Craigslist Shutters "Adult Services" Section
Craigslist Shutters "Adult Services" Section
Posted 09/10/2010 at 6:33am
| by Paul Lilly
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Hop over to Craigslist and you'll no longer find a censored bar over its "Adult Services" link. That's because the online classifieds service tossed the baby out with the bath water and removed the entire section.
Founder Craig Newmark isn't saying much on the matter, though he did re-tweet a link to an Electronic Frontier Foundation blog post on the topic.
"Through this now years-long struggle, Craigslist's legal position has been and remains absolutely, unequivocally correct: the Communications Decency Act of 1996 (or CDA) grants providers of 'interactive computer services' an absolute shield against state criminal law liability stemming from material posted by third parties," the EFF wrote. "Put simply, the law ensures that the virtual soapbox is not liable for what the speaker says: merely creating a forum in which users post ads that may violate state law plainly does not lead to liability for a web site operator.
"The federal statutory immunity upon which Craigslist relies is not some clever loophole. Rather, the intermediary immunity provided by the CDA represents a conscious policy decision by Congress to protect individuals and companies who would otherwise be vulnerable targets to litigants who want to silence speech to which they object, illegal or not."
So why the sudden move on Craigslist's part to block and now fully remove the controversial section? Undoubtedly playing a part is an open letter (PDF) signed by 17 attorneys general pleading with Craigslist to remove the section and potentially setting the stage for a legal battle to follow.
"We recognize that Craigslist may lose the considerable revenue generated by the the Adult Services ads," the letter states. "No amount of money, however, can justify the courge of illegal prostitution, and the suffering of the women and children who will continue to be victimized, in the market and trafficking provided by Craigslist."
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zipzoom
September 10, 2010 at 2:55pm
The problem with craigs was that it didn't encourage you to meet in a public place. That is the main issue. Sites like http://www.frucle.com incentivize you to meet in a public place by offering its members free coupons and discounts. IF more sites were like that, we wouldn't have these issues at all.
joepullin
September 10, 2010 at 1:58pm
In one handy location for the cops to track and bust.
We can't have such a handy tool for law enforcement.
I guess it needs to put back out on the street were it belongs.
nikki_gx
September 10, 2010 at 9:33am
the letter states. "No amount of money, however, can justify the courge of illegal prostitution, and the suffering of the women and children who will continue to be victimized, in the market and trafficking provided by Craigslist." What children are involved in escort services posted on CL? It's called the ADULT section for a reason. Show me one person who was victimized, women who post on there do so voluntarily. These people just can't stand other people having sex. I personally would never pay for sex because with a small amount of effort I can get it free and that effort makes it more meaningful. But if consenting adults wish to trade sex for money that doesn't hurt me or anyone else not involved in that transaction. And even if it harms the parties involved, they each have the choice not to do so unless the rest of society steps in and takes that choice away. If by chance there are victims involved in ADULT postings, having them on Craigslist would make them easier to find and offer help. Removing the section solves nothing except making certain people feel like they made a difference without actually making one.
silica
September 10, 2010 at 8:30am
Please tell me it was your typing error and that Craigslist did not refer to the "courge" of prostitution. If they did, they should have 17 attorneys general asking them to proofread.
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