Craigslist has shut down its personals sections

[Stonecold]

Craigslist has shut down its personals sections after Congress passed a measure intended to crack down on online sex trafficking.

In a statement posted on its website on Friday, Craigslist said that it could not risk being held liable for postings made by users that may advertise sex or potentially illegal interactions.

"US Congress just passed HR 1865, 'FOSTA', seeking to subject websites to criminal and civil liability when third parties (users) misuse online personals unlawfully," the statement reads, referring to the Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act.

"Any tool or service can be misused," it continues. "We can't take such risk without jeopardizing all our other services, so we are regretfully taking Craigslist personals offline. Hopefully we can bring them back some day."

The Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act of 2017 (FOSTA), passed by both chambers of Congress, amends a longstanding provision absolving online platforms of liability for content posted by their users, making it easier to target websites with legal action for enabling prostitution and sex trafficking.

The Senate passed the measure on Wednesday, while the House approved it last month. President Trump is expected to sign it.

Advocates for the legislation argue that it will help to curb the growing online sex trafficking industry. Opponents, especially in the tech industry, have argued that it amounts to a form of censorship and could make online companies vulnerable to lawsuits.

Craigslist wasn't the only site to make changes after the bill passed.
Reddit on Thursday announced new rules banning trades of firearms, paid sex, false doents or currency. It did not mention FOSTA in their announcement. Reddit also banned some of subreddits including r/escorts, r/hookers and r/shoplifting

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/379901-craigslist-shuts-down-personal-ads-after-sex-trafficking-bill

 

[svenny]

cool

that´s cool

 

[jeansGuyOZ]

I've got no problems with this, as long as it's only used to target illegal activities.

I've been on a certain chat site, which I won't name, where I've seen posts by guys clearly wanting to talk about child sex or child pornography. Most times I deal with this by blocking the user so I don't see their posts; at times when there has been too much of it I have left in disgust. The site posts a warning in the chat room not to discuss illegal activities, however many guys ignore this warning and there appears to be no actual monitoring of the chat and no button to instantly send a report to moderators with a snapshot of the chat. Perhaps with this ruling it might force the site admin to get off their arses and get serious about keeping everything legal.

 

[Stonecold]

I think craigslist was trying to be responcible. Craigslist required a working phone number to post in personals and there have been many bad people caught posting things. We had a guy locally caught and sentenced to 60 years because of placing an ad making his offspring available for sex. Vice answered the ad showed up and found the potential victim drugged and ready to go. I just hope people that will do these type of things will not find another avenue for doing things like this that will have no way of finding out who they are.

 

[brmstn69]

I've got no problems with this, as long as it's only used to target illegal activities.

I've been on a certain chat site, which I won't name, where I've seen posts by guys clearly wanting to talk about child sex or child pornography. Most times I deal with this by blocking the user so I don't see their posts; at times when there has been too much of it I have left in disgust. The site posts a warning in the chat room not to discuss illegal activities, however many guys ignore this warning and there appears to be no actual monitoring of the chat and no button to instantly send a report to moderators with a snapshot of the chat. Perhaps with this ruling it might force the site admin to get off their arses and get serious about keeping everything legal.

This is exactly why we don't allow a "chat" system here...

 

[dargelos]

I just hope people that will do these type of things will not find another avenue for doing things like this that will have no way of finding out who they are.

They will. That is a certainty. This change in the law does nothing to protect sex workers or the sexualy exploited. In many cases it will make their situation more dangerous. Any deals struck up on Craigslist, Reddit or other well run sites leave a paper trail which gives the police a lot of evidence when investigating criminal activity. The demand for casual sex and paid for sex will not go away, it never has, no matter how strict the law has been. Those who sell sex and those who give it away will instead move on to less visible platforms, which are less safe.
The real purpose of this legislation I don't know, but it seems designed to please the people who are anti every kind of sex except the biblical sort. That's in public of course, in private it's another matter.

 

[DBOL777]

It seems in our area the police used to troll Craigsist and catch predators, prostitutes, and pedophiles...So this new law actually will hurt the chances for the police to catch such people...seems to be an example of a law with unintended consequences...

 

[Stonecold]

I know the same was true in my area. I am really surprised law enforcement didn't try to stop this new law. I think maybe they used this to open the door to be able to do this in other areas online.

 

[dargelos]

First they came for the net neutrality, and I did not speak out
Because I didn't know what net neutrality even was
Then they came for the hookers and I did not speak out
Because nice men don't use hookers, do they?
Then they came for the porn and I did not speak out
Because by then they had closed down this site

 

[atlpimpc]

I hope they bring it back.

 

[DBOL777]

Backpage seized

Backpage, another site set up like Craigslist is now seized by the govt...

 

[Stonecold]

I wonder what is next

 

[mura]

woha didnt know this

 

[Shelter]

First they came for the net neutrality, and I did not speak out
Because I didn't know what net neutrality even was
Then they came for the hookers and I did not speak out
Because nice men don't use hookers, do they?
Then they came for the porn and I did not speak out
Because by then they had closed down this site

It sounds a little bit like the words of Pastor Niemoeller:
„Als die Nazis die Kommunisten holten, habe ich geschwiegen; ich war ja kein Kommunist.
Als sie die Sozialdemokraten einsperrten, habe ich geschwiegen; ich war ja kein Sozialdemokrat.
Als sie die Gewerkschafter holten, habe ich geschwiegen; ich war ja kein Gewerkschafter.
Als sie mich holten, gab es keinen mehr, der protestieren konnte.“

= "When the Nazis get the communists, I've kept silent; because I wasn't a communist.
When they imprisoned the Social Democrats, I've kept silent; because I wasn't a Social Democrat.
When they fetched the unionists, I've kept silent; because I wasn't a unionist.
When they fetched me, there was no one left who could remonstrate."