Why Craigslist has suddenly shut off its personals section

[COLOR=var(--primaryTextColor)]Screengrab from Craigslist website. On Thursday, Craigslist shut off its personals section after Congress passed a bill aimed at curtailing sex trafficking.
(The San Diego Union-Tribune)


By LUIS GOMEZ
MARCH 23, 2018 5:35 PM

If you go browsing Craigslist looking for a “casual encounter,” you won’t find it. The online ad listing site suddenly shut down its personals section Friday after Congress passed legislation meant to hold sites like Craigslist liable for facilitating sex trafficking in the U.S.

Here’s what you need to know:

Why did Craigslist take down its personals section?

Craigslist note on its personals section.
Source: Craigslist.org

Now when visitors click on any of the personals subcategories, Craigslist displays a brief message that points to the language of the bill, the Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act of 2017, or FOSTA.

The statement reads in part, “Any tool or service can be misused. We can't take such risk without jeopardizing all our other services, so we are regretfully taking Craigslist personals offline. Hopefully we can bring them back some day.”

What is the Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act of 2017?


FOSTA is the House version of the bill that cracks down on online services that promote or facilitate prostitution. FOSTA passed in the House on a 388-25 vote in February.

The Senate passed the bill without any amendments on a 97-2 vote on Wednesday.

The expectation is that President Donald Trump will sign the bill into law.

What did proponents of the bill argue?


Organizations like the World Without Exploitation and people like Ivanka Trump and U.S. senators argued that existing law did not go far enough to hold internet sites more accountable for their role in providing a platform to promote activities like prostitution.

What do opponents say about it?


Technology and civil liberties groups opposed the legislation. The American Civil Liberties Union argued that the bill could make sex workers more vulnerable to exploitation by driving them into the so-called dark web.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation, a group that advocates for free speech on the internet, also argued that it could have a chilling effect on free speech.

Is Craigslist the only site shutting down those pages?


No. Reddit also tightened its rules to forbid people from using the site as a marketplace to sell and buy things like firearms, ammunition, drugs, alcohol, tobacco, prostitution, stolen goods, personal information.

What are others saying about it?


The passage of the bill drew a wide range of reactions from those who supported the legislation and others who oppose it.

Supporters like Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-San Francisco, called it a good step to stop sites from “profiting and encouraging sex trafficking on their platforms with impunity.”

Sen Dianne Feinstein

✔@SenFeinstein

Websites shouldn’t be profiting and encouraging sex trafficking on their platforms with impunity. I support the Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers act to get this content off the Internet and hold websites responsible for promoting trafficking crimes #StopSexTrafficking #SESTA

502
12:05 PM - Mar 21, 2018
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Richard Blumenthal

✔@SenBlumenthal

Thrilled to see the Senate overwhelmingly pass #SESTA, my bipartisan bill w/ @SenRobPortman that will curb sex trafficking by opening a path to justice for survivors.

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1:22 PM - Mar 21, 2018
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Opponents like the EFF warned that the bill is overreaching and could have a chilling effect on free speech. In a tweet, it said that “this is what Internet censorship looks like.”

EFF

✔@EFF

Websites are shutting down users' speech because they fear prosecution and litigation as a result of Congress passing SESTA/FOSTA.
This is what Internet censorship looks like. pic.twitter.com/HI8zaZ82rE


608
11:02 AM - Mar 23, 2018
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Elizabeth Nolan Brown

✔@ENBrown

Wyden warned yesterday that if #FOSTA passed, there "would be an enormous chilling effect on speech in America." Looks like we're already starting to see it https://buff.ly/2pw91DI

181
8:11 AM - Mar 22, 2018
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Which camp are you in? Let us know. Do you support the bill? Or not?

Email: luis.gomez@sduniontribune.com

https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com...htmlstory.html