Craigslist to remove erotic services section, monitor adult services posts [Updated]

Updated at 10:17 a.m.: This post has been updated to add comments from Craigslist Chief Executive Jim Buckmaster, Illinois Atty. Gen. Lisa Madigan and a Craigslist spokeswoman.

After weeks of pressure from state and local law enforcement officials, Craigslist is announcing today that it will remove its controversial erotic services section permanently. In its place, the classifieds site has created an "adult services" category for which every new listing will be manually approved. Currently most ads on the site are posted without review.

As of today, the erotic services section will no longer accept new ads and will be removed completely in seven days. Posts to the adult services section will cost $10, twice as much as those for erotic services listings. Craigslist had agreed to donate proceeds from the erotic services listings to charity but says that rule will not necessarily apply to the new ads.

Craigslist Chief Executive officer Jim Buckmaster said in an interview that the site had come to the decision after carefully weighing input from law enforcement, users, legitimate online businesses and free speech advocates. 

"It was a balancing act where we’re trying to respond to feedback to constituencies that we felt were important.  When you’re talking about attorneys general who are the top legal authority in their respective states," he said, "That was feedback that we felt was important to take into account."

"We’re optimistic that we’ve struck the right balance," he added.

Illinois Atty. Gen. Lisa Madigan, one of the most active critics of Craigslist's erotic services section, called the new oversight regime "a fundamental and very significant change to how Craigslist works."

Prostitution will not disappear, Madigan said, but with the tougher new measures, "You’re not going to have the volume of it, you’re not going to have the ease of it."

Madigan added that her office and others would continue to monitor the site. 

"We’ll use law enforcement techniques to determine whether those are legitimate adult services as opposed to just a continuation of prostitution, with a different name."

When asked for a precise definition of legal "adult services," Craigslist spokeswoman Susan Best wrote in an e-mail, "The typical definition (i.e. go look in your office yellow pages under escort and massage) sensual massage, escorts etc."

Though both Madigan and Buckmaster agreed that the deal had been struck on a cooperative note, the San Francisco company argues that the case against it had been exaggerated. Craigslist makes the point in a blog post it plans to publish today and which was provided to The Times.

"Unsurprisingly, but completely contrary to some of the sensationalistic journalism we've seen these past few weeks, the record is clear that use of craigslist classifieds is associated with far lower rates of violent
crime than print classifieds," the post says. 

"However, with respect to this new paid category for advertising by legal businesses, we will experiment with some of the methods traditionally employed in paid print classifieds."

Law enforcement officials have often complained about the ease with which prostitutes and their clients can arrange encounters on Craigslist. But officials have stepped up their criticism since the slaying of masseuse Julissa Brisman, whose body was found April 14 in a Boston hotel. Police say the killer found her through a Craigslist ad.

Boston University medical student Philip Markoff, 23, is accused of bludgeoning Brisman with a gun and then shooting her. Rhode Island authorities filed additional charges last week, saying he robbed a stripper at a Warwick, R.I., Holiday Inn two days later. He was arrested the following week as he drove to a local casino with his fiancee.

Markoff has pleaded not guilty.

-- David Sarno

Comments

[Jason]

This is ridiculous. Just like our dysfuctional society to avoid the real problems; people murdering unsuspecting, desperate women. Now they will advertise in other places that cannot be monitored and more killings will occur before police even know there's a problem. Sociopaths will always kill and now it's even easier for them since there is a less visible trail. Nice work! I guess focusing on more programs to help people and give them more options in life is too hard.

[Perry Brown]

This is crazy! The murder has nothing to do with Craigslist. If the murderer had found his victim in the LA times classifieds or match.com would people react the same way?

None of it matters people with just use a Free Adult Classified service like:
http://www.naughtyreviews.com/adult-services-classified

[David Jake]

The only way society will ever get rid of prostitution is if it gets rid of unemployment. Criminalizing prostitiution makes no more sense than criminalizing unemployment. It existed a long time before Craigslist and will exist a long time afterwards. Since the L.A. Times has been losing massive amounts of money in ad revenue, maybe it should take up the slack and run these sorts of ads in the classified section....

[embone]

Ads for prostitution will still be present on craigslist, only now they will be disguised as personal ads, therapeutic massage ads, barter and trade ads, and so on. At least having a section for erotic services kept all of the 'hint, hint..wink,wink" ads out of the other legit sections.

