Craig Crumbles
However, now the "Erotic Services" section is closed and in its place: the title "Censored."
Up until now, it's seemed fairly clear that self-interest and protecting free speech rights were more important at Craigslist than the possibility of underage victims being pimped online and never flagged, discovered or rescued. So why the sudden change of heart?
When you have several state attorneys general breathing down your neck, I can't imagine it's a comfortable place to be. Whether or not they'd win, a lot of expensive lawsuits likely loomed on the horizon. Also the company's been fighting the issue for many years, and very publicly. That has to take a toll in the public relations department.
There is still debate about whether the shutdown is permanent. Some even speculate this will only chase the pimps to other outlets investigators now will have to hunt down. However, with the ease and exponentially increasing popularity of posting on Craigslist, this should at least slow down the sex business, if only temporarily. And with such a high-profile company, other online sites will likely take notice - and maybe think twice about helping the promotion of the sex trade.
As a journalist, the concept of free speech is just as sacred to me as it might be to you. But speech isn't "free" if victimized and brutalized kids have to pay for it.
Here's a snippet of that conversation:
Craig: "There are prostitution ads on our site, and people who care flag them, and they do get removed; but the message from our community overwhelmingly is a live and let live message. People's priorities are elsewhere."
He added: "We wanted to offer legitimate erotic services to people who want them to give people a break."
