Craigslist "censors" erotic services - but only in the US

 

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By Nicole Kobie

Posted on 6 Sep 2010 at 10:43

Craigslist has removed access to the "erotic services" section of its sites in the US, covering the link with a "censorsed" bar.

The move follows months of campaigning by politicians, journalists and lobby groups, who complained the site was being used for prostitution.

Last month, a group of attorney generals called for Craigslist to drop the section. "We sincerely hope Craigslist will finally hear the voices of the victims, women and children, who plead with you to make this important change," they wrote in an open letter.

"We, too, call on Craigslist to listen and respond now by shutting down the Adult Services section of its website," it added. "Such action is the right thing to do to protect innocent woman and children."

While Craigslist has responded by blocking that one section of its US sites, it hasn't dropped it elsewhere in the world. The site has yet to comment publicly on the move, and hasn't replied to requests for comment about whether it will extend the change to the UK too.

The US site also retains its personals and "casual encounters" sections.

While some campaigners will likely cheer the change, analyst Peter Zollman, with the AIM Group, noted the "erotic services" section required a valid phone number and credit card to post an ad, making it easier for police to track criminals.

Craigslist also provided a convenient central location for law enforcement officials to find people who were engaging in those illegal activities

"With the adult-services category gone, Craigslist will most probably see immediate growth in personals and casual encounters, which don’t require credit cards, phone numbers or other identifying information from the people who post the ads," he noted in a blog post.

"The irony of Craigslist’s adult-services section was that although it provided an open marketplace for prostitution and other illegal activity, it also provided a convenient central location for law-enforcement officials to find people who were engaging in those illegal activities," he added. "And those officers universally agreed that Craigslist was extremely cooperative whenever there was a legal issue involving advertising on Craigslist."

A study by AIM Group showed Craigslist was on track to make $44 million from its adult services section this year.