Craigslist Under Fire for Trafficking Underage Sex

That picture of the guy in the devil-suit is freaky, idk why xD

Closing down Craigslist adult services will only have the criminals move to a different site. It will solve nothing.

What a retarded request. So it's Craigslist's fault that some guy kidnapped you and sold you into sexual slavery? If he couldn't sell you on Craigslist, he would have sold you on any number of adult escort websites. It's like arguing alcohol shouldn't be sold anywhere because occasionally some underage people are able to buy it.

People will always find a way to bad things.

I was thinking the exact same thing when I saw it. 'Kinda made me laugh...

Blaming Craigslist for this is like saying the US gov't is aiding drug trafficking by printing the money used in transactions. It's like blaming ISP's for illegal BitTorrent-ing. It's like blaming eBay for people illegally selling goods on the site. It's like blaming Ford for an accident because your Focus couldn't stop in the 3 feet of space you were leaving between you and the car in front of you. Ok, so my analogies are getting worse and worse, but you get my point, right? Craigslist is being abused, not doing the abusing. Arrest and prosecute those that are actually doing the illegal trafficking!

Well, such things should be banned, but to mitigate the problem of underage sex, monitoring of social networking sites is also required.

I feel sorry for these girls, I really do. But the problem is not Craigslist. They make it sound like the website caters to this particular clientele. The open letter should be to the lawmakers at the state and federal levels. The girls should have said to all of these soft-on-crime representatives, "Why are you allowing us to be victimized?"

These worthless idiots who populate the highest levels of government could create laws with real teeth... life sentences with no parole for people who prostitute underage kids. Make it the death penalty if the kids are under 13. Stuff like that. Then, DO IT. Don't just have a bunch of laws on our books that are never enforced, go after these people with a vengence. And while you're at it, stop wasting our money by filing motions against Craigslist.

BTW, the guy reminds me of a scene in Tom and Jerry where spike is presented as the tormentor in hell! The guy looks really funny!

Yeah, if anything the gov't should be using craigslist to catch these guys. Shutting craigs down won't eliminate the problem, it'll just move it.

Craiglist just needs to have user accounts require more information (that must be verified) so that wrong doers can be tracked down more easily?

or something to at least help minimize illegal activity. The one difference between this instance and almost all of the analogies being used is that Craigslist isn't the only method for carrying out this illegal activity... it just makes it easier and THAT is what needs to be fixed. Some kind of controls on craiglist's side shouldn't hurt the legal activity if done correctly.

Here's an idea. I know it's kind of crazy, but, how about you call the cops and report the douchebag who's been pimping you out?

If Craigslist is in anyway promoting or benefiting from the sex slavery of underage girls then obviously that needs to change.

Perhaps, the problem, isn't Craigslist but the fact that law enforcement is to lazy to do their dayum job, the issue is these young girls shouldn't be pimped out in the first place. Go fix the issue of a society that let's men abuse women like this.

what a joke, the legal system is after craigslist for making illegal activity easier to spot and see in the public eyes. so this in turn makes the law enforcement office look bad because they are too lazy and stupid to get off their butts, do some work and investigate, get a few subpeonas, and coordinate with other departments across the country to arrest some people. this is the real reason why internet companies are blamed by law enforcement!

You know how you used to advertise prostitutes before the internet? You found a pay phone in a seedy area. You write the number on the walls of every truckstop/bar/porn store bathroom you can find. Then you camp outside the payphone (using your menacing glare to prevent others from using the phone). Then, when guys call you, you setup the deal and meet them there. There's no way to trace it (not like you own the payphone).

My point is, I don't recall any open letter to US West or "Ma Bell" begging them to make it harder on these people.

Guess what, the way you cracked down on prostitution then is the same way you do it now, stings and undercover work. Rather than suing Craig's List (as one sheriff once tried to do), you should be using it to catch these criminals. They are right there, begging to be caught, and rather than track them down, you go after the website that "makes it a little easier".

Is it so difficult for the police or FBI to 'answer' these ads and bust the animals that are abusing these girls?

I have used craigslist and found it very helpful but I have also had issues with them giving out my home phone as a contact for an escort. They don't check the numbers that are placed in there listings to see if they are legitimate. I dealt with them on 3 different occasions until I eventually had to have my number changed. They did little to help and stated they were to large to check everylisting.

