Craigslist’s terrible, horrible, very bad week
By Matthew Shaer | 05.20.09
Talk about a roller-coaster of a week.
The same day that South Carolina Attorney General Henry McMaster backed off his attack on Craigslist, the site was catapulted back into the spotlight. This time, the battleground is New York, where seven alleged members of a prostitution ring, which operated exclusively through online classified advertisements, have been arrested.
Joining the ranks of other attorney generals who have publicly criticized Craigslist, New York state’s crusading A.G., Andrew Cuomo, called on the site to more rigorously police its content. “Until Craigslist gets serious about putting real protections in place, it will continue to be an environment where criminal operations thrive with impunity,” Cuomo said on Wednesday.
The witch hunt continues?
But as many pundits have pointed out, is it really fair to target the actions of one site? After all, dozens of print publications regularly host adult classified advertisements; none of them have been exposed to as much scrutiny, in recent months, as Craigslist.
Today, a Silicon Valley and San Jose Business Journal survey found that a majority of respondents believe “Craigslist needs no further monitoring or constraints — whether internal or external. It’s a self-regulated open forum, no more culpable for illegal activity than the individuals committing those acts.” The study continues:
<< Paleontologist as rock star: How one tiny fossil sparked a media circus | MainThat’s the sentiment of most respondents in the Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal’s latest Business Pulse Survey; 55 percent of those who responded said Craigslist need not do more to prevent use of its ads for illegal activity such as prostitution, while 44 percent said otherwise. The poll was conducted May 12 through May 19.
Comments
2. John from Austin | 05.21.09
Look, this is a freedom of speech issue clear and simple. If the various Attorney Generals’ want to do something about prostitution, simply call the advertiser, make an appointment, and if an offer of sex for sale is made, arrest them. Oh, then tell them, and all the other advertisers, how simple it was to bust them — since all they had to do was hop on Craig’s List to find them.
On the other hand, if we insist that publications - be it electronic vehicles like craig’s list, or traditional media like a newspaper - investigate all ads before publication, it will at very least add costs to the consumer, and more likely limit advertisers’ freedoms as publications over react and “error on the side of caution”. How about this.. to stop the sale of stolen property, we simply insist publications validate each sellers’ rightful ownership of the goods being offered. Maybe, we should insist that any person with an Hispanic sir name placing an ad to do yard work present proof of citizenship. Let’s take it further and make sure anyone offering any service for hire has a statement from a CPA that they are lawfully collecting and paying all taxes!
So why are Attorney Generals’ going after Craig’s List and others about this particular perceived transgression? Simple — the typical hooker’s advertisement does not break the law! They most often are not overtly offering any service that is illegal (i.e. a sexual act for money verses “companionship” or a “date” for a fee). The “crime”, such as it is, is the actual offer of, or exchange of, money for a sexual act. And seldom is any ad so overt to make such an offer.
So here’s a plan — we’ll get a group of Attorney Generals (ideally who slept through constitutional law) together, then threaten arrests, trials and civil cases - even though they have no merit, and will ultimately fail - and demand Craig’s List censor a group of advertisers. The choice Craig’s List faces is abridge the constitutional rights of a class of American citizens, or be effectively put out of businesses. Some choice!
Kidding aside, should Craig’s List, or anyone else, allow an ad that says ‘I’ll have Sex with you all night long for $500′? Certainly not! That act (unless it is in parts of Nevada) is clearly against the law. And so, as soon as such an ad is discovered, it should be removed and reported. But if there’s an Ad that says ‘I’ll be your companion for $200 an hour and provide a GFE (girl friend experience).”, that ad has broken no laws. If an Attorney General thinks that ad may lead to an actual offer of solicitation.. fine set up a sting, and if an offer is made arrest and prosecute the advertiser as hooker.
Going offer those who have actually committed a crime is their Job. Abridging the constitutional rights of American Citizens should rapidly lead to their impeachment.
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1. Cathy Barnes | 05.20.09
I think it must be very difficult to monitor an international website. I found adult solicitation ads in an article that was in the Christian Science Monitor last week. I was told to click to read the whole article and was taken to a different website altogether, which is where I found the ads. I use craigslist to advertise community activities, and would like to see them do more to prevent the use of its ads for illegal activity such as prostitution. I was disappointed that they decided to continue to display and accept payment for adult ads.