In response to numerous citizen complaints and pleas from advocacy groups, 17 state attorneys general sent letter to Craigslist asking them to remove their adult services section. The letters went ignored for two weeks. Last Saturday, the company appeared to respond in its own special way by placing the word “censored” over the offensive section. So far they’ve declined to comment on this action, although it seems pretty obvious to me that they’re being sarcastic.

Craigslist has gotten a lot of bad press in the past couple of years. People have used the site to sell stolen property, children, drugs, and prostitutes, among other things. They’ve even had their very own suspected serial killer, until he committed suicide in jail. Though the site is a hotspot for various forms of illegal activities, human rights campaigns believe it’s become a preferred outlet for international sex trafficking.

I don’t think anyone seriously disputes this fact or Craigslist’s inability to police their site. Nevertheless, the removal of the adult services listings has ruffled a few feathers of the civil libertarian variety, such as the ACLU. These people argue that this is a Freedom of Speech issue, which means it falls under the First Amendment’s protections. They claim that Craigslist actually helps law enforcement officials track down the bad guys and bring them to justice. According to this theory, stopping the Craigslist ads ultimately makes it more difficult for the cops to do their jobs. Kicking them off Craigslist merely forces them to lurk in the shadows, where they can successfully avoid detection.

I’m inclined to agree with the ACLU. First off, removing one section of Craigslist is pointless. There are plenty of other places for the criminals to post in, especially in the personals segment. Most of those ads are ridiculously raunchy. There’s no way that they’re being written by regular people and not pay services. I just glanced at an ad in the “miscellaneous romance” category that’s entitled, “I’m a service boy.” While it’s entirely possible that this ad was really written by someone with bizarre sexual tastes, somehow I doubt it. There’s also a stipulation about not contacting this person for commercial purposes, yet the ad explains that the guy wants to perform household chores along with sexual favors. Either he’s an independently wealthy freak or he’s soliciting customers. I really don’t see an alternative explanation. So the adult services section is null and void, yet I found a gigolo’s ad in two seconds. FAIL.

Second, I think there’s a lot of validity to the point about Craigslist aiding law enforcement officials. When I briefly worked for a criminal law firm, I spoke with a young man who’d been fired from his job for stealing office supplies. This guy was stupid enough to take a printer, fax machine, etc. from his work then try to resell the stuff on Craigslist. A coworker saw the ad and recognized the products as the same ones that’d disappeared. The company’s owner called the police, who were able to trace the guy’s ISP to his home address. He was subsequently fired and called my office because his employer was pressing criminal charges. And he was surprised by this. He told me he felt as though his former boss was spying on him and asked if what they were doing was legal since Craigslist was supposed to be anonymous.

I wish I’d made that story up. Really, I do.

But it’s true. Craigslist inadvertently led the cops right to this guy’s front door. Clearly, he wasn’t the brightest crayon in the box, but I’m willing to bet there are an awful lot of stupid pimps out there as well. Plus, Craigslist is the ideal platform for conducting sting operations. That seems like a no brainer, doesn’t it? I’d love to hear someone explain how shutting Craigslist down outweighs the benefits incurred via hosting an open arena. Any takers?