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States Strong-Arm Craigslist to Squelch Prostitutes' Ads

Connecticut leads charge to "make Internet safer"

By Truman Lewis
ConsumerAffairs.com

November 7, 2008 

Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal led the charge against the popular online ad site, which has agreed to require that posters of erotic services ads give a working phone number and pay a fee with a valid credit card. Craigslist also agreed to provide the information in response to law enforcement subpoenas.

"Requiring phone numbers, credit cards and identifying details will provide a roadmap to prostitutes and sex traffickers -- so we can track them down and lock them up. Information is a powerful disincentive and disinfectant to purveyors of illegal sex. Prostitutes will hopefully stop using Craigslist to break the law, knowing that their posts could lead to arrest and conviction," Blumenthal said of his effort to curb free speech on the Internet.

"We need to track down and crack down on illicit sex on Craigslist and deter such ads to make the Internet safer. Craigslist will also explore new technology -- better filters and blocking -- to screen out and stop ads for illegal activity."

Sounds of silence

The development drew little response from organizations that are normally quick to defend free speech.

Newspapers, whose monopolistic business models have been damaged by Craigslist and other free classified ad sites, reported the story as a victory for law enforcement, although a senior staff attorney for the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) noted mildly that there is no legal requirement for Craigslist to take such actions.

Existing law provides immunity to services such as Craigslist for actions taken by their users, said EFF's Kurt Opfahl, although he noted that law enforcement officials can subpoena such companies for user information such as phone and credit card numbers.

Craigslist also committed to sue 14 software and Internet companies that help erotic service ad posters circumvent the website's defenses against inappropriate content and illegal activity and said it will provide the attorneys general with information about those businesses for possible civil and criminal prosecution.

In addition, Craigslist will deploy search technology that it developed to assist the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) and law enforcement agencies in identifying missing persons, children and victims of human trafficking. It will also explore technology to block inappropriate image uploads and better filters for code words and euphemisms for illegal activity.

"Commendably, Craigslist acknowledged and addressed this problem and agreed to safeguards that better protect children and help stop sex trafficking," Blumenthal said. "Its commitment to sue unscrupulous companies should help halt criminal activity. Its search software will help law enforcement and NCMEC track down and rescue exploited children."

"We'll continue to fight illicit and illegal activity on the Internet, especially threatening the safety and wellbeing of children. The dark side of Internet must be stopped from eclipsing its immense potential for good," he said.

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