HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Craigslist has apparently closed the adult services section of its website, two weeks after 17 state attorneys general demanded it shut down the section.
The section had been replaced Saturday by a black and while “censored” logo.
Craigslist did not immediately return an e-mail seeking comment.
Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, one of the AGs who pressed for the change, said in a written statement that he welcomed the change and was trying to verify Craigslist’s official policy going forward.
He said if it was doing the right thing voluntarily in response to the AGs, it could set a good example for others.
In an Aug. 24 letter, the state attorneys general said Craigslist should remove the section because it couldn’t adequately block potentially illegal ads promoting prostitution and child trafficking.
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Comments (45)
oldsalty1
Posted on September 5, 2010 at 4:12pmThqat posting section was no more than an open billboard for prostitution. It is about time someone does something about it, even better that it was they themselves
Report Post »T.E.A. Eagar AZ
Posted on September 5, 2010 at 1:37pmCraigs List shouldn’t have had a section for prostitution. It would be like having a section in a local paper’s classified ads called “stolen cars”.
However, if they have an adult section for escorts or dating and it is being used to transact prostitution, the police should stop the illegal activity. You would not shut down the automobile section of the paper if criminals use it to sell stolen cars. You would track down the person selling the car and prosecute.
The Attorney Generals should use their heads and look at CL as a tool to find people doing illegal activities. Having an adult section only concentrates the efforts and makes law enforcement easier.
I don’t know anything about how Craigs List operates and have never used it, but, I know you can find illegal activites every where you look.
Report Post »FoxRules
Posted on September 5, 2010 at 9:51amYou called it Ketchup, someone else will now call it Catsup!? Who we kidding here.
Report Post »missmarie
Posted on September 5, 2010 at 12:57amI wouldn’t call it a censorship issue, it is more like a safety issue. I‘m thrilled that the folks at CL are concerned about their reputation and determined this wasn’t the best business decision for them. If they would like to start up a XXX CL, I don’t have a problem with that. To each, his or her own. I did, however, have a problem with hot, sexy, babes being one click away from lost puppy section.
Report Post »C_Era
Posted on September 4, 2010 at 11:02pmI’m still appalled that there was an adult services section to begin with.
Report Post »kenoshax
Posted on September 4, 2010 at 9:29pmI use the adult section of craigslist all the time. now what am I going to do. where can I post ads to satisfy my needs…..well, it looks like I will have to post them here on the BLAZE. (so hot)….well here goes…..charming ,ex two term president looking for young interns for short term, descrete romance. please respond to ad before wife returns from overseas.
realchrisjones
Posted on September 4, 2010 at 7:36pmAll this will do is move the escorts back to the classified sections in newspapers. For some reason, the authorities don’t care about that. They just don’t want it online.
Report Post »DonnaA
Posted on September 4, 2010 at 7:28pmapples or oranges, its still a major hit to freedom of speech.
Report Post »Endstatism
Posted on September 4, 2010 at 6:46pmI am not for legalized prostitution, but too much time is spent going after this type of crime when our streets are overrun with drug dealers and gangs. We have too much violent crime to be diverting resources to pursue petty crimes. The real reason why AGs and local law enforcement goes after prostitutes is because the police undercover operations are relatively risk free and the number of arrests can be used to bolster political campaigns. I may point out that human trafficking problems in America are the result of not having secure borders.
Report Post »PeterBreitholtz
Posted on September 4, 2010 at 7:35pmWhat you’re overlooking is that drug, gang, and adult industries all feed into the same system fueled by men’s appetites for alcohol, drugs, and sex obviously and there’s other industries involved. They depend on unspoken cooperation, a certain code of silence. Securing the borders might have the same effect on the human trafficking industry as it would on the illegal drug industry and that is more home grown product being sold. It’s time to simply legalize and tax and I guess regulate!
Report Post »Statesman
Posted on September 4, 2010 at 5:27pmThis is the pits! Now what do we do? lol
Bid deal they close it down good for them finally.
Report Post »satman40
Posted on September 4, 2010 at 5:24pmElliot Spitzer and many other will be disappointed, and yet the massage section is still there, so hey, Al Gore will be happy….
A good politician never did need CL, they put them on the payroll,, send them on to their own kind, poor guys..after they get tired of them……
Report Post »Dhole
Posted on September 4, 2010 at 5:03pmMy mind is temporarily blank! But be sure I will be addressing things of interest to me!
Report Post »PeterBreitholtz
Posted on September 4, 2010 at 4:10pmFor starters, I am thrilled to finally be publishing at The Blaze! I bet Village Voice Media, owner of backpage.com, the REAL dirty culprit, will be next! Have you seen their ads? (blush) I admit it, I have perused, but not used!
