The Wal-Mart of sex trafficking
August 4, 2010 12:39 PM Subscribe
Craigslist is lining its pockets with revenue from sex ads. Some of those ads are said to be for underage women being forced into prostitution. When CNN caught up with Craig to ask him about this, his reaction was, well, slightly awkward.
This post was deleted for the following reason: Link to a short news blurb is not a great way to make a post. If someone wants to make a thorough post out of this, that'd be okay. -- cortex
"Have you reported this to us?"
"Why do I have the responsibility to report this to you when it's your website? You're the one posting this online," she said.
I have to admit, I lean towards craigslist here. We can't always place the burden of policing on parties that provide open-ended services. Should Sprint be blamed because a trafficker used it to make a call brokering a deal? Human trafficking is horrible, but it's not craigslist's fault that it happens. It is unfeasible and impossible for such a large provider to take responsibility for all content, and to the best of my knowledge, they take steps to prevent exploitative posts where possible. If there was no adult services section, I'm sure there would be trafficking going on in Musical Instruments For Rent.
posted by threeants at 12:46 PM on August 4, 2010 [1 favorite]
"Why do I have the responsibility to report this to you when it's your website? You're the one posting this online," she said.
I have to admit, I lean towards craigslist here. We can't always place the burden of policing on parties that provide open-ended services. Should Sprint be blamed because a trafficker used it to make a call brokering a deal? Human trafficking is horrible, but it's not craigslist's fault that it happens. It is unfeasible and impossible for such a large provider to take responsibility for all content, and to the best of my knowledge, they take steps to prevent exploitative posts where possible. If there was no adult services section, I'm sure there would be trafficking going on in Musical Instruments For Rent.
posted by threeants at 12:46 PM on August 4, 2010 [1 favorite]
Sexual commerce in all its wondrous variety is OK.
Forcing anyone, in this case minors to perform sex acts, is not OK.
Both of the above statements can be discussed, but please people, remember that they are not the same damn thing.
(pet peeve, please carry on)
posted by Danaid at 12:46 PM on August 4, 2010 [1 favorite]
Forcing anyone, in this case minors to perform sex acts, is not OK.
Both of the above statements can be discussed, but please people, remember that they are not the same damn thing.
(pet peeve, please carry on)
posted by Danaid at 12:46 PM on August 4, 2010 [1 favorite]
The rebuttal is quite good.
Last year, we began manual screening of each adult services ad before its posting, and those unwilling to conform to Craigslist's standards left in droves for the many venues that do not screen ads. This migration is a matter of public record.posted by chunking express at 12:47 PM on August 4, 2010 [1 favorite]
You do not hear about arrests connected to the vast majority of adult services advertising because the venues hosting those ads do not cooperate with law enforcement, do not urge their users to be on the lookout for and report suspected trafficking and exploitation, do not participate in reporting programs, do not consult regularly with experts and advocacy groups, and in fact do not take any of the preventive measures we have taken.
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posted by Faint of Butt at 12:44 PM on August 4, 2010 [1 favorite]