No Such Thing As Craigslist Censorship
In the last twenty-four hours Craigslist has “censored” their adult services section. When users go to access that facet of the site they will now be met with a black bar reading “censored.” I wish this post was a celebratory one, or at least a sigh of relief for a step in the right direction. It, however, is not.
Last month, Craigslist founder Craig Newmark gave an interview to CNN where he attempted to dodge and disarm questions regarding whether the Craigslist site facilitates child prostitution. Craig’s shaky, tangential response was far from an answer and it wasn’t just the correspondent who noticed. In the wake of the interview, 17 attorney generals multiple states called for the removal of the adult services section. In typical Craigslist fashion, Newmark and Bucky (Jim Buckmaster) pointed the finger elsewhere and attempted to direct attention from the obvious…that their site facilitates child prostitution! AND THEY KNOW IT!
Shockingly, Craigslist minimally acquiesced by censoring that part of their site. Removing it, however, is obviously out of the question. It is likely that once this bit of bad press dissipates, the adult services section will again be up and running. How do I know? Empirically, this tactic has been employed multiple timnes by Craigslist over the past few years. Even when a murder or rape has been attributed to the site, Craigslist has managed to do as little as possible during the headlines, and then revert back to their regular practices once a new tragedy occurs. It is a sick twisted cycle that is in full swing throughout media outlets today.
The last thing people should be doing is applauding Craigslist’s “effort.” Their personal ads section is still fully functioning, providing the same prostitution promoting features as their adult services section. Such illegal activities are simply being posted under a different name. Instead of “adult services,” one can access “casual encounters.” Last time I checked, casual encounters were still very adult. They are also full of the same ads that adult services section contained…including those that facilitate the exploitation of children.
The personal ads section also lacks any sort of regulatory features. Posting in this section does not subject a user to a more rigorous screening simply because the classification is more PG. Craigslist is able to operate per usual, while receiving an undeserved commendation for change. This is not right.
It isn’t the existence of one section over another that makes a difference…it comes down to regulation and responsibility. Until Craigers and Bucky opt for accountability, no one should cheer on their manipulative tactics. A headline today does not ensure safety for their users tomorrow.
Greg Collier, and 2 others are discussing.
KathyT 2:24 pm on September 6, 2010 Permalink
“Craiglist halts ads for adult services” is the quintessence of misleading. I should say that CM and JM are wannabe politicians. They have the rhetoric down to a science.
KathyT 2:26 pm on September 6, 2010 Permalink
Also, there is a very popular saying, from the 20th century, which is this, “all I know is what I read in the papers” LET US NOT FALL VICTIM TO THAT IGNORANCE.
Rick James 12:09 pm on September 18, 2010 Permalink
Craigslist has the same rights as you i.e. the right to post nonsense. Exactly how does Craigslist facilitate child prostitution?
Greg Collier 10:17 pm on September 20, 2010 Permalink
We at Geebo are strong proponents of the freedom of speech and the freedom of press. However, we are also strong proponents of protection and responsibility. We do not contend that Craigslist lacks the right to post anything that they choose. Our offense comes as a result of their irresponsible, and reckless, choices.
Craigslist’s facilitates child prostitution in their refusal to adequately regulate their classified postings. Instead of employing a process that reviews postings prior to online publication, such as the method Geebo utilizes, Craigslist relies on their users. Instead of doing the potentially life-saving work themselves, Craigslist places the responsibility in the hands of both people who care and people who don’t. It is the category of “people who don’t” that cause the problem. Unfortunately, the founders of Craigslist have classified themselves in the latter in their failure to implement a review process that is overseen by themselves or a well-trained staff. Security that hinges upon users flagging the inappropriate content is doomed to fail. And has. Multiple times.
When it comes to protecting our users, we defer to the wise words of Thomas Jefferson. “With every freedom comes responsibility.” Craigslist’s decision to forego their responsibility facilitates child prostitution and human trafficking. Sometimes it is not best to let freedom ring.
Neon Light : 11:15 pm on October 31, 2010 Permalink
i admire Craig Newark of craiglists because he became a milionaire in such a short time .
Surrogate Mother %0A 2:01 am on November 25, 2010 Permalink
somtimes i also sell stuff on craigslist because there are many users on it.