Craigslist Censors Adult Ads in Possible Attempt to Thumb Nose at Attorney General

Craigslist, a popular online classified service for everything from job postings, household goods, personal ads, yard sales, apartments for rent, and more, has now censored its "adult services" section.

The word "censored" now appears in white letters in a black box where the word "adult" used to be, and the link has been disabled. Some would say that Craigslist is thumbing its nose at their attorney general critics.

Pressure from attorneys general

Under public criticism for many months, especially with media tagging certain criminals as "Craigslist murderer" or "Craigslist rapist," the site has been under pressure by a group of attorneys general in 17 states, spearheaded by Connecticut's Richard Blumenthal, to discontinue the category.

The open letter written on August 24, 2010 to CEO Jim Buckmaster and founder Craig Newmark claims that the site promotes prostitution, including child-trafficking, and that nothing "...can justify the scourge 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," as told by CNN.com.

Craiglist spokesperson told CNN that they, too, strongly support ending these crimes against women and children, regardless of the means by which these crimes are committed.

In May 2009 Craigslist implemented manual screening of all adult services ads by attorneys trained to enforce stricter guidelines for posting than that of other typical sites and newspapers.

Craigslist facilitates serious crimes

ABC News reported that the April 2009 brutal murder of 25-year-old Julissa Brisman by alleged murderer 23-year-old Philip Markoff raised questions about the role that Craigslist has in this crime and others like it. Police had claimed that Markoff contacted her through an ad on Craigslist offering exotic massage.

Philip Markoff's trial was set for spring 2011, but he took his life on August 15, 2010.

Though Craiglist founder Newmark is sympathetic toward the victims of any crimes, especially when committed with knowledge gained through the use of the Internet and his site, he takes issue with people linking any of these types of crimes to his company.

He asked an interviewer from ABC, "...how would you feel if...the bad guy watched what you do on TV and started calling [you] the 'ABC Killer'?"

The crimes that have been committed based upon meetings facilitated through the popular website include murder, robbery, and prostitution. Cook County Illinois Sheriff Tom Dart had even accused Craiglist of being the "largest source of prostitution in America."

CEO Buckmaster and Newmark vehemently disagree with their critics, and claim to the contrary that they promote Craigslist as a "free, open democratic system," and that its users can flag posts. They also encourage community feedback and change sections accordingly. Some in law enforcement had strongly suggested that certain types of ads be labeled as "erotic" or "adult" so that "people know what they are going to see when they get there."

The debate over free speech continue

Debates surrounding issues of free speech and the Internet and protection under the First Amendment continue to draw attention with the obvious choice by Craigslist officials to use the label "censored" in place of "adult" services, rather than just remove the category.

Some analysts speculate that it is a ploy by Craigslist officials, whose primary motivation has not been profit, to garner public opinion on the constitutional debate,, according to the New York Times.

Santa Clara University law professor Margaret M. Russell said that the government has to be very careful when attempting to regulate or intervene where Internet communication is concerned. She said, "The ultimate goal, public safety, is really important, but these are venues of free speech communication. They're not conspirators in crimes."

Though Blumenthal is encouraged by the show of Craigslist's cooperation, there has been no definitive word on whether or not this is a permanent or temporary move.

Blumenthal wants to change federal laws to be able to prosecute sites such as Craigslist.

Sources

ABC News
AOL News
CNN
New York Times