Craiglist.org announced yesterday it is helping to weed out prostitution from its "erotic services."   (Uh oh!  We thought that being a lady of the night was a recession-free gig!)

At the behest of attorney generals around the country hoping to regulate prostitution, Craiglist.org asked the posters advertising in their "erotic services" section to provide a valid phone number last March, The New York Times reports. 

But today Craigslist agreed to require a valid ID and announced it would charge such posters a small fee -- possibly $10 -- to post.  The funds earned from that charge will be donated to human trafficking and child exploitation charities.

“The mere act of authentication will be a very significant deterrent,” Richard Blumental, attorney general of Connecticut, told the Times. “There are very few prostitutes who want to be called by Craigslist and asked to give additional identifying information.”

This news from Craiglist may indeed stop enabling the scarier aspects of prostitution.  But will it change people's interest in purchasing sex? Doubtful.  People will just look elsewhere. 

In other news...coincidentally enough, former New York governor Eliot Spitzer, learned on Thursday that he will not face federal chges for his dalliances with high-class hooker "Kristen"!