Shutting it down is stupid. I can just imagine my grandfather's confusion when he calls an ad for lawn care and a woman asks him in a sultry voice if he wants his lawn mowed at home or the holiday inn.

[Ron]

No! Now I will have to drive around, go to massage parlors, read the back of alt weeklies, use the myriad other social websites to get my hookers!

[el guapo]

Why would anyone be surprised by this in our nouveau fascism Obama era...

[Jeff]

If prostitution were legal and licensed, we would not be having this silly discussion about which CL category hookers can advertize in.

Abolishing the category of erotic services will just push those ads into other CL categories where no identification is required.

[joeshuren]

Of course, the ads that the AGs complained about were not for prostitution, but of the type they will now accept as legal. One was for massage, the other lap dancing. In neither case did the accused robber and murderer post the ad nor use a computer to respond, he simply called the phone number, and he did not pay for sexual services. Apparently he was motivated by gambling debts. Craigslist facilitated the arrest by providing credit card and phone and IP numbers to the police. They might not have been able to do that under the new system, where the ads will be scattered through the listing categories.

The article quotes Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, one of the most active critics of Craigslist's erotic services section, as saying

>Prostitution will not disappear, Madigan said, but with the tougher new measures, "You’re not going to have the volume of it, you’re not going to have the ease of it." Madigan added that her office and others would continue to monitor the site.

Neither sex, prostitution, nor the police arresting the prostitutes will disappear, and so prostitutes will continue to be murdered by men. Changing Craigslist will only make things worse. I hope the Trib continues to monitor the police and AG and see whether indeed anything changes for the better.

[QueenBee]

Now the providers will simply post in other areas on CL such as Casual Encounters. This will create the "whack a mole" spam that actually spawned the expansion of CL to include "Erotic Services" in the first place! Those who don't study history are doomed to repeat it!

I personally find it sad that CL caved. Seems they grabbed a synonym and recreated the "Erotic Services" category as "Adult Services" and raised the price. Is anyone fooled?

[John Seale]

Madiigan and her hodge podge Bible Belt morality from one of the sleaziest cities in the world..."why am I NOT surprised"? I think, yeah, it's "Obama era dysfunction". I must be one of the few who would question whether prostitution is in fact a crime; but, some Bible Belt laws are so old and obscure, you all out in LA would be amazed. And, tell you what...while I never lived in LA, I lived in SFO...I think you found a better way...thx; good article.

[MarcH]

Clever way for Craigslist to get the feds to back off -- changing Erotic Services to Adult Services won't really change anything and it will make everyone happy. Just a few days inconvenience for the providers to adjust to the new approach. The screening is a good service for the providers because it helps them make sure they are not posting something stupid that will get them and CL in trouble...too bad for the law...it will make their job harder ! Even the price is really the same $5 for a previously approved post. In fact it will be easier than ever to re-post erotic...oops..I mean adult services ads. Previously they had to be re-entered manually..God Bless America !

[Alexandra]

Can we just legalize prostitution already?

[James G. Caddell, LMT, LMTI, NCTMB]

Hmmm. I advertise in the Therapeutic Services section, and it's already full of those naughty prostitute ads. When CL started charging for the Erotic Services category, many of the hookers just posted in the free Therapeutic Services section instead. If they double the price, it's going to get worse for legitimate therapists like me.

But hey, you get what you pay for. CL employees can't read every ad, so it's up to the CL users to police the ads themselves. Flag those naughty ads!

I agree: legalize, license, and regulate prostitution and they won't have to masquerade as somebody else. Hookers don't compete with me; we're not after the same client base. But they sure cause us legit folks a lot of trouble.

Jim

[George Not Bush]

Any bets on how long will it be for an operator in an offshore jurisdiction beyond the reach of the Bible Belt AG to set up an Erotic Services ad list?

Paypal accounts are dead easy to switch. Let the BB AG Whack a Mole begin.

[pitbullstew]

Craig has a big heart, read some of the stories he has been mentioned in since these issues boiled over, I am sure they never dreamed such things would have happened where killers stalked their victimes there...a naive I suppose, I wonder then what this change will do to address the problems, and how will they ever mange so many 'manual' ads, they could soon becaome the US' biggest new employer?

