CL Collaboration with AGs, NCMEC - Early Results
The early results from the collaborative joint effort announced last November between craigslist, 43 US Attorneys General, and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) have been spectacular, and we have been remiss in not saying more about them.
Here is a graph of the posting volume trend in “erotic services” over the past 12 months, as we added measures like phone verification (March) and credit card authorization (November) to the site:
The percentage reductions for the 5 cities shown range from 90% to 95%
Beyond the enormous reduction in ad volume, the ads that remain on the site are much improved in their compliance with our Terms of Use and local laws, in part due to screening measures developed in collaboration with the Attorneys General and law enforcement.
In this same timespan, craigslist staff have continued to work closely with law enforcement agencies across the country to vigorously pursue those engaged in the horrific crimes of human trafficking and exploitation of minors.
Finally, net revenue is accumulating from the fees now required of those posting under “erotic services,” 100% of which is earmarked for donation to worthy charities, and we will soon be in position to begin distributing these funds.
Our collaboration with the state Attorneys General and NCMEC has only just begun, and there will be more progress and good works to announce in the months and years to come.
March 10th, 2009 at 4:10 pm
All this means is that people selling sex will move to a different site.
Nothing will change much in reality.
It’s just more of the same unenforceable and unrealistic government policies.
March 10th, 2009 at 8:05 pm
Bravo craigslist!
March 12th, 2009 at 4:38 pm
Great work CL!!!
March 15th, 2009 at 9:57 pm
A for effort, but have you done a graph on the postings that have increased in the therapeutic section, because its ridiculous the amount of ads in that section now, some should clearly be posting under erotic, do you guys monitor that section? it should be monitored, erotic services are being posted under therapeutic and its crappy to be posting a therapeutic ad when so much trash is going up in that section, please do something about it
March 22nd, 2009 at 4:45 am
It’s a shame you had to wait until tacitly threatened with legal action and / or a public relations nightmare to make this move.
Here in Boise we recently had a couple of dirtbags arrested for peddling a young girl on craigslist.
You provide a great service; but you can’t hide behind your TOU for everything!
March 23rd, 2009 at 9:47 pm
these sheriffs don’t have anything useful to do. craigslist is one of the best sites in the world. craigslist could have earn lots of money for themselves by putting ads in its site, but they did not. and on this occasion too 100% of the revenue is going to charities. what do these government departments do for us except impose tax tax tax on people and spent them in useless things.
i think the government officials should check their own back before jumping over a site like craigslist.
March 24th, 2009 at 1:03 pm
Thanks Craigslist! A Step in the right direction.
April 19th, 2009 at 6:39 pm
If you are going to charge for ads in the ES section, fine. I am happy to pay for ads since I already pay for ads on many other classified sites. What is supremely unfair is that anonymous users can still flag PAID FOR ADS and have them removed without anyone evaluating whether there is a justified reason for the ad being removed. There’s no way I will be paying for, legal, legitimate, and rule-compliant ads just to see them removed by other site users with no recourse. That is a waste of my advertising money. If you are going to charge for ads in the ES section, you need to rethink allowing users to flag those paid ads.
April 24th, 2009 at 9:07 am
I am an open-minded artist who understands that there is need for certain outlets which must be safely monitored. I am not adverse to legalizing prostitution and drug use as have other countries which now enjoy the lowest rate of: Teen Pregnancy, Rape, Drug Abuse and Drug Addiction.
First and foremost, Craigslist supplies Erotic Service space because they make money. But, at least they are working in conjunction with legal authorities to ascertain abuses apparent in their system and have in some small scope downsized public interest in such services.
It is not the services I find repulsive, but the demented men who frequent the Erotic services to garner something not normally provided or to abuse and hurt a woman without being caught.
I acknowledge that Craigslist seems to be doing it’s best to be responsible, accountable and still maintain “Freedom of Speech”. On the other hand, this has not been enough to curtail two or three serious crimes committed against women placing ads. Are the Erotic services area actually about hindering prostitution and sex crimes, or another way to excuse Craigslist from profitting off of women who feel they have no other choice but to sell their sex for money. Who is making money off of whom?
April 25th, 2009 at 3:24 pm
For all the efforts law enforcement have put into implicating craigslist in the prostitution business, one would think they could have as easily utilized ther resources into using CL as a tool to FIND the “bad guys” they are “hunting” for —- not waiting until Markhoff’s show up on the radar. If “stings” can happen on the streets of LA, NY and everywhere in between, why not electronically? I’m sure that Dick Wolf (of Law and Order fame) is working on that episode as this stuff unravels.
Leave those of us who count on Craig and his list to find and furnish our homes, find our jobs and re-home our pets.
May 12th, 2009 at 12:53 pm
I think what you have done is great. At least your making an effort to do something about it.
May 21st, 2009 at 10:47 pm
hey cl thanks for all that you do. sorry we’re so sexually dis-functional and immature that you choose not to and perhaps felt it futile to challenge the violation of human rights that is the body of law that seeks to control the behavior of consenting adults. why isn’t it illegal to have an soci-economic system where human beings are dumbed down,manipulated , exploited and marginalized and left with few options for basic survival?