They’re gone now but they were right there, at the bottom of the Craigslist page under “services” until they were blotted out with “censored” and, finally, removed altogether. They were the Erotic/Adult advertisements and they seem to have been a victim of the effectiveness of their own delivery system and a lot of horny people with money.
It seems that what used to be considered prostitution when conducted in the open had become small business entrepreneurship fueled by the anonymity of online vastness. All that was required to set up shop were a picture of at least a portion of the provider and a phone number and clients would line up to receive service. Everyone seemed to be profiting from the arrangement – the providers were paid for their service, Craigslist (among many others) received compensation as a conduit and the customers rarely complained. Even Ebay got in on the action when they acquired the European online classified Loquo.com, according to Techcrunch.com.
Then came the conflict. It so happened that there was this little glitch in the system called The Law and its puritanical prejudice against selling sex for cash. (Or bartering it for valuable object, remember the lady in Philly and the World Series tickets?) Following a very uncomfortable interview of Craig Newmark himself conducted by CNN, it was brought to light that prostitutes are not always treated well by clients or business associates and are sometimes not the age they claim to be. At risk of losing some of its clientele, (as opposed to keeping the several million dollars per year in sex ad fees), Craigslist struck the adult category from its classified listing, scattering the industry over the multitude of sites that aren’t quite as sensitive.
So, was all of this a good thing or bad?
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If you’re a lover of the first amendment who enjoys the wide open internet and indulging the whims of everyone upon it, this is a bad thing; the founding fathers didn’t mention much about this scenario in the bill of rights. Sex worker advocates and of-age participants in the trade who treat each other respectfully will also be unhappy, having been shut down because of the actions of a few on the fringe. And, of course, Craigslist, which got singled out because of its popularity and ability to bring the masses together to do business.
Those pleased with this decision would primarily be women, under-aged and otherwise, who were abused or manipulated into providing service. Others favoring this decision would be the 17 attorneys general cited in Time magazine as having filed suit against Craigslist and local enforcement divisions that could scarcely keep up with vice at the speed of a DSL connection. Aside from these beneficiaries, the real winners are the other online adult services purveyors who have been more than willing to help fill the void.
It would seem that, as with most issues, the key is perspective. This requires each individual to decide which of the above they identify with most sympathetically. Considering points of view is what blurs good and bad into consequential shades of grey. The Internet is an extension of society and will naturally be subject to the give-and-take at the margins of opportunity that capitalism presents. Digital capabilities are evolving rapidly but humans are essentially the same and, as long as physical desire is a motivating factor, the oldest profession will find a venue.