[jakob]

now they will all clog up the casual encounter section.....LOVELY!!!!!!! SON OF A!!!!!!

[hmm]

Um why do you have to pay for "adult fun" in the erotic services section when you can get a freebie is casual encounters????

[benjani]

I do not understand why men go out there and pay for sex. I see way too many desperate women at work, school, every where. It is the low self esteemed white guys who are perverted who do this. Most of them are married too. This is a very dysfunctional society. I am a man myself but I don't see women as sex objects.

[mrsir]

This will only create more fake posts in other sections. Thankfully alternative sites such as SWF Swingers exists. I predict many Craigslist users going elsewhere to sites like SWF Swingers

[girloncraigslist]

Craigslist has helped put me through school, when no other jobs would keep me, due to my adhd.....
Now what am I supposed to do?? Collect governement welfare??....Ya right!!!

[sigh]

The reason men use CL to find women to pay for sex is because they don't want a sloppy lay from the casual encounters area where they could end up a victim of some crazy woman stalking them. With prostitution you get a "girlfriend experience" or any other experience they want with the best sex one can imagine for however long you pay for and you get no drama with it and no strings at all! PLUS the woman has a site the men can go to and check out reviews that other men who have experienced being with her have left for her and will know what to expect from her down to the minute details. this place is called The Erotic Review. THAT is why they use the professionals people. Not because they have low self esteem ugh!!!! They just want to know what they are going to get before they get it and need a pro to satisfy their needs!!!

[Val]

Well, as most are opposed to this, I think it is a good thing. Yes, it will continue to happen but why allow such a public display of erotic services be advertised. Heroin and Cocaine are not ever going away but we don't see a section where it is so publicly displayed. Showing our teens that this is so publicly accessible gives then the false idea that it is okay. I know they are aware of it at this day and age, but that doesn't mean we would so freely offer it. Yes, there are sex sites that can be easily accessible , but at least they are not next to the baby bed being sold. There is so much sex addiction in this world that porn is becoming such the norm. Our poor kids are being shown that this behavior is so much more acceptable than when I was being raised. I hate that for them. Our children are our future and I wish that for them we could all learn to live a more Christian lifestyle. I know, just my opinion.

[Russell]

The girl got killed because she crossed paths with a killer. If she had been selling a car on CL and met a killer in a parking lot the result would have been the same. There is way too much politics in our lives. I don't need or want the government to dictate every move that I make in an attempt to protect me from myself. I agree with laws that protect other's rights. I can ride a motorcycle without a helmet in my state, but I have to wear a seatbelt in my car. Does anyone else see we are headed for socialism under the current presidency?

[DAVID]

Typical.. the only solution craigslist claims to have is a profitable one. $10 per post! Insane... As a result, they will make millions monthly is not daily!

However, i agree with previous replies, that whores and the pimps out there will simply post thier free ad in categories like Gigs, Personals, etcc..

Gigs is the worst in most cities... In some cities, Gigs is practically a duplicate category where you dont even need a phone verified acct..

Freedom of Speech is our legal right.. and it would have taken the Supreme Court to take done the Erotic Section of Craigslist.. They are using these frivoulus law suits as a way to say to the public is the only way play is to pay! Show me the money and we will post your adi in our New and Improved Category called "Adult"....

Dont you love our capitalist country we live in! I do..

[Mike]

After my wife died of cancer I had no desire to meet someone or have any kind of ongoing relationship.

Yet I had physical needs that were long overdue. I saw CL as an option and was glad I took it.

I ended up meeting a local grad student through CL (I saw her books and gave comments on a few papers). I read reviews because I it's the same way I approach any expensive service.

It was better than I expected. I saw her about once monthly. She was caring, compassionate and I was thankful she had a life separate from mine to tend to as I mended mine.

In time I moved on and was open to the emotional side of a relationship again. Yes, my current partner knows what happened and as far as I've seen never held it against me. We're in the middle of our second year together. I like she's an intellectual and can look at things dispassionately the way I did .

I wonder how many 'silent' stories there are like this? I'd have never cruised the streets or met someone I hadn't at least emailed or called. The threat of crime just as great for clients as providers.

I think that prostitution prohibition likely draws criminals the same way marijuana prohibition does and alcohol prohibition did.

This is another one of those age old "wars" we'll never win that'll only serve to pad the resumes of its enforcers.