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E-mailAmerican attorneys general and human rights groups have called on popular job advertisement network Craigslist to drop all adult services ads, saying these are gateways for human trafficking and prostitution.
"Our message to Craigslist is to put people above profit," Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said at a press conference. "Sacrifice the money if necessary. Clearly make a public promise that you are shutting down adult services and set a model for the industry in using screening and filtering technology."
Craiglist’s American websites have since replaced their "adult services" link with a black "censored" bar. However other Craigslist websites, including Craigslist Manila, still lists "erotic services" and "adult gigs."
While Craigslist has yet to release a statement detailing future plans for its adult services ads, it was pointed out that the network makes approximately USD44 million from its adult services section, nearly a third of its total revenue.
Gateway for human trafficking
According to a statement released by anti-child trafficking organizations Polaris Project, the Rebecca Project for Human Rights, FAIR Fund, and Courtney's House, Craigslist has become a major player in the trafficking of women and children.
"While [censorship] is a good first step in the U.S., there are still more than 250 other Craigslist 'erotic' pages around the world where children and young women are still being sold for sex through Craigslist," the statement said.
Craiglist had previously come under fire for allowing the posting of erotic services. Among the controversies was the case of 24-year-old Philip Markoff, a former Boston University student, who was known for assaulting a stripper he met over Craiglist. Markoff was convicted for multiple acts of violence and later killed himself in prison.
Craigslist Founder Craig Newmark Discusses Crime on Craigslist.com (CTFORUM)
Against censorship
Microsoft senior researcher Danah Boyd however, said that censoring adult services might actually lead to more sex crimes.
"From the bottom of my soul and the depths of my intellect, I believe that the current efforts to censor Craigslist's ‘adult services’ achieves the absolute opposite [effect of stopping sex crimes],” said Boyd in her Huffington Post column.
"Rather than helping those who are abused, it fundamentally helps pimps, human traffickers and others who profit off of abusing others," she added, saying that public advertisements of adult services actually provides more transparency into sex crimes.
According to IT Pro Portal however, up to 70% of Craiglist’s users are against the censorship of "erotic services." Similarly, 52 percent of respondents in a poll conducted by the Washington Post said they are against the censorship of erotic services on Craiglist.“Now the sewage will leak onto every other Craigslist section, particularly the heretofore non sexual personals. Better to direct the sewage into one place so the rest of us can ignore it,” said one user who disagreed with the move.
“This is a private business. They have the right to choose what business services/products they provide,” said another commenter.
Other observers saw it as pandering by US Attorney Generals, while others said that it violated the First Amendment of the US Constitution protecting freedom of speech.
In response, Barbara Hernandez of PC World pointed out that while "many in cyberspace are feeling the situation is about free speech rather than peddling prostitution," “I’m also not sure profiting from prostitution is what the First Amendment of our Constitution promised or intended.”
MSNBC report on a Craigslist prank: fake dating want ads (waxpancake)
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