of inspiration.
Obama hit on divisive subjects such as gun control, abortion, and gay marriage, as well as foreign policy and taxes. He did not mince words when he said the presumptive Republican nominee, John McCain, doesn't "get it." But his overall "change"-theme message focused on the family.
Anticipation had been building all afternoon as a crowd of nearly 80,000 people--treated to performances by Sheryl Crow and Stevie Wonder, among other speakers--slowly worked its way into Denver's Invesco Field. As they waited for Obama's arrival, audience members were asked to show their support by sending the text message "DNC" to 62262. Those digits, of course, happen to spell "Obama."
Catch up on Thursday night's developments in this video with Katie Couric of CBS News, who talks with pundits about the effectiveness and impact of Obama's speech:
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Red carpet outside of Google's exclusive party at the Democratic convention. Note the multiple colors on the windows: inside the rooms were divided into sections that matched the colors of the company's logo.
(Credit: Declan McCullagh/CNET News)DENVER--Yes we can? Sure, unless you're talking about getting into the Google/Vanity Fair party on Thursday night.
Barack Obama's acceptance of the Democratic nomination for president Thursday, in front of thunderous crowd of nearly 80,000 in Invesco Field, evoked inclusivity and unity--two qualities that don't necessarily make for a cool party.
Google managed to build the buzz for its party all week in Denver--limiting tickets, dis-inviting people, and making well-known Washingtonians--gasp!--wait in line. Not helping was that recipients forwarded around the e-mail invitation, resulting in an avalanche of RSVPs.
Also lending an aura of exclusivity was the location at the Exdo Event Center, a nondescript building in an almost-shady part of town, where a red carpet was rolled out and folks hoping to catch a glimpse of a celebrity or two hung around outside. (For the record, Google is planning another similar event for the Republican convention next week.)
Inside, the warehouse-like space was divided into quarters, each with different colored theme--one wall had red-tinted lighting and flames projected across the wall, while the other side had green lighting and astroturf on the ground. Another quarter featured a bar made out of ice. Each quarter of the room had a bar and snacks, ranging from sushi to Krispy Kreme doughnuts.
A few media heavyweights like Anderson Cooper and Judy Woodruff mingled with the crowd. Other celebrities included Chevy Chase--a regular in Washington. Tech lobbyists were there as well, plus Google co-founder Larry Page (and wife Lucy Southworth) and Google senior vice president of legal David Drummond, an Obama supporter.
Ducking through a side door led to a room with a large stage where partygoers were playing the Rockband video game. Some members of Congress, like Sen. Claire McCaskill of Missouri, seemed to be enjoying the performance. Adjacent to that room was a small space with a few games of Wii set up, and past that, there was finally a room with a dance floor.
Note to political hacks: Just because you wrangled an invite to this party doesn't mean you can actually dance--or that we want to see you try.
Delegates can 'vote' for Barack Obama through text messages that show which state is the most enthusiastic (or prolific).
(Credit: Declan McCullagh/CNET News)DENVER--Delegates squeezing into the stadium hosting the Democratic convention on Thursday are being asked to do what must be a political party first: show their support for their party's nominee through text messages.
During a lull in the convention program before singer (and political activist) Sheryl Crow appeared onstage with a guitar, organizers asked delegates to show their support for Barack Obama by sending the text message "DNC" to 62262. Those digits, of course, happen to spell "Obama."
The more text messages originating from each state--presumably based on the sender's area code--the larger a star on the stadium's screens appear. Last we checked, California was in the lead.
The Obama campaign promised us we'd be the first to know. Nearly a week later, we're still waiting.
(Credit: Declan McCullagh/CNET News)It sounded like a great idea at the time: Barack Obama announced that he'd announce his veep selection through text messaging.
A campaign e-mail message on August 12 promised: "Let me be very clear. You are the ones who built this campaign, and Barack wants you to be the first to know who will join him in leading our movement for change."
There were just two problems with that plan. First, the Obama campaign chose the traditional route of handing the news first to a favored reporter: Joe Biden's selection was first reported by CNN. Second, many messages never arrived (one of my colleagues is still waiting).
Keynote Systems on Thursday called it a "technical bellyflop."
Nearly 3 million people received the August 23 text message--sent out around 3 a.m. EDT--Nielsen reported earlier. However, Keynote estimates that 40 percent to 50 percent of people who signed up to receive the text either received it late or not at all. Keynote Systems measures and monitors e-business performance.
The estimate is based on 600 tests Keynote conducted across two major carrier networks on the Obama Campaign short code from August 13 to 22.