Report Post »numbat
Posted on September 4, 2010 at 4:07pmYes we need to enforce the laws that exist and work toward removing the ones that just encourage government meddling. Yes that is what I believe most prostitution laws are. It is a verbal contract between two adults. You can argue all you want about morality but that isn’t an area where we want the government involved. Even Palin has said she would rather the time invested in busting pot smokers put to better use.
You have the right to believe whatever you want to believe but you don’t have the right to make me agree with you from behind the barrel of a gun. Keep in mind that if you go far enough to right or to the left they end up being the same thing.
Report Post »akw
Posted on September 5, 2010 at 2:18amCraigslist refused to adequately monitor their adds for ads offering underaged children for prostitution and blatant ads for sex acts for sale. Those things are currently illegal, and Craigslist had been given plenty of chances.
Report Post »tjdavid21444
Posted on September 5, 2010 at 8:24amReplying to AKW – Where is there any evidence that any of the things that craigslist was “supposed to monitor” ever occurred as a result of one of their adult ads? Most if not all of the bad things that have happened to/by craigslist users have occurred in the other sections, especially the FOR SALE ads. So what next? Force craigslist to do background checks on people selling their 99 Honda Accords? Give me a break. All these AGs were doing (and nobody has come forward to show me that they were either all Republicans or all Democrats) was to, as one other commenter here has said, pick off low hanging fruit as we get close to election time. The same thing has been happening in Loudoun County Virginia this year. Many of the Asian Massage Parlors have been shut down as a result of raids by the Sheriff’s Office. Why? Easy pickings. We still have unsolved crimes out here, but let’s go ahead a prosecute people for having consensual adult relations, in exchange for payment, in a private room, where nobody can see. Yeah, that makes perfect sense.
Report Post »tjdavid21444
Posted on September 5, 2010 at 8:29amA couple more points for AKW. There were no ads for child prostitution anywhere on craigslist. And shutting down the adult services section (for which ads had to be PURCHASED) has not done away with “blatant ads for sex acts for sale” which routinely are placed (and most of the time flagged for removal by the self-regulating users of craigslist) in the personals sections of the site FOR FREE. It’s just political grand standing on the part of the busy-bodies in our government. They can’t do anything to stop real crime, except try to disarm law-abiding citizens, so they go after consensual transactions between adults.
Report Post »warmac9999
Posted on September 4, 2010 at 4:01pmI now know what happens when you close down the porno section of Craigs list. They end up like danglingbags.
Report Post »LIBSALWAYSLIE
Posted on September 4, 2010 at 3:59pmdanglingbags, you never seem to dissapoint those of of who understand how much of an idiot your are. Keep speaking up, its entertaining.
Report Post »Philip
Posted on September 5, 2010 at 7:12amI totally love Mr. Danglingbags! He isn’t afraid to blaze a trail of utter ignorance. I wish he would debate on the ideas expressed more.
Report Post »Selfreliance
Posted on September 4, 2010 at 3:46pmSo your suggestion is to ignore the laws? Mine would be work to change the laws, where you disagree with them, but enforce the laws as they exist.
Report Post »tjdavid21444
Posted on September 4, 2010 at 3:03pmOnce again, we see how a non-issue can be turned into an issue. Exactly what was going on that was not between people who consented to it? So, you may not ever find yourself in the position of contracting the services of a professional escort (and yes, I know exactly what services were being offered on that section of craigslist, and so, I would guess, do you), how exactly is your life made better by denying such a service to others? Or, for that matter, how is your life made better by denying someone the opportunity to employ themselves in that fashion? You know, last time I checked, times are pretty tough, and jobs aren’t the easiest thing to come by these days. And for the dopes you believe that this was either a Republican or a Democrat thing, I am going to wager that not all 17 AGs who threatened legal action were of the same party. Being a busy-body politician cuts across all political lines with the exception of Libertarians. Interesting that the same people who would argue (correctly) that a woman has a right to get an abortion because it’s her body to do with as she pleases, would argue that somehow that same woman doesn’t have the right to use her body to earn money. What’s the word for that again? Oh, yeah, hypocrisy.
Report Post »liquidflorian
Posted on September 4, 2010 at 3:37pmI agree completely… and the excuse these AGs are using, human trafficking, is still going to happen with or with out craigslist. They went after politically convenient, low hanging fruit instead of doing the tougher investigative work to break up these smuggling rings. …but hey, it gets your name in the paper in an election year, right Blumenthal?
Report Post »Okpulot Taha
Posted on September 4, 2010 at 5:28pmTJDAVID21444 writes, “Exactly what was going on that was not between people who consented to it?”
There is a need for us to prevent sexual predation upon children, just as there is a need to stop human trafficking. However, we are to never give up our right to free speech to do so, nor any other freedoms.
