Craigslist removes ‘adult services’ section, calling it ‘censored’

He responded that shutting down portions of Craigslist is not the best answer for solving the
problems she raised. Arguing that trafficking and child exploitation are rare on his site,
Buckmaster said Craigslist already has a zero-tolerance policy for
crime.

“We work tirelessly with law enforcement to ensure any
such victim receives the assistance they deserve and anyone responsible
is prosecuted,” he wrote.

People who defend Craigslist note that when site has teamed up with police, it has been beneficial to stopping crime. They also say it is unfair to blame Craigslist for the illegal activity of others since the adult services section is not causing prostitution to increase, they say; it’s just giving a new venue to a crime that was occurring anyway. 

“Blaming Craigslist is exactly the wrong approach and makes the problem worse,” wrote Mike Masnick, who runs Techdirt, in an opinion piece on his site.

Kansas attorney general Steve Six and 17 other AGs sent a letter to Craigslist
chief executive Jim Buckmaster this month urging him to remove the section.

“Two years ago, Craigslist vowed
to work with me and 42 other Attorneys General to crack down on illegal
sexual activity on the internet,” Six said at the time. “Since then,
it seems little has been done to eliminate ads which tout prostitution
and, shockingly, ads trafficking children. The company must take
immediate action to stop the victimization of women and children.”

Policymakers became more concerned about Craigslist after The Rebecca Project spread an ad criticizing the company. The group says it advocates for
policies to help vulnerable women and girls. The ad features letters
from two women who say they were been forced into prostitution after
meeting men over Craigslist.

“Craig, shut down the adult services
section,” they write, labeling themselves “survivors of Craigslist sex trafficking.”

TechCrunch first reported that Craigslist had taken down the section.