Columnist Says Shutdown of Craigslist Sex Ads Won’t Have Intended Effect
Maybe the attorneys general of 17 states were a bit too hasty when they campaigned to shut down sex ads on Craigslist.
Last week, Craigslist posted a “censored” box over its adult services ads, an apparent response to 17 attorneys general who called for the company to close down the section. A column in the Atlantic, however, questions whether the shutdown will merely make it more difficult for police to investigate prostitution and child trafficking by pushing the crimes into the shadows.
The column points out that Craigslist began charging for the ads in 2008 in response to pressure from attorneys general. “The idea was that a fee would entail a credit card, leaving a financial trail for law enforcement to follow in pursuing suspicious postings,” the Atlantic says. Now the attorneys general are criticizing Craigslist for collecting money to post the ads.
Similar ads run on other websites, the Atlantic column says, and they don’t require the same amount of detail or screening as Craigslist does. That kind of information can be helpful to law enforcement.
A Boston Globe story notes several websites featuring adult services ads. The article quotes John Palfrey, co-director of the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard Law School, who says it is difficult to curb illegal online activities.
“There’s going to be a game of Whac-a-Mole to try to achieve this goal through censorship—information will keep popping up online,” Palfrey said. “Strategically, you have to go to the root causes, and not just focus on the intermediaries.”
Hat tip to Legal Newsline.
