Washington—Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today released the following statement on the arrest of Backpage CEO Carl Ferrer:

 “I offer congratulations to Attorney General Kamala Harris who has brought felony charges against Carl Ferrer, the CEO of Backpage.com, which has been shown to host advertisements for commercial sex acts involving minors. Local, state and federal law enforcement all contributed to this investigation, showing extraordinary teamwork and the importance of collaboration.

“The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children found that reports of child sex trafficking have increased eightfold in the past five years. Websites like Backpage are a major facilitator of this heinous crime. They connect anonymous buyers to victims in seconds. The criminal complaint states that Ferrer has profited off of the sexual exploitation of children, plain and simple. The arrest sends a strong message that facilitating the online sale of children for sex will not be tolerated.”