Craigslist removes ‘censored’ tag from its adult services section

The online classifieds site Craigslist has removed the word “censored” from its adult services section even though the controversial listing service remains blocked to users.

The company did not make a public statement about the “censored” label when it was added to the site, nor did it highlight the decision to remove it. The label garnered a swirl of media attention, as well as confusion as to whether Craigslist was backing down in the face of pressure from lawmakers about their concerns over adult ads — or whether the move was a form of protest.

The House Judiciary Crime Subcommittee has scheduled a hearing for next week about sex trafficking that will address the Craigslist issue. Greg Collier, the founder of Geebo.com, a site that competes with Craigslist, said Craigslist may have gotten cold feet about its First Amendment rhetoric in advance of the hearing.

“I feel they know the end is near,” he said. “There’s just way too much pressure from all sides for them to continue thumbing their noses at everyone.”

The decision to use the “censored” tag came after pressure from a coalition of attorneys general and some lawmakers who say Craigslist should do a better job of keeping prostitution and child trafficking ads off its site. 

The move did not impress lawmakers who have raised the issue. Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.), who has advocated for the site to be more conscientious about the adult section, told The Hill it’s unclear what Craigslist is doing.

“Lacking comment or elaboration from Craigslist — after they have defended their position at every turn for years — it’s hard to know what they have in mind, especially when they voluntarily took this step yet inaccurately used the word ‘censored’ to replace ‘adult services,’ ” she said.

Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal wrote to Craigslist this week, demanding to know if the site had made a permanent policy shift.

Meanwhile, Craigslist defenders saw the move as a clever way to make an argument about the First Amendment and to express the view that it is impossible for websites to perfectly police their boards.

“Craigslist’s response is itself an act of free speech — a clever response to its legitimate concern that the attorneys general are over-reaching in their effort to regulate Craigslist’s content,” said Thomas Burke, an attorney at Davis Wright Tremaine.