The controversial Craigslist adult services section, which attorneys general in 18 states have demanded be taken down, has been deactivated and covered with the word “censored” for locations inside the United States.

It was not immediately clear whether Craigslist took down the erotic services section or added the non-active label, which had white letters on a black background. However, the erotic services links were still active outside of the U.S.

A message sent to Craigslist founder Craig Newmark and a spokeswoman were not immediately returned. The censored label was first reported late Friday by TechCrunch.

The San Francisco online classified ads site has come under increasing criticism form groups like the Rebecca Project for Human Rights the section is being used to advertise prostitution, especially with underage girls.

A week ago, the 18 attorneys general wrote an open letter asking Craigslist to take the site down.

Jim Buckmaster, Craigslist chief executive officer, told The Chronicle that demanding censorship on the site might score political points, but was ineffective in tackling the underlying problem.

“Is moving advertising around our best hope for addressing these harms?” he said. “Then the ads fall under personals, and how long before the demand is that we shut down personals? And where do those ads go next? What other sections of our site would they like us to shut down?”