Scrubbed clean: why a certain kind of sex is vanishing from the internet

A US government effort to fight online sex trafficking has cleansed many sites of personal ads and consensual eroticism, in a shift advocates say amounts to dangerous censorship

Craigslist has shut down its renowned "personals" section, which once featured ads titled "Hot days" and "Looking to fool around tonight". Porn performers are complaining that Google Drive is no longer allowing them to share erotic videos with private clients. Microsoft has announced new rules banning "offensive language" from conversations on Skype and Xbox. And Reddit has closed sex industry discussion groups entitled "Escorts", "Hookers", and "SugarDaddy".

All of this has happened in recent days and weeks; a particular genre of online sex, it seems, is vanishing from the internet.