The late and failed texts demonstrate "the inadequacy of the SMS technical infrastructure to support large-scale marketing campaigns," said Shlomi Gian, director of mobile business development for Keynote.
Failing to deliver the text before the press announced it probably didn't help Obama's marketing campaign, either.
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DENVER--If you're a candidate for president during the 2012 primaries, you may want to watch how sharply you criticize your rivals. Your critiques may come back to haunt you on the Web.
Notready08.com features a video board of clips of former candidates criticizing Barack Obama.
(Credit: Notready08.com)That's what the Republicans, at least, are hoping to demonstrate with their notready08.com site, which features clips of Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton, and John Edwards slamming Barack Obama last year and earlier this year for being inexperienced or over his voting record in Illinois.
Other sections include a YouTube video listed as the "Temple of Obama" that shows the makings of Obama's stage tonight at the Invesco stadium here, where he's scheduled to accept the Democratic nomination on Thursday. Another features press conferences from Republicans--held, intentionally, right in the middle of the Democratic convention.
For his part, Obama has replied to Republican attacks with his "Fight the Smears" Web page. And you can probably expect clips to surface of John McCain's rivals attacking him in the primaries in the not-so-distant future.
DENVER--The Democratic Party has boasted that its convention here will be "the most environmentally-sustainable" gathering in the party's history, complete with a director of sustainability, low-power lighting in some areas, and calculations of carbon footprints.
Some of the goals include diverting 85 percent of waste that would normally go to a landfill, finding hundreds of people to sort waste into recycling-compost-landfill containers, and devising what The Wall Street Journal described as "lean 'n' green" catering guidelines that say food described thusly must not be fried and shall contain three of the following colors: red, green, yellow, blue/purple, and white.
That was the claim. And it has worked to a large extent: a troika of trash containers (again, recycling, compost, and landfill) dot the convention complex, even in areas that aren't officially part of the event. Drinking straws are made from corn and biodegradable. Room keys for hotels are made of wood. Delegates are buying carbon offsets.
But reality doesn't always match expectations. Bikes aren't permitted inside the convention's security perimeter, so golf carts and other vehicles are used. The wooden card keys proved buggy, and some were replaced with more-reliable plastic. Fried mini-donuts were prominently on sale inside the Pepsi Center. Party VIPs and celebrities told their decidedly non-green town cars and GMC Yukon XL mega-SUVs--rented from limo provider A Class Above Transportation--to idle, with engines and air conditioning on, in the nearby pickup area. (What self-respecting conference-goer wants to climb into a GMC Yukon when it's a toasty 93 degrees in the shade?)
Plus, a gathering of tens of thousands of people (and perhaps 70,000 for Barack Obama's Thursday acceptance speech) generate a whopping amount of trash. Even if it's sorted, recycling Obama-Biden signs takes energy, as does trucking in what the Journal reported to be 900 volunteers to monitor waste cans and perform the trash-separation, thereby taking them away from tasks that might be more productive.
Let us stipulate that the Democratic Party, perhaps because it was good marketing or perhaps because it was a sound principle, made an effort to promote recycling here. But whopping huge mounds of trash remain unavoidable--and the presence of idling SUVs--show that the concept remains more of a slogan than reality. (Then again, probably the only way to hold a "green" convention is to do it entirely over the Internet.)
These and the other photos were taken at the Democratic convention near the Pepsi Center. When you have tens of thousands of people, huge mounds of trash are inevitable.
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DENVER--I have just arrived at Invesco Field, home of the Denver Broncos, for Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama's acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention. Thousands of the 75,000 expected audience members have already filled the stands; keep in mind, Obama is not expected to appear until sometime in the 8 o'clock hour, at least five hours from now.
Here's the man of the hour (or of several hours from now, anyway).
A lot of people in the stands are simply chilling, taking in the high-altitude sun, and snapping photos of the occasional media celebrity passing by. A good handful of people are also sitting with their laptops open, fighting the glare, and attempting to post their blog entries.
I have found a cozy perch to write this post in the CBS media tent located at one of the stadium end zones. (I'm writing on my Treo; outlets and Internet connections come at a premium!) It's out of the sun and there are box lunches to nibble on, but the perks stop there. Evening News producers, writers, and correspondents are huddled together, some casually killing time, some freaking out over deadlines that are seemingly an eternity away.
Without a doubt, there is electricity in the air. Like a halftime show, the stadium production team has provided a wide smattering of video entertainment. We just watched a tribute to President Lyndon Johnson, who would have turned 100 Wednesday. That was followed by the winner of a YouTube video contest who explained in roughly three minutes why he's voting for Barack Obama. The music interludes have also been clearly calculated to represent a wide variety of tastes to appeal to a broad demographic: the National for the young hipsters, Simon & Garfunkel for the boomers , and some good ol' country-western for the Colorado natives (who are expected to make up half the crowd).
