Shut down, but not censored: Craigslist’s adult services

When online classified site Craigslist removed their “adult services” offering this week, it declared the act a consequence of censorship. Regardless of anyone’s position on the explicit ads found there, however, removal of the section was not censorship, and Craigslist has shown poor judgement in claiming that it is.

Responding to the public outrage that always flourishes with anything involving sex and crime, attorneys general in 17 states requested that Craigslist remove the adult section, home to paid ads for escorts, massages, and rendezvous. And so Craigslist removed the section, but they did not so do discreetly. Instead, they replaced it with a black box stamped “censored.” For a while. Eventually, they eliminated adult services altogether, a seemingly permanent move.

I don’t know if removing the section was the right thing to do in response to the demand, but I’m quite sure that the “censored” move was disingenuous and even a bit petulant. They caved to public and government pressure. The 17 attorneys general who requested the take-down did just that—requested it. They did not force Craigslist to remove the section; the company did so on its own. Taking it down in this sulky way reminds me of a kid who stomps and pouts when asked (asked) to set the table. We were all that kid once, but we grew out of it, right?

Personally, I was ready to applaud Craiglist’s commitment to free speech and stoicism under pressure, which they had demonstrated for some time. But if Craigslist and CEO Jim Buckmaster want to fight government and public pressure, they should fight it. If they capitulate on their own, they should act like adults making a decision. That’s what they’re supposed to be.

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