Power Sellers Unite

Stockmiser · Joined: 03 Jun 2006 Posts: 1167

Well, they got rid of the "censored" bar (which was obviously a political statement) and now just eliminated the section altogether.

It will be interesting to see if this effects their traffic numbers. As I understand it, perhaps as much as 50% of their traffic is from adult services and personal (still online).

elgato · Joined: 24 Feb 2005 Posts: 17231 Location: Texas

"Why Craigslist Should Be Allowed To Sue South Carolina's Attorney General"

We've covered how various state attorneys general have used this unfortunate grandstanding process to push companies into settlements, despite a lack of any actual legal basis. Target #1 (and #2 and #3) has, of course, been Craigslist. And one of the most ridiculous of the grandstanders was South Carolina attorney general Henry McMaster, who not only threatened Craigslist over its adult services ads, but threatened to press criminal charges against Craigslist's execs. As you would hope McMaster knows, such claims are pretty ridiculous. Other courts have already made clear that Craigslist is protected by Section 230.

Craigslist got sick of McMaster's threats and sued first, with a few rather interesting legal theories. First, the company claimed that since Craigslist was protected by Section 230, the mere threat of criminal prosecution violated Section 230. That's an interesting -- and as far as I know, untested -- theory around Section 230. It's quite clear that the safe harbors do protect you from a lawsuit, but does it also protect you from threats of a lawsuit? If so, that could make for some rather interesting cases. On top of that, Craigslist claimed that the threats were unlawful prior restraint on protected speech and an unreasonable burden on interstate commerce. The prior restraint argument is also quite an interesting one, and, if it worked, suggests that these grandstanding attorneys general could face serious pushback if they keep running these grandstanding schemes.

Unfortunately, however, the court tossed out the lawsuit last month, with the really bizarre reasoning that since Craigslist no longer faced the likelihood of a lawsuit from McMaster, the lawsuit was meaningless. But, of course, that reasoning was shown to be ridiculous when, almost immediately after the ruling was announced, McMaster announced he was continuing his investigation (pdf) into Craigslist.

more.. link to news article

elgato · Joined: 24 Feb 2005 Posts: 17231 Location: Texas

"Craigslist Takes More Heat From State AGs"

Attorneys general in 18 states are ratcheting up the pressure on online classified site Craigslist to discontinue the "adult services" listings on its site, claiming they're nothing more than a marketplace for prostitutes and other illicit activities.
As eCommerce Guide reports, this isn't the first time law enforcement agencies have called on Craigslist to shut down the section. Although Craigslist officials claim they're doing more than many other mediums to stamp out flagrant prostitution ads, the AGs want the sections discontinued because the company's efforts have failed to dissuade would-be sex trade participants from hooking up.

In the meantime, Craigslist has remained in the spotlight as critics contend that it remains a popular forum for selling sexual services, sometimes involving minors.

The company drew an unwelcome batch of publicity last spring when Philip Markoff, a 23 year-old medical student, allegedly shot and killed a masseuse he met answering an ad in the erotic services section of Craigslist.

more.. link to news article

elgato · Joined: 24 Feb 2005 Posts: 17231 Location: Texas

Update:

"Child Sex Trafficking Continues Despite Craigslist Shutdown"

Despite a much publicized forced shutdown of the Craigslist adult advertisement section last year, child sex trafficking continues to be a serious problem. Since Craigslist disabled its adult section, several other sites have popped up to capitalize on the market. So what's being done about it?

Tracking Internet sex predators is a tough job. But Wichita's Exploited and Missing Children's Unit does their best every day to keep tabs on what is going on in the world of online sex ads that target children.

In Kansas, local law enforcement tells us there continues to be a growing demand in internet child sex trafficking. This despite a government crackdown on the most widely known meeting place - Craigslist.

"It just displaced it. It moved it around," explained EMCU Internet Crimes Against Children Sergeant Chet Pinkston. "We do believe that the continued efforts of combating it have been effective, but by no stretch of the means are we going to say that we eradicated it."

Police officers like Sergeant Pinkston often see the seedy activities that go on in the darkness of the night. But in today's Internet age, kids have such easy access to anything at their fingertips. Internet sites that disguise themselves as escort services take advantage of that.

"The majority of the escort ads are not escort ads," said Pinkston. "It's simply disguised under that term escort and they're masking prostitution activity."

A number of websites have popped up since Craigslist adult services shut down. But even on Craigslist, it's still there if you know where to click. Obviously, parents are encouraged to do everything in their power to monitor their children's every move.

more.. link to news article