Yielding to the pressure of its critics, the online classified giant Craigslist announced on Wednesday that it will erase its erotic services section and, but in its place, will start a new adult category. The website popular for free online classified advertisements declared that it will close its current 'erotic services' section and will launch 'adult services' section, which will be more closely monitored.

Craigslist will wipe out the section featuring "blatant sex-for-money ads and pornographic pictures," and will manually review every ad posted to the new "adult services" category - the Craigslist Chief Executive, Jim Buckmaster stated on the company blog.

Buckmaster stated that the move is aimed to "strike a new balance" on the site.

The website featuring free online classified advertisements - with sections devoted to jobs, housing, personals, for sale, services, community, gigs, résumés, and discussion forums - Craigslist has been under fire for its "erotic services" section featuring sex-for-money ads and pornographic pictures. The website attracts an estimated
20 billion viewers worldwide a month for classified advertisements,

Speaking of the Craigslist's decision to terminate its "erotic services" section, Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said that the announcement is "a solid next step, not a solution." He added, "Closing the erotic services section -- a blatant Internet brothel -- should lead to other blocking and screening measures, and set a model for other sites, if Craigslist keeps its word." Blumenthal has been one of the leading critics of Craigslist.