Craigslist to SC AG: Apologize, and Back Off

But it took parents a surprisingly long time to catch on

(NEWSER) - Friends and co-workers warned schoolteacher Melissa Petro that it might not be such a great idea to write about her past as a prostitute, but she did it anyway. Most recently, Melissa Petro wrote about her thoughts on the shutdown of Craigslist's "erotic services" section, which she used for four months, for the Huffington Post . Cue the New York Post's predictably juicy-sounding "exclusive" ("SEXXX ED"), in which outraged parents express their belief that, as one says, "People like that should not be allowed to be anywhere near children." More»

Site doubled the price, stopped donating profits to charity

(NEWSER) - For a free site, Craigslist is doing all right: The classified-ad behemoth's profit is projected to climb 22% over last year, reports the New York Times —driven almost entirely by its controversial sex ads, which have been connected to prostitution, human trafficking, and one murder charge. In response to crimes linked to the site last year, Craigslist began manually reviewing sex ads—but it also doubled the price and stopped donating the proceeds to charity. More»

(NEWSER) - Sure, the ads in Craigslist’s new “Adult Services” section are tamer than those that appeared in the old “Erotic Services” category, shuttered after the firestorm surrounding the “Craigslist killer” case. But read between the lines and the meaning is still the same, Chris Matyszczyk writes for CNET. “This is little more than a dance, a dysfunctional Argentine tango between those who advertise sexual services on Craigslist and those who have sought to pursue the site.” More»

Prostitutes feel no safer with new rules

(NEWSER) - Craigslist's new "adult services" section is doing little to curb prostitution and may actually be making the profession more dangerous, Ars Technica reports. With the demise of the explicit erotic services page, many posters have started using code words like "erotic massages" and "french lessons" and less explicit photos to recruit clientele on other Craigslist pages. More»

AG hails it as a win for his state

(NEWSER) - Craigslist has filed federal suit against South Carolina’s attorney general to stop him from charging company executives with breaking state prostitution and obscenity laws. AG Henry McMaster called the site’s move a victory, saying “it shows that Craigslist is taking the matter seriously for the first time,” the State reports. “Overnight they have removed the erotic services section.” More»