{"id":40991,"date":"2023-07-24T07:00:07","date_gmt":"2023-07-24T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/doublelist.com\/blog\/backpage-shut-down-explained-top-safe-alternatives\/"},"modified":"2024-11-11T04:09:44","modified_gmt":"2024-11-11T04:09:44","slug":"backpage-shut-down-explained-top-safe-alternatives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/doublelist.com\/blog\/backpage-shut-down-explained-top-safe-alternatives\/","title":{"rendered":"Backpage Shut Down Explained & Top Safe Alternatives"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ever since Craigslist Personals and Backpage shut down, people have been looking for alternatives. For those who don\u2019t know what Backpage is<\/a>, think of it as a rival to Craigslist. Both sites promoted a wide range of goods and services, including personals and adult-themed advertising.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s find out more about when and why Backpage shut down. We’ll also give you a list of alternative adult dating sites instead, so stay tuned till the end.<\/p>\n

Is Backpage Shut Down? The Shocking Truth Behind Its Closure<\/h2>\n

Yes, backpage is shut down due to illegal activity. Every day on Backpage, you would find dozens of ads with images, rates, and services. Almost as famous as Craigslist, the commercial sex industry considered Backpage its epicenter.<\/p>\n

In April 2018, Backpage shut down after federal authorities seized the website for eliciting sex workers. Law enforcement charged the company and its executives with human trafficking.<\/p>\n

This came years after Maggy Krell, a prosecutor, helped sex trafficking victims<\/u><\/a> rather than arresting them for prostitution.<\/p>\n

A few days later, new regulations targeting websites that helped with human trafficking sprung into action. It effectively drove many other US-based websites out of business.<\/p>\n

Is Backpage shut down? Yes, but other sites came up to take its place.<\/p>\n

Skip The Games was one of the websites that people used to sell erotic services. Although it presents itself as a dating service for consenting adults. But in 2019, under FOSTA-SESTA,<\/u><\/a> law enforcement arrested many women involved in prostitution rackets.<\/p>\n

In 2020, CityXGuide, another website that had replaced Backpage, closed after the authorities arrested its creator, Wilhan Martono.<\/p>\n

What Happened After Backpage Dating Section Shut Down?<\/h2>\n

Although the Backpage dating section shut down, it didn’t put an end to sex trafficking. But it did complicate efforts to do so. The people behind human trafficking rings try to look for new places to continue their work. But when Backpage shut down in 2018, it sent a message to sex traffickers.<\/p>\n

Still, police have had to modify their ways of fighting human trafficking throughout the years. With the creation of the internet, their job has gotten difficult as traffickers simply change their place of business online.<\/p>\n

\"praise<\/p>\n

9 Safe Dating & Hookup Alternatives to Backpage<\/h2>\n

Plenty of safe and legal websites help connect you with singles near you<\/u><\/a> without eliciting dangerous activity. It\u2019s still best to proceed cautiously and build trust with the people you connect with. Don\u2019t give away sensitive information until you feel more comfortable with them.<\/p>\n

Here is a list of some great alternative sites you can use to enrich your life with adult fun.<\/p>\n

Did Backpage Shut Down? No Worries! Alternative #1: AFF<\/h3>\n

AdultFriendFinder <\/u><\/a>is not your regular adult dating site; it caters to both singles and <\/em>couples alike! Despite its archaic user interface, AdultFriendFinder has some of the most nifty features.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s been around since the 90s, so thousands of people have used it for their adult enjoyment.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll find the top profiles on What\u2019s Hot and get the opportunity to join chat rooms too. AFF even has an erotic stories section where you can write your fantasies or experiences for everyone to see.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, you can\u2019t do much with a free membership. You will have to upgrade to a premium account to interact with others and have an exciting time.<\/p>\n

Seeking an Alternative #2: Seeking<\/h3>\n

Seeking <\/u><\/a>is for wealthy men to sign up and communicate with the thousands of women on the site.<\/p>\n

The member quality, ratio and success rate on Seeking is way better than on Backpage. It is why Seeking is often on the list of best hookup services.<\/p>\n

And, with the admin team constantly reviewing profiles, the chances of interacting with a scammer are extremely slim. However, you must still keep an eye out for the rare fake profile.<\/p>\n

\"3.<\/p>\n

Did Backpage Shut Down? \u2018Older\u2019 Alternative #3: Senior Sizzle<\/h3>\n

Senior Sizzle<\/u><\/a> connects people over the age of 40 with dating partners of various ages.<\/p>\n

You can use the service to look for sexual partners in your area. After signing up, you\u2019ll receive a password via email. This is to help verify users. You can then start using the site to find someone to hook up with.<\/p>\n

