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Craigslist Fights Back, Sues SC Atty General
FredMastro writes "Craigslist has now stepped past just asking for an apology. The Wall Street Journal and CNet report that Craigslist is fighting back. 'Craigslist said it has sued South Carolina Attorney General Henry McMaster, in the latest escalation of a battle over adult-oriented ads on the company's site. Jim Buckmaster, Craigslist's chief executive, said in a blog post that the company filed its suit in federal court in South Carolina. ...'" Unfortunately, the WSJ's piece requires a subscription, but reader Locke2005 adds a link to coverage in the San Jose Business Journal.
It's about time someone stood up for free speech. Intimidation and coercion need to be met with even more force to keep our rights intact.
that and I like Craigslist.
Viable Slashdot alternatives: https://pipedot.org/ and http://soylentnews.org/
True, a few hookers posting cryptic, discreet ads is inevitable. But Craigslist had an entire section devoted to it and allowed it. Try to post an ad with a racist word or offer drugs for sale, somehow craigs list manages to get it offline in minutes, outright offers of prostitution are ok. Sorry, but this isn't a free speech issue, Craigslist has in fact been participating in facilitating an illegal act. You simply can't pretend otherwise.
Sufficient demand for a service will create a market. Maybe, instead of trying to plug the extraordinarily leaky dike holding back vice, we should embrace, tax, and regulate it. Craigslist prostitution ads aren't a problem per se: they merely constitute another signal telling us it's time to re-examine some of our old prejudices.
That's a horrible idea.
And what happens when all the frivolous lawsuits that people love tossing around get used like a DoS attack against unpopular people, or people that someone has a vendetta against?
What happens when 10,000 anti-war activists all file individual suits against the president? He's supposed to put out of pocket to defend himself?
And if I'm the CEO of Apple, and someone doesn't like their iPhone and can't get a refund because they're past the purchase date allowance, if they sue me because they feel wronged, do I pay for it myself?
Unreasonable plan.
He improperly used his office to personally threaten Craigslist into doing what he wanted. He also publicly and improperly stated that the operators of Craigslist were criminally responsible for prostitution, essentially calling them pimps in the national media. I'm not saying they're going to win, but I believe that those two issues are the basis for their case.
Are you implying that your opposition to illegal activity is stronger than your commitment to free speech? That's the sentiment evil men use to create nightmare police states.
In a statement, Mr. McMaster called Craigslist's legal action "good news" because "it shows that Craigslist is taking the matter seriously for the first time."
The logical disconnect is astounding, like if McBride claimed to be glad that Novell was suing because is demonstrates their serious intent.
Dewey, what part of this looks like authorities should be involved?
I don't know how the adult/erotic services was ever allowed. I figure they are facilitating a crime, and illegal industry, whether explicitly knowing or not.Where ads are free, if they don't have an explicit categories for whores to advertise, then the whores will spam all the other categories! Finding ads for sex services in the dating section is considerably more annoying then finding them in section where you have to be explicitly looking for whores to be viewing the first place. Sorta like being propositioned in church, it is somewhat disturbing! Giving the sex services their own place actually minimizes the impact on craigslist customers, and minimizes minors accidentally stumbling upon the material.
I've abandoned my search for truth; now I'm just looking for some useful delusions.
I still don't understand why prostitution is illegal. Regulate it, slap a sin tax on it. You create jobs(referring to the oversight of the industry), and you help prevent the spread of disease by enforcing health standards, crime is cut down and the Police can go take care of violent crimes. But most importantly we'll stop hearing about this Craiglist BS.
So my phone book has an entire section for 'escorts'. Is he going to take the phone company(s) to court as well.
Undetectable Steganography? Yep, there's an app fo
The conservatives would destroy any politician who suggested it and the democrats don't want logic enough to fight the conservatives on this battle.
Oh, please. The liberals are equally likely to pitch a fit about the moneyed objectification of women or something similar.
Dewey, what part of this looks like authorities should be involved?
I still don't understand why prostitution is illegal. Regulate it, slap a sin tax on it.
I agree completely as a matter of policy, but in practice there will still be plenty of illegal and unregulated prostitution going on (which is still, IMO, a problem). First and foremost, many hookers will try to avoid taxes (they already get paid in cash, which means every dollar they make is like $1.35 in taxed salary) and pimps who rely on drug-addicted (or otherwise abused) hookers will want to stay off the radar. Girls that don't meet health standards will still turn to the black/gray market to make ends meet. Nevada's experiment with legal prostitution shows that, unless legal prostitution can compete on price with illegal prostitution, you still get plenty of street walkers. Your average working-class John cannot afford to pay for the regulatory overhead (hehehe) and taxes that it would take to legalize it and turns to the street.
After all that noise, Craigslist will still be vilified for helping prostitutes meet Johns outside the regulatory framework. Look the furor in Chicago regarding the discriminatory housing posts, which you see all the fucking time on Craigslist because many people have preferences that are illegal to advertise (not illegal to have though, in a bizarre twist of law). Many folks (thankfully not the courts) thought that Craigslist was responsible for the users that were using a legal service in a manner that violates housing advertising regulations. Think about the howls when Craigslist is advertising for sexual services that don't meet regulations.
Like I said, I agree totally from a policy point of view, but I'm just a lot more cynical about the results when that policy hits the real world.
Last I checked the federal government, the Democrats don't need the Republicans' permission to do anything. Perhaps the Democrats need to become liberal? For damn sure the Republicans need to become conservative!
Socialism: a lie told by totalitarians and believed by fools.
Well said, legalizing it might have helped save Julissa Brismann and countless other victims who are too scared to get legal help.
The sex trade is as old as civilization itself and it doesn't look like it's going away anytime soon.
Legislators are going at this the same way they dealt with drugs: outlaw everything, create a thriving underground market, sanction expensive studies, waste money in propaganda, throw some more cops at it..total failure.
Criminalising prostitution means that if prostitutes are being mistreated, they have no-one to go to.
How dare you be so modest!! You conceited bastard!!
No, they don't protect against murder/theft/etc. to enforce morality. They exist because each of those crimes infringes upon another citizen's liberty without their consent. Prostitution does no such thing.
Ride the skies