Craigslist can’t win for losing, especially when it comes to grandstanding attorneys general who understand the value of a high profile crusade more than they do the law. The latest example comes out of South Carolina, where the attorney general has threatened criminal prosecution of craigslist CEO Jim Buckmaster and founder Craig Newmark for displaying prostitution ads and “graphic pornographic material.”
After a series of murders perpetrated by the now famed “craigslist killer” and significant pressure from state attorneys general and law enforcement across the country, Craigslist is shutting down its “erotic services” category.
Craig Newmark never killed anyone. In fact, all Craig wanted to do was help people. Unfortunately, Philip Markoff possibly did kill someone, and he found his lead on Craig’s website, Craigslist.org.
Craigslist is not on law enforcement's good side at the moment; its erotic services section has come under fire from all sorts of people following the attacks in Boston. But it looks like the lines of communication are still open, at least, as Craigslist representatives will soon meet with Illinois's attorney general.
Twenty-six-year-old Julissa Brisman was tied up and shot several times in a Boston area hotel room by someone who solicited her massage services on Craigslist. This was the second killing in the area in a week originating with a Craigslist ad.
The other victim was identified as a Las Vegas prostitute but was thought to be an isolated incident until Brisman’s murder.
Don't be surprised if the people behind Craigslist and other classifieds sites are secretly hoping for a repeat of the Great Depression. New stats from Hitwise have arrived, and they show that Craigslist's already-significant market share is increasing in such a way that it almost resembles a hockey stick.
When the going gets tough, it's possible that the tough go to Craigslist. A fresh report from Hitwise indicates that searchers have become extremely interested in the site, actually putting it ahead of MySpace and establishing it as the top U.S. search term for the middle of March.
An Illinois sheriff wants Craigslist to stop making it so easy to catch prostitutes. Apparently it just gives him a lot more work than he can handle.
eBay injects its brand name into its classifieds subsidiary Kijiji, which launched four years ago. Starting with two cities, the Kijiji name will change to eBay Classifieds.
iEntry 10th Anniversary
RSS
Newsletter
Advertising
