AGs To Hold Meeting With Craigslist

(CBS)  Pressure is mounting on Craigslist, which gets 30 million postings a month, to clean up its site, reports CBS News correspondent Kelly Wallace.

In response to allegations Boston medical student Philip Markoff used the site to rob and kill women, the attorneys general of Connecticut, Missouri, and Illinois will meet Tuesday with the Craigslist's lawyers to press for a ban on advertising for erotic services.

Tuesday on CBS' The Early Show, Connecticut Attorney General said the erotic services listings on Craigslist "enabled" a crime like the one Markoff is accused of.

Despite acknowledging that other sites will continue to advertise for erotic services, Blumenthal said of Craigslist, "It can serve as a model."

Asked about the meeting, Craigslist's CEO Jim Buckmaster told CBS News the site "anticipates making further progress toward the common goal of eliminating illegal activity from Craigslist while preserving its full utility and benefit for tens of millions of law-abiding Americans..."

The meeting comes after Rhode Island authorities issued an arrest warrant for Markoff Monday - accusing him of robbing an exotic dancer who advertised on Craigslist.

For now, Markoff remains on suicide watch in a Boston jail.

[aka_KJB]

++the attorneys general of Connecticut, Missouri, and Illinois will meet Tuesday with the Craigslist's lawyers to press for a ban on advertising for erotic services.++

AKA: The AG's of Connecticut, Missouri, and Illinois want to get their names in the press connected to a high profile case they have nothing to do with so it can be used later when they campaign to keep their jobs. Self serving scumbags aren't any better than the people they claim they're protecting us from.

Removing the erotic listings from Craigslist will do nothing to stop this kind of thing from ever happening again. It'll just transfer to another website that will probably see this as an opportunity to take over a very active market. Hmm.... I wonder how much it would take to set up a quick website? Anybody else want in? I'm taking investors....

[banisternation]

Years ago some old prude went to the annual meeting of the publisher of the dictionary to complain that the dictionary contained foul and offensive words. The Chairman remarked: "Madam, you must have looked for them."

[personsunknown]

I use CL quite often for many things...most recently to look for a job...and I would much rather see erotic services in it's own little category so that I already know where to avoid. CL mentions on their site that the reason they have the erotic services section so that they can keep that garbage separate. The idea mentioned in the above article acts like people have never used any media source to lure people into problems. The whole thing is just reactionary bull to try to make it look like someone is doing something.

[endurorob]

freedom of speech, baloney. Prostitution is illegal and it should be illegal for Craig's list to allow someone to advertise illegal services. Why any woman would stoop to make a living that way is beyond me when housekeeping pays 20.00 an hour.
Posted by valopinion at 7:51 AM : May 5, 2009

Technically they don't advertise prostitution. They offer other things erotic. Craigslist actually says that solicitaion of prostitution is prohibited. By the way CL is not the only place that has erotic services. Just look in the personals of most major newspapers.

[valopinion]

freedom of speech, baloney. Prostitution is illegal and it should be illegal for Craig's list to allow someone to advertise illegal services. Why any woman would stoop to make a living that way is beyond me when housekeeping pays 20.00 an hour.

[endurorob]

Yes, it's plain to see that getting rid of the erotic ads on Craig's list will eliminate all sex crimes. Please tell me that these morons are appointed because I'd hate to think people actually voted for such idiots.
Posted by roger3816 at 6:20 AM : May 5, 2009

Yes the AG's are appointed. Appointed by the people we elected to office.

[CindyBoren]

I believe Mr. Markoff would not have been "tempted" to pursue these induced fantasies if it was not for Craigslist enabling him with their pornography.
Americans need to ban pornography and follow Jesus more.
The Craigslist CEO should be charged as an accomplice.

[sharks666]

One thing I wished Maggie would have asked was regarding adds in yellow pages for Massages and Escort services are they going after those services to???

NO, because the phone companies donate to thier campains.

[ucjb]

More lawyer BS, whatever happen to free speech in this country. This is censorship plain and simple

[iowa0319]

Whatever happened to personal responsibility?
Posted by readduane

Not to mention moral values...