I told them that I had a wife and daughter and that it might be possible for someone to cross reference the number and find my address, which could turn into an ugly situation if they decided to show up instead of making an appointment. All they could do was take the listing down and wait for it to happen again. They should have a specific fields for entering contact numbers when creating these listing so they can be automatically checked. numbers shouldn't be allowed in user provided description of services. Cell numbers should not be allowed period. If they are a legitimate business they should have a land line anyway.

I used to be like everyone else , but after having pervs call my wife at 2 in the morning saying "hey baby, what's your rate?" I have changed my opinion of some of craigslist business practices or lack there of. Their site is a great tool for listing items and services, but gives persons of deviant character a tool to carry out horrible acts. I think that places a certain responsibility on Craigslist to do everything in their power to prevent such situations. It would be hard to remain nuetral towards craiglist if it were my daughter in that car. It is to horrifying to even imagine her driven state to state while men paid to ........ I wouldn't have a high opinion of any service that was used to commit such acts.

if the adult section on craigslist was closed down, no one would ever use that site. they would just all go to the next site that offers "adult" services. craigslist knows it that's why they keep refusing to close it.

I want proof this actually happened. Anyone can take out an ad in a newspaper and blame someone for anything. What proof do you have that it happened and its not some made up story by a woman or G.I.R.L. trying to get craiglist shut down? The burden of proof is on these "girls".

cracklint , My question is why are you posting your services in the Adult section? I've used craiglist to advertise, and I've never once had anyone call my house asking to screw my wife, or myself, or 2w4u, or .... I think you are making the whole story up to be honest.

While they are at it, they should sue car manufacturers for making the cars that the guys used to put the girls in the trunk and traffic them from state to state.

yes closing craigslist down will do nothing you gotta lock the pimps up

You're crazy if you think that. I and plenty of people that I know use craigslist for plenty of reasons. None of them being adult ads. It's a great service. Maybe if the police did their job and surf craigslist like they do chat sites, things like this could be prevented.

what's next? "guy with nice car on fire for appealing to carjackers"

I didn't post at all, someone created a listing and placed my home phone number in their listing for an escort named Emily

Where is Chris Hansen, I like's to call him Chris Handsome, when you need him,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-JjldxU-pA

Boondocks satire .... roflmao!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_y9uo1ed-Lk

So, what you are saying is that it's Craigslist fault that someone got your phone number and placed an ad in the adult section with your number? So, should I go erase that note I left in the bathroom truck stop wall explaining if they are looking for a good time, call cracklint, his number is ........?

P.S. I just finished posting your number on adult friend finder.

And have them actually work? No, that's not how it goes, when the problem becomes problem you shut down where the problem is happening and let it go underground. Out of sight out of mind and all that stuff after all

you speak out of ignorance, I have no need to make anything up, I have had personal experience with craigslist; and clearly share a different posistion than most of the readers. Does this mean that I shouldn't post? Am I not allowed to express my views and opinion as others have done without being accussed of lying? I merely wished to share my experience and present an opposing view; where is the harm in that?

It happened on craigslist. If he doesn't want any blame he should remove the section entirely. Simple as that. The morality here is not black and white.

YOu utterly miss the point, ... my point was you are blaming Craigslist because some prankster or malcontent decided to take your phone number which he got from one of your ads, and paste it as an add in the adult section. This isn't craigslist fault, is my opinion. If you don't like the adult section fine, but don't try and say it's Craigslist fault that there are evil people in the world that do harm. Do you believe in the right to own guns, it's the same argument, the question is the responsibility with the manufacturer for making an instrument that could be used for good or evil. Is the guy who made the car that trafficked the woman responsible because the car was used for trafficking?

The post was meant to be facetious but the points were my opinion. Most readers don't agree with you here, because, it's ridiculous to try to imply that it's "the instruments" fault in this case, Craigslist for being abused. I could care less about your or the other guys moral compass, I don't think it's your right to tell people who have legitamate uses that they can't have it because there are bad people in the world.

The police should do their job, and address, the real issue, that creeps and perverts can rape, molest, kidnap, and abuse without real consequence, that's the issue at hand, is that law enforcement are to busy eating hoe hoes and tasty cakes, and not fighting crime. They act like they don't know what goes on at these truck stops are you kidding me, like one poster said, make the laws stiffer and actually try and catch, criminals, hell legalize prostitution and regulate, there are any number of ways to truly address this issue, least of which is saying Craigslist shouldn't have the adult section.