4 ms·

We're taking our ball and going home. Very mature. It's total BS, of course. People can just as easily advertise prostitution services in other sections of CL.

by loteck 9y ago

We're taking our ball and going home. Very mature. It's total BS, of course. People can just as easily advertise prostitution services in other sections of CL. Something tells me their deeply principled stand won't extend to shutting down the whole site. Instead, they will take reasonable steps to control the proliferation of sex trafficking on their site. Some magical force somehow precludes them from extending that same concept to personal ads, I guess.

always_good 9y ago
I think you're barking up the wrong tree. Even if you think it's all for show, this is a good way for Craigslist to use their ubiquity to lift FOSTA into the public eye. Nobody knows what FOSTA is much less the sort of impact it could have on their day to day. But I suspect Craiglist's legal team isn't a bunch of idiots when it comes to toeing the line of prostitution. They outlived websites like Redbook even though they have obvious prostitution classifieds. I'd imagine they're experts. It looks more like the Communications Act of 1934 was the centerpiece of their defense.
- loteck 9y ago
  All platforms already restrict content they allow users to post, including CL. People still seem to express themselves freely despite those restrictions. That CL would make a vindictive stand in defense of sex trafficking specifically is just bizarre.
  - always_good 9y ago
    CL openly allowed prostitution on their site just yesterday. I wouldn't be so quick to call it self-evident that there was a better response than to immediately shut down their classifieds. I'm sure there's more to do than just flicking a "filter prostitution: yes / no" switch on their admin panel.
    - TallGuyShort 9y ago
      No, CL has had explicit notices posted regarding prostitution for a long time and has actively moderated for overt prostitution. You can't compare now, but if you compare ads on Craigslist to other personals / services websites like Backpage, Craigslist has been quite PG-13-rated for a long time and at least forces posters to be a bit more subtle. The "massage" section is actually mostly pleasantly legit in my experience, assuming you're not in a big city.

by loteck 9y ago

always_good 9y ago

I think you're barking up the wrong tree. Even if you think it's all for show, this is a good way for Craigslist to use their ubiquity to lift FOSTA into the public eye. Nobody knows what FOSTA is much less the sort of impact it could have on their day to day. But I suspect Craiglist's legal team isn't a bunch of idiots when it comes to toeing the line of prostitution. They outlived websites like Redbook even though they have obvious prostitution classifieds. I'd imagine they're experts. It looks more like the Communications Act of 1934 was the centerpiece of their defense.

loteck 9y ago
All platforms already restrict content they allow users to post, including CL. People still seem to express themselves freely despite those restrictions. That CL would make a vindictive stand in defense of sex trafficking specifically is just bizarre.
- always_good 9y ago
  CL openly allowed prostitution on their site just yesterday. I wouldn't be so quick to call it self-evident that there was a better response than to immediately shut down their classifieds. I'm sure there's more to do than just flicking a "filter prostitution: yes / no" switch on their admin panel.
  - TallGuyShort 9y ago
    No, CL has had explicit notices posted regarding prostitution for a long time and has actively moderated for overt prostitution. You can't compare now, but if you compare ads on Craigslist to other personals / services websites like Backpage, Craigslist has been quite PG-13-rated for a long time and at least forces posters to be a bit more subtle. The "massage" section is actually mostly pleasantly legit in my experience, assuming you're not in a big city.