craigslist has a section
dedicated to adult gigs
craigslist has agreed to crack down on listings by prostitutes and businesses peddling "erotic services" (e.g., massage, boudoir photo services).
The discussion began earlier in the year, when the attorney general of Connecticut — representing a total of 40 states — sent a letter to the online classifieds site. The letter recommended that craigslist better enforce rules against illegal sex services, as well as sweep the site to rid itself of inappropriate listings.
The ads were "crossing the line," according to craigslist CEO Jim Buckmaster to The New York Times. "We resolved to see what we could do to get that stuff off the site."
The site's first move against prurient listings occurred in March. craigslist began requesting more information from erotic services advertisers, including phone numbers. Before ads could appear on the site, the number was verified through an automatic call process that involved entering a code on a web page.
The action cut down about 80% of illicit material, and craigslist went one step further: asking such advertisers for valid identification. It also plans to charge $5-10 for each ad and require that erotic services vendors pay with a credit card, for further confirmation of identity. (Proceeds will be donated to charity.)
Buttressed by organizations encouraging the effort, like the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, craigslist hopes the move will deter people from using the site to traffic people or exploit children. In the event of a subpoena, the site will turn the phone numbers and credit card data of all such vendors to law enforcement officials, ClickZ writes.
craigslist's wariness of legal trouble is well-founded. Last April, eBay — which owns a 28.4% stake in the company — sued Buckmaster and founder Craig Newmark for discriminating against it, accusing them of "self-dealing transactions." craigslist countersued, arguing eBay stole trade secrets to develop Kijiji, another online classifieds site. Both suits were highly publicized.
Last week, craigslist also announced plans to sue several companies that provide services which help users circumvent the site's abuse protections. (In January 2007, craigslist added post-flagging tools that allow community members to assist with the removal of inappropriate ads and spam listings. To follow up on blocking and/or prosecuting the offenders, it enlisted the aid of ISPs and the police.)