Craig’s List has their right to free speech curtailed. This harms all of us. Some of those adult services are lawful and popular. Some are unlawful and yet popular. Those adult services which are unlawful, specifically involving children and sex slaves, yes, we need to stop this but censorship is not a viable way to prevent this.
I support prostitution while this involves only consenting adults who make informed decisions. I support the “adult toy” market. I support true “escort” services which provide a “date” for an evening or a vacation. Those are activities by freewill choice and are activities which cause no harm.
Prostitution is well regulated in Nevada and other places. Nevada requires a safe working environment for both female prostitutes and male prostitutes. Nevada requires weekly medical testing and requires HIV testing on an appropriate schedule. Brothels, such as the Bunny Ranch, report no incidents of sexually transmitted diseases and no incidents of physical violence perpetrated upon prostitutes.
Based on my research and talking with the owner of the Bunny Ranch, working girls easily clear a quarter of a million dollars a year in business. Some clear a million a year. Prostitution is big business, a multi-billion dollar a year business. This is good for our economy.
What has happened here is not only a quashing of free speech but also a quashing of legitimate free enterprise, which includes adult services.
Almost all objections to prostitution are based upon faith not upon rational thinking. This is theocratic tyranny. Here in America, we do not welcome tyranny, least not those of us who still believe in freedom.
A bit more of our right to free speech and our right to free enterprise, has been taken away from us.
Okpulot Taha
Report Post »Choctaw Nation
GeneralC_USA
Posted on September 4, 2010 at 5:33pmYou got it. I didn’t even know of the adult listings until the publicity of the AGs filings. However, it does stand to reason that it may stop some sickos from doing something offensive and/or illegal. This can only help and not hurt.
Report Post »smartypoop
Posted on September 5, 2010 at 12:07amStalking; murder; child pornography; just to name a few. These AGs followed legal process to shut down a nuisance to the public safety! Good job!
Report Post »Large Eagle
Posted on September 5, 2010 at 12:47pmHere is a thought – Maybe this would keep the predators that use these sites to rape & kill innocent young women from happening and help the weak, me included, redefine our values.
Report Post »Nicole from CA
Posted on September 6, 2010 at 10:23amLet those who want these services find them elsewhere. We don’t need it so visible to minors. I’m glad they removed it.
Report Post »Mark Rickert
Posted on September 4, 2010 at 2:54pmThat has been a lawsuit waiting to happen. There’s other places on the internet to do that kind of stuff. The worlds premier local marketplace shouldn’t be one.
Report Post »stephenb.net
Posted on September 4, 2010 at 2:46pmI wonder what cheating, ugly, lying, perverted, twisted liberals will do to satisfy their deviant lustful desires now? I guess there’s always the Huffington Post.
Report Post »steve4u55
Posted on September 4, 2010 at 2:45pmDanglingbags????? Thats them things under his uncle Al Sharptons eyes
Report Post »narniaexpert
Posted on September 4, 2010 at 2:42pmIt is good they did this. Here is a must watch Craigslist music video by Weird Al http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4sALru9IJk
Report Post »Jynnipher
Posted on September 5, 2010 at 12:48amThat was hilarious! Thanks for the link, I’m going to be sharing that one around.
Report Post »I love Weird Al!
elura dollface
Posted on September 4, 2010 at 2:37pmwooohoooo!!!!!! im happy :)
Report Post »missmarie
Posted on September 4, 2010 at 2:21pmThank God!
Report Post »littlebin518
Posted on September 4, 2010 at 2:15pmAmen!
danglingbags
Posted on September 4, 2010 at 2:27pmDAVID VITTER MUST BE DISAPPOINTED. I THINK CRAIGSLIST IS HIDING THIS SECTION AND YOU NEED TO CLICK ON “REPUBLICAN FAMILY VALUES” BUTTON IN ORDER TO FIND THE ADULT SERVICES SECTION.
alsoentity
Posted on September 4, 2010 at 4:39pmYou seem to know a lot about how to find adult services…
Report Post »PeterBreitholtz
Posted on September 4, 2010 at 4:54pmYou should see backpage.com!
http://peterbreitholtz.com/?p=7759
Report Post »GetBacktoBasics
Posted on September 4, 2010 at 10:17pmDanglingbags, I am now seeing that you are a serial MORON. Don’t you have a tree to hug somewhere?
Report Post »Large Eagle
Posted on September 5, 2010 at 12:41pmYou the all knowing Danglingbags – Your magnificent thoughts – they put me in awe. By the way did your nickname originate from the gay strip bars in New York City. I also did not see you response to Michelle’s BMI comments on all of us fat American’s – You’re my Doctor Joel, go get’m
Report Post »Lagentleman
Posted on September 5, 2010 at 1:53pmOr the Bill Clinton cigar section!
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