Debunking 5 Common Myths Defending Craigslist

Last week, Craigslist chose to block their adult services section with no explanation and one word, "censored". By dropping the C-bomb on the Internet, they've managed to turn a conversation about human trafficking, sexual exploitation of children, and corporate responsibility into one about censorship. And they've managed to round up some defenders who are generating a lot of myths and excuses.

Here are five defenses of Craigslist which have been bandied about the Internet recently, and why they need a little more scrutiny:

1. Craigslist was censored by the government, impinging upon their freedom of speech. Censorship means the suppression of free speech by some controlling body. Craigslist was the target of a grassroots campaign asking them to stop facilitating the sex trafficking of children and some adults on their site. They were encouraged to remove or reform their adult services section by state attorneys general, NGOs, private citizens, and children who had been trafficked on their site.  They chose to block the whole section, as opposed to making meaningful reform.

2. Craigslist kept the traffickers in one place, which helped police. The argument for centralizing sex crimes to one online location and keeping it open only works if you assume sex trafficking has a finite number of buyers and sellers that just need to be corralled and arrested. In reality, sex trafficking, like any other business or "product", is subject to the laws of supply and demand. Demand for commercial sex changes based on price, availability, legality, ease of access, and other factors. Craigslist made accessing commercial sex cheap, easy, and socially comfortable. It wasn't just corralling existing criminals, but creating a safe space for new ones to buy kids.  

3. Craigslist's self-closure won't end all trafficking/prostitution/sex crimes. Well, duh. No one asking Craigslist to reform was under the delusion that their ceasing to advertise for human trafficking victims would immediately cure the world of slavery. This has been one of many efforts to end human trafficking, which include creating more shelters for trafficked children in the U.S., training law enforcement, promoting public awareness campaigns, strengthening state legislation, and promoting corporate responsibility in a number of industries. Craigslist was never more than one important part of a greater strategy.

4. Craigslist wasn't the only website where human trafficking victims were exploited, so targeting them makes them a scapegoat. There are many sites on the Internet where human trafficking victims are advertised. You can ask Village Voice Media to reform one of them, Backpage.com. You can also ask Gawker.com to stop promoting other online classified sites where sex trafficking victims may be advertised. Craigslist may have been the first company grassroots activists asked for change, but they haven't been the only, and they won't be the last.

5. Craigslist has shut down the adult services section for good. One of Craigslist's biggest problems has always been a lack of transparency (they refused to release details about how they were screening adult ads), and that lack of transparency continues. As of this date of publication, Craigslist has not released any statements about why they blocked the section or what will happen moving forward. Some think it's a gesture of good will, others a political stunt. But until we hear for sure, we're all of us left guessing.

On short, regardless of Craigslist's motives for their use of the "C-word", the result has been some not-so-defensible defenses. The focus on Craigslist and other online classified providers has been and remains about protecting people from exploitation.

Photo credit: Sea of Legs