Popular classified advertisements website Craigslist has sections devoted to housing, jobs, services, and even dating. However, the “personals” section has often been used for ads that promote prostitution and child sexual abuse. Craigslist has now taken down this section in the United States after a new bill against sex trafficking was passed into law.
Craigslist has shut down its dating ads section in the United States in response to the new law which states that websites can be punished if they facilitate prostitution and sex trafficking. It felt that it was too much of a risk keeping this section open in the United States.
It did observe that the new law is going to “subject websites to criminal and civil liability when third parties (users) misuse online personals unlawfully,” adding that while any tool or service can be misused, Craigslist can’t take such a risk without putting all of its other services in jeopardy.
The Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act was passed into law by the U.S. Congress this month and it applies to all states in the country. It imposes prison terms and fines on those who run or own a website that facilitates prostitution. Reddit, another popular online community, also decided to ban the escorts message board after this bill became law.
Filed in .. Source: bbc