Under Pressure, Craigslist to Remove ‘Erotic’ Ads

Brad Stone – The New York Times – Published Wed 13 May, 2009

Jim Buckmaster, chief of Craigslist, said the risk of violence from classified ads in newspapers “has been 1,000 times as great as the danger associated with Craigslist.” Image: Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press

Craigslist, the Web’s largest classified advertising site, said on Wednesday that it would close its erotic services category, which critics have said is a forum that fosters prostitution and other illegal activities.

To replace it, the company has created a category called adult services, in which postings will be reviewed by employees who will look for indications of activity that is illegal or violates the site’s guidelines. The erotic services category would be deleted next Wednesday, Craigslist said.

Craigslist has been under increasing pressure from officials in several states, as violent crimes involving people who had made contact through the site made national headlines. But the changes did not appear to go far enough to satisfy everyone in the growing ranks of Craigslist’s detractors. . .

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