Craigslist CEO: Why pick on us for prostitution ads?

[marmar]

via the Detroit Free Press:




Craigslist CEO: Why pick on us for prostitution ads?
By JEFFREY COLLINS • Associated Press • May 16, 2009


COLUMBIA, S.C. — Craigslist CEO Jim Buckmaster pointed out today there are plenty of places in South Carolina other than his Web site to find prostitution ads and obscene photos, saying in a blog that he wants to know why the state’s top prosecutor is targeting his company.

South Carolina Attorney General Henry McMaster has threatened to prosecute Craigslist executives for aiding and abetting prostitution if an ad on the Web site leads to a prostitution case in South Carolina.

In the post on his company’s blog, Buckmaster linked to a publication in Greenville he said has a larger number of adult ads and more explicit content than his Web site. He later updated the post to point out a publication in Charleston that listed 19 adult ads Friday.

In contrast, Buckmaster said, the Greenville “adult services” portion of Craigslist has had one ad for the past three days with a photograph of a completely clothed person, while the recently closed “erotic services” section had eight ads, none of which had obscene texts or nude pictures.

McMaster’s office didn’t return a phone message left today. ...........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.freep.com/article/20090516/NEWS07/90516048

[Skittles]

1. they have a point

the Dallas Observer here, for example, has pages and pages of such hooker-fronts in the back

[w4rma]

2. Maybe that's how the newspapers can be saved: Ads for hookers.

:sarcasm: (sort of)

[ThomCat]

3. Craigslist is an easy target, and it would score cheap poltical points

for the attorney general.

That is always a recipe for disaster. What prosecutor can resist scoring easy points?

[Skip Intro]

4. Our AG McMaster has announced a run for gov. His "threats" to CL are political theater.

I would hope enough of my fellow SCians would see through the stunts and work to keep yet another repuke clown from the top office in this state, but sadly, I don't see that happening.

[snot]

5. I think it's been targeted bec. it's become more popular than other, less scrupulous businesses

Like, you just know, if we unionized to create and control our own version of facebook that promised never to sell our info or give it to the gummint, the corps. would try to put it out of business one way or another.

[Kat45]

6. I would say it's because the "Craig's List Killer" called attention to it.

Big hot story all over the news made Craig's List the easy target to go after.

[napoleon_in_rags]

7. I would say you are right. DAMN that's sleazy.

Imagine that life. Wake up, have you coffee, and ask: "How can I advance my career of these murders in the paper?". Yuck.