Ooh, Michelle Obama sighting at the ABC media platform! I may be a seasoned journalist, immune to political hype, but on this stage, on this night, she's like a rock star.
Eric Schmidt fields questions from liberal talk show host Rachel Maddow (and the audience) about politics, online journalism, and privacy.
(Credit: Declan McCullagh/News.com)DENVER--Google Chief Executive Officer Eric Schmidt said on Thursday that the Internet gave presidential candidate Barack Obama the ability to bypass traditional media and claim the Democratic nomination.
Schmidt showed up at the Democratic convention here on Thursday to field questions about politics, how Google is influencing online journalism, and the company's policies on privacy.
During an appearance at the literal and figurative Big Tent, a blogger workspace sponsored by Google and Digg.com, Schmidt said that Web sites like YouTube allow politicians to connect more directly with voters.
Here are some highlights of Schmidt's nearly hour-long conversation on stage with Rachel Maddow, a liberal talk radio and MSNBC host:
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Declan McCullagh/News.com)
* Privacy: "We do worry that as this information gets collected it becomes a treasure trove. You can imagine that in the worst possible case... we know everything you're doing and the government tries to track you." Schmidt said that some solutions are a judicial system that limits government overzealousness, the ability to discuss the topic openly that didn't exist a few decades ago, and his company's policy of limiting what data they collect beyond 18 months.
* Ted Stevens: The recently-indicted Republican senator, who previously headed the committee that drafted Internet-related laws, became famous for his mangled description of a "series of tubes." Schmidt said, in response to a question about what he thought of Stevens: "There's always a person who's first. And there's always a person who's last. And we found him."
* Recruiting: Google studied the way its recruiting process worked for male vs. female engineering hires, and made changes. It turned out that the male rating of possible hires was predictive of future performance, but the rating for women wasn't. "We had actual data that showed a bizarre bias that existed in our system. We changed it to correct that." Schmidt indicated in response to a question that Google engages in affirmative action for racial and sexual minority hiring.
* Journalism and the Internet: "We've got a major national crisis around journalism, particularly investigative journalism." Schmidt said that the three factors are higher costs of newsprint, loss of print ad revenue and effectiveness, and the shift of classified ads online (in part going to Google.) He said Google is "working hard to try things" including partnerships with media organizations in conjunction with Google News, but acknowledged that it's unclear what will work.
Alan Davidson, one of Google's Washington representatives, said the company is planning a sizable presence at the Republican convention next week as well.
DENVER--An unusual phenomenon has recently appeared on Craigslist's Denver Web site. Sex-wanted ads spiked this week, which happens to coincide with the Democratic National Convention.
Ads seeking casual sexual encounters through the Denver Craigslist site increased an average of roughly 70 percent to 80 percent over the same days of the week earlier in August.
"Casual encounter" ads spiked the week of the Democratic National Convention. But correlation does not, by itself, prove causation. The vertical axis is posts-per-day, and the horizontal axis represents every day of August to date.
On average, 425 posts on Craiglist's "Casual Encounters" area appeared on the first three Sundays in August. But this Sunday, when tens of thousands of people had arrived for the convention, 763 posts appeared--an 80 percent increase.
The general content is what you might expect. Posts suggested "Here 4 DNC? Come get sexual with me"; "Does the DNC make you hot?"; and "Looking to service a young Democrat." (Most are far more explicit, but unsuitable for our upstanding, discriminating readers. Use your imagination.)
Other days showed the same week-over-week jump. Monday increased 77 percent over the average of earlier in the month; Tuesday increased 69 percent; Wednesday's increase was 74 percent.
This is where we insert the disclaimers. Mere correlation does not imply causation: other factors could explain this rise in advertisements.
Perhaps universities are back in session, or it's warmer or colder out. Perhaps loyalists of another political party are intentionally posting fake advertisements in hopes that the Democrats will be blamed. Perhaps the thousands of journalists in town are seeking extracurricular activities. Make up your own mind. And yes, we'll be paying attention to what happens during the Republican convention as well.
(Technical details: We saved headlines for the posts of each day in August into a text file, and ran the Unix "sort" and "uniq" utilities on each to eliminate duplicate headlines. Also, we noticed that the posts-per-day can vary over time, as posts are deleted once someone's needs are met, making this analysis something of a moving target. The outlier in the chart--a one-day lull--on August 10 seems to have been caused by a previously reported outage.)
