After first replacing the link to their US based sites’ “Adult Services” sections with a black bar and the word “censored,” then removing the “censored” bar (but not replacing the sex ads), Craigslist is finally speaking on the controversy, but not to the media, but to congress.
The AP is reporting that in a prepared statement, William Powell, Craigslist’s director of customer service and law enforcement relations (who knew they had such a thing!) said that “As of September 3, 2010 Craigslist has terminated its adult services section,” adding that “those who formerly posted adult services ads on Craigslist will now advertise at countless other venues.”
At publication time, the sex ad sections on Craigslists outside the US remained intact, however, anti-sex trafficking groups are pushing them to remove those ads, as well.
In a letter sent to Craigslist CEO Jim Buckmaster and founder Craig Newmark signed by five pages worth of individuals and groups, the web classifieds business is asked that if they refuse to remove the non US ads for sex workers that they “at least be honest and more specific about the reasons why you are keeping them.”
One of the signators of the letter, however, would reportedly like to take things a bit further. International nonprofit the FAIR fund is, according to cnet, “thinking of hitting Craigslist with a class action lawsuit.”