Backpage Alternative #4: FetLife<\/h3>\n

FetLife <\/u><\/a>is a site especially to explore kink culture<\/u><\/a> and fetishes. First, you\u2019ll have to create a profile with a bio and pictures. You can then follow users, message them and add each other as friends. The FetLife homepage displays all your friends’ activities.<\/p>\n

You can make your pictures, videos and posts available to either all users (Fetlifers) or only your friends. You can also create new groups or join existing ones and search by location. But you\u2019ll need a paid membership to have more access.<\/p>\n

FetLife is popular for people who wish to explore their sexual urges in a supportive and non-judgmental environment.<\/p>\n

Did Backpage Shut Down? A Simple Alternative #5: Reddit<\/h3>\n

Reddit <\/u><\/a>has something to offer everyone looking for true love, casual hookups, or simply connecting with others online.<\/p>\n

Reddit has become popular due to its extensive and diverse network of sub-communities known as Subreddits. You can subscribe to many subreddits to customize the content you see when visiting Reddit.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll be able to find hundreds of popular subreddits dedicated to online dating and hookups. You can find tips on how to prepare for a hookup<\/u><\/a>, funny Tinder profiles and more.<\/p>\n

R4R is an abbreviation for Redditor for Redditor. These subreddits are for personal ads for dating, hooking up, or simply making new friends. Every listing and comment, like the rest of Reddit, is free.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, this strategy has its drawbacks. Your listing is only up for a few days. Repeatedly posting ads will get you flagged for spamming. This means that if you don’t have a particularly distinctive listing, you may struggle to find someone to hook up with.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, the site has a lot of fake accounts and bots. While browsing can be fun, it may be a while before you find someone real and interested.<\/p>\n

Did Backpage Shut Down? Alternative #6: OutPersonals<\/h3>\n

Out Personals<\/u><\/a> provides a forum for you to connect with people through classified ads. You can both post and respond to these when you find someone interesting.<\/p>\n

This platform is one of the easiest ways to connect with other members of the LGBTQ+ community.<\/p>\n

Out Personals, which focuses on casual gay dating, is an active and engaging community. Surprisingly, despite being obscure, it’s got a huge following, so you won’t be short on potential partners.<\/p>\n

Did Backpage Shut Down? Alternative #7: BeNaughty<\/h3>\n

Be Naughty<\/u><\/a> has a fun “icebreaker” feature, which works similarly to a pairing method. To be more specific, it allows you to play online minigames with other users to break the ice. You get to interact with them and let fate lead you on.<\/p>\n

Playing some games online could be just what you need to start chatting with new people. Who knows where it could lead?<\/p>\n

Locate Your Alternative #8: Locanto<\/h3>\n

You can use Locanto <\/u><\/a>for more than just seeking a date. This classifieds site specializes in a wide range of topics, from real estate to e-commerce. And, of course, there’s an area where folks may post personal ads online.<\/p>\n

This site has a large user base all over the world; thus, there is no shortage of possible partners.<\/p>\n

\"Parade<\/p>\n

Backpage Shut Down? Try The Best Personal Ads Site: DoubleList<\/h3>\n

Doublelist became the personal ads site with better features and no illegal, harmful activity after Backpage shut down. You can filter the type of date you want depending on your location, sexual or gender preference and more.<\/p>\n

You can be incredibly specific about what you\u2019re looking for. As a result, you can narrow down your search to interact with people who share similar interests. Whether you want to hookup, find a dating partner, or simply chat online, DoubleList offers it all.<\/p>\n

It also has a blog with informational articles on anything from having a size kink<\/u><\/a> to finding gay dating platforms<\/u><\/a>.<\/p>\n

DoubleList is an excellent site for the curious and sexually adventurous. You can sign up for free, but an inexpensive subscription is also available if you want all the perks. This will increase the limits on messages and the number of ads you can post and interact with.<\/p>\n

If you want to interact with lots of people, the paid plans are best. You will have fewer limits when it comes to messaging or posting ads. Furthermore, there aren\u2019t any website ads with the paid version, which is a bonus!<\/p>\n

So what are you waiting for? Join DoubleList today<\/u><\/a>!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ever since Craigslist Personals and Backpage shut down, people have been looking for alternatives. For those who don\u2019t know what Backpage is, think of it as a rival to Craigslist. Both sites promoted a wide range of goods and services, including personals and adult-themed advertising. Let\u2019s find out more about when and why Backpage shut … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":40995,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-40991","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dating"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/doublelist.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40991","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/doublelist.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/doublelist.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/doublelist.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/doublelist.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40991"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/doublelist.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40991\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":45670,"href":"https:\/\/doublelist.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40991\/revisions\/45670"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/doublelist.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/40995"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/doublelist.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40991"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/doublelist.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40991"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/doublelist.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40991"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}