EFF: AGs Have No Case
This just in from the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF):
Attorney General Henry McMaster has no case. Neither do AGs Lynch or Blumenthal. And neither does Sheriff Dart, as craigslist explained Monday in their motion to dismiss his March lawsuit. While the AGs may wish it was not so, federal law protects craigslist and no amount of posturing will change that fact.
And that’s a good thing. The existence of sites that rely on third party content depends on strong uniform legal protections against liability based on material posted by users. If site operators were forced to screen all third party contributions under risk of civil or criminal penalty, the Internet would lose many of the vibrant services that have made it so dynamic.
May 6th, 2009 at 2:50 pm
Guys, 95% of your blog audience doesn’t care about your legal concerns - they’re more interested in the goings on of craigslist as a company. Interesting CL posts, employee anecdotes, steps forward in your technology (what’s coming next?), etc.
I know this is what’s shadowing your thoughts lately, but it’s probably not what your readers want. CL is a great company, I know you guys have a lot more bubbling around in your genius brains than legalities!
May 6th, 2009 at 5:26 pm
Check this out people
Why do you think the adult industry brings in BILLIONS???
Because of high demand
That’s high demand from the public
It is peoples responsibility to do their own research and ask probing questions before making any other moves
Just because 1 or 2 people get killed or kidnapped or whatever does not mean that its the fault of an adult ad
Back in PA there was a so called photographer who had a model safety site and he ended up killing an AMATEUR model wanting a shoot
The adult industry brings in 20 times more revenue than Hollywood films
Porn revenue is larger than all combined revenues of all professional football, baseball and basketball franchises.
US porn revenue exceeds the combined revenues of ABC, CBS, and NBC (6.2 billion)
SAG members make an avg $5000 per year in income
There are a higher percentage of female directors, producers and
stars in the porn industry than in the ?traditional? film sector.
An escort, brothel girl or pornstar can make $100,000 or more
Look at the Washington sex scandals
How many politicians have used a prostitute, courtesan, brothel girl, pornstar, etc for sexual favors?
How many people have contributed to A STrip club? They make tens of millions
If you arrest a prostitute, she’s only going to get back out into her work the next day or 2 after paying a small fine that is nothing to her
If you shut down adult shops and businesses, you lose jobs and revenue on all sides
How many of these people have really created a nuisance that put peoples lives in danger?
So is it a religous thing again?
Keep it clean and police something that is more “criminalistic”
FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION BABY
http://adultchamber.com
May 7th, 2009 at 10:04 am
I am not surprised that the Sherriff is targeting CL, since it looks like a high value target. But the audacity of it is no different than that scene in the movie Casablanca when Frenchie, told by the German colonel to shutdown Rick’s cafe, declares that he’s shocked to learn gambing is going on at Rick’s cafe (as someone is handing him his winnings). Every print newspaper has classified ads with escort ads and massage parlors. CL is simply offering the same service. But the convenience and price (free) have caused exponential growth at CL, and the sheriff noticed.
But what gets me is how sheriff is not using CL to his own advantage. Instead of suing CL, use it! Have his undercover detectives answer those ads. Once the poster offers sexual services, arrest them! Same as a stakeout on a street corner with hidden cameras and female officers acting as hookers.
Or do as some others have done, offer services, and when the John shows up, arrest him. It’s been done with underage child prostitution. I think the sheriff is simply the victim of embarassment that there is so much prostitution in his jurisdiction and he just can’t control it. So lets blame the messenger!
May 21st, 2009 at 7:55 am
this whole thing is just total bs…..the question i have is how many of the so called TASK FORCE has them self CALL UP HOOKERS……
WE ALL KNOW YA HAVE !!
next is BOYS WILL BE BOYS …AND THE OLDEST PROFESSION IN THE WORLD MANY MANY WOMEN FALL ON TO KEEP FOOD ON THE TABLE A A ROOF OVER THEIR KIDS` HEADS…..YES SOME ARE DOPE FENDS..BUT NOT ALL ! SOME LADIES ARE VERY VERY PROFESSIONAL & DISCRETE IN WHAT THEY DO ……NEXT ……..
HAVE ALL OF YOU COPS HAVE NOTHING BETTER TO DO THEN TO PICK ON WOMEN ???
I KNOW IT IS CUS YA KNOW WE WILLNOT SHOOT AT YOU ..LIKE THE REAL CRIMINALS WILL
September 4th, 2010 at 9:06 am
I have read/heard in the media that some states’ attorneys general are conspiring to stop Craig’s List from offering adult services/personal ads, an action prompted, presumably, because of some isolated cases of criminal activities, alleged to have been committed by persons who also just happened to have answered or placed advertisements on Craig’s List.
In Massachusetts, where I live, it is AG Martha Coakley, the failed politico who sought the U.S. Senate seat held by Ted Kennedy, but lost to Scott Brown, so is now scouting new PR venues as part of her resurrection agenda, into which prosecuting CL somehow fits.
Coakley’s stake in this affair, ostensibly on behalf of the citizens of the Communistwealth Of Massachusetts, is gunning for CL in retribution for a murder victim who advertised on CL’s “erotic services,” was subsequently killed by a Boston University med student, the late Phillip Markoff (dubbed in the local media the so-called “Craig’s List Killer”).
But nothing any Democrat pol in the Bay State does is solely for the public good or with purity of motive, unless the maximum political benefit for the pol is derived from the same.
What bothers me about this is the government is attempting to censor a private company (and it is “prior restraint” by agents of governments, so true, classic case of censorship), thereby also depriving that company’s customers the availability of services which may have been beneficial to them, and all based solely on the circumstantial evidence of alleged criminal activities by parties who, as it happened, had also advertised with said company.
This is obviously a very calculated and unconstitutional agenda on the part of these states’ chief prosecutorial entities, and I sincerely hope Craigs List has secured some first-rate legal assistance, including, but not limited to, the American Civil Liberties Union (which, as a conservative, I deplore on so many levels for contributing the ruination of America, but they’d be an asset in this case), in combating these political forces (most, if not all, of a left-wing political philosophy, naturally) and their hacks.