Congress Writes Letter to Craigslist, Requests "Adult Services" Changes

by Amanda Kloer · 2009-06-17 07:00:00 UTC
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Led by Representative Carolyn Maloney, several Members of Congress have signed on to a letter addressed to Craig Newmark, founder of Craigslist, and James Buckmaster, CEO of Craigslist requesting real and substantive changes as they revamp their "erotic services" section into their "adult services" section.

The full text of the letter is included here at the bottom, but the gist is that these members of congress, most of whom have been instrumental in drafting anti-trafficking legislation, want some assurances that the new "adult services" section on Craigslist will be substantively different than the old "erotic services" section. Now I grew up in the South and heard that old cliche "the devil is in the details" a number of times, but in this case I think it's very true.  How will Craigslist implement and enforce new these new standards?  The answer to that question will ultimately determine whether this represents a real effort to reduce exploitation on their site by the company or a PR move to get the activists (us) off their backs.   

I was both surprised and impressed by the intiative this letter shows, and by the attention to detail the signatory members of congress seem to have. Do you think that this message from Congress will influence how Craigslist implements their new regulations? 

Craigslist Letter 06 10 091

 

 

Amanda Kloer is a Change.org Editor and has been a full-time abolitionist in several capacities for seven years. Follow her on Twitter @endhumantraffic
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