Comments on: Is Craigslist the world's biggest bordello?

A San Francisco sex worker says Craigslist is vital to her industry. Cook County says Craigslist's erotic services section is a nuisance to the community.

[scdecade]

This is just about harassing poor people so government "workers" can have a job and say they're doing something, anything.

Prostitution has been around since the beginning of time. They've been trying to stamp it out for just as long. The cops blame Craigslist for making no progress. What about the cops? What progress have they made over the last 5,000 years? None. Absolutely zero.

They supposedly busted Eliot Spitzer because he was alledgedly "client #9". How's the investigation into clients 1-8 going? Gimme a break...

[ferretboy88]

They went after Spitzer because he was a jerk. His own party didn't even like him.

[Magallanes]

Prostitution has been around since the beginning of time, also stealing and murder.

[QASIMARA]

The count-up started at 0 and went to #9, #9, #9, #9, #9...

It stalled there... #9 #9 #9 #9

0PROP1PROP2PROP3PROP4PROP5PROP6PROP7PROP8.

[NCMAN1a]

FOLLOW THE MONEY. I'm pretty sure Chicago sheriff's office must have its own deals with local bordellos, pimps, etc. And all those thugs surely contribute to the sheriff deputies party and emergency welfare fund. And Craigslist bypasses that whole moneymaking operation for the Chicago Sheriff. Did you note that he didn't even use the state attorney general. This guy's a pure-T politico just like Spitzer. Can't wait to see what sort of sh** they find this guy is up to in his personal life. You know it will happen. Things like this are always a shield for whatever personal issues a guys has.

As Craigslist points out, they help law enforcement to catch the child prostitution providers in ways that were nearly impossible before Craigslist. But they don't mention that. Instead, they just mention the case of child prostitution, when in reality they're trying to stop adult prostitution because they don't make any money for it.

[Marine0331]

For your information there are women and children that are "Forced" into prostitution every day in this country and around the world,! So please educate yourself about prostitution, its just not about paying for sex. From the way you write you must know plenty about paying for sex. When a single person has to sell themselves for sex, we can no longer consider this country 'Great". No self-respecting person should ever have to sell themselves for sex! this has nothing to do with "Armchair Christian Values", you might try getting some values, period, in your life, its obviously shows you have none when you condone prostitution in any form.

[theoboley]

I honestly don't understand what the whole deal is... Cops use it as a crutch to catch online predators and legitimate prostitutes use it to get paid... Win Win if you ask me.

[Sausagebiscuit]

How? Just don't look, and it won't bother you.

[superman227]

I advertised my repair business briefly on Craigslist about 3 years ago. You get what you pay for. I got 1. I know a masseuse (the 1 customer I got off Craigslist) who makes her living off Craigslist and email. She tends to call me every time she loses internet connection (thank you Verizon DSL). I'm not going to Manhattan for a 5 minute problem. She has too much trust and time (constantly making her listing the top listing and checkin her email). Craigslist is the most insecure site ever. I would never exchange money or goods on this site. Exchange goods and money via Amazon or Ebay. They're popular and secure. Personal services - stick with the papers, such as the Village Voice.

[PublicLobbyist]

That's why CL tells you to deal with locals only--not to send money to anyone. Let's be fair.

[donsms]

Are we back on stopping the sex trade again? Do we really need to focus on this again when there`s so many more pressing problems today?,Cmon folks,no wonder nothing ever gets done!

[PublicLobbyist]

I agree but it sure is irksome that the sheriff doesn't go after the local papers' sex ads. Perhaps CL users should learn NewspaperSpeak and everything will be right with the world once again.

[shrdlu7]

Hey, we can solve a lot of the world's problems by making sure that people have less sex so they can concentrate on other, more important things like.......I don't know, just something else. I'm not having any fun, my life is a mess so why should anyone else be able to maybe give or receive love even though it may not be sacred love, probably of the profane sort. A short, happy interlude with someone who I may never see again but who I had some fun with. There are countries on this planet, some of the more enlightened communities like Saudi Arabia, who regulate their citizen's sex lives right down to when and whom they may engage with. I'll bet their people are a real happy lot.......yeah.

[WindowsSucks]

Kudos.

[jimoeri]

you people are so worried about someone getting laid you need to focus on the trafficking of women kids abducted, missing, sold into slavery.. forced into drug addiction then prostitution, murdered, ruined for life. Taken right off the streets every day! Get the big picture and take it down piece by piece..

[GardenLobster]

Thank you! So many people focus on adult hookers. That's not what it's about. I've seen some pretty scary stuff and reported it. Craigslist is like a car wreck sometimes, just looking at all the weird stuff people can't do with their spouses and want a stranger to do (even people looking for no-strings pregnancy! both ways!). It's really scary when you see that someone wants to sell children or implies that they know someone who can lead you to little kids. While I see the prostitute's point about safety, it would really be better to put the money you save using CL vs. your own website towards hiring a lobbyist to change state laws. This way, it can be regulated, public health and safety will be taken into account, and I can get back to the amusement of the 37 year old complaining all the women that respond to his ads are fat & ugly.

[zincmann]

Legalize prostitution and tax that also. Why not? At this point we cant lose, its going to go on so why not make money to pay back this massive debt were

[WindowsSucks]

Absolutely agreed. At any other point we couldn't lose. The tax revenues would be great and the health safety of everyone involved would increase tremendously.

They can't control prostitution now, taxing it won't control it either. That is why it will never be legal in this country.

[pentest]

If it were made legal, bordellos would go up everywhere, meaning a point of taxation.

It would be safer for all as well.

[markl1984]

Taxing it might sound like a good idea, but it's an industry that's 99% cash, with customers almost always anonymous, so how do you ensure the taxes get paid? How do you audit a hooker?

As for making bordellos legal, where do you put them? They are legal in many countries and there is endless argument about their location. Unless you build them in impractical places there is always a school or playground within half a mile or so. It's nearly impossible to get local authorities to approve them. And when people find out about the ones already operating in their neighbourhoods, they demand that they be closed, even if they've operated for decades without trouble.

Prostitution might be safer when it's legal and regulated, but it is, by it's very nature, an industry that prefers to remain underground.

[mwaknight]

Craigslist is a good service that is helping not hurting to track down the real sex offenders like pimps who are abusing underage girls. As for the adults who use CL to advertise their availability for sex partners, .. come-on folks....do you really think blocking craigslist will stop them? .... Do you think that is even important or wrong?

[polaris13]

We are such a puritanical society. If an adult woman wants to sell her sex services and an adult man wants to pay for such services what is wrong with that? You have two consenting adults engaged in a private business matter.

Prostitution should be legal.

[opiapr]

Agree. The problem is the self proclaimed saint wants to make their view everyones view. Legalizing the sex trade will make sense more control and regulation will make is safer for everyone.

[sythara]

Adults aren't the problem. Human trafficing and sex slavery is where the root of prostitution illegality comes from.

[anabangbang]

reply to synthara

just how do you think someone becomes a sex slave ?

the person trafficking them threatens to turn them into the law.

if it was legal, they wouldnt become enslaved.

[Carl_Kelland]

Tom Dart guy is an ignorant, useless, grandstanding fool trying to make a name for himself and work for his useless employees. One hundred years ago every small town in this country had a bordello, big cities had hundreds, and we were no worse off for it. Better off in fact. Hey Dart, why don't you do something useful and go after gang members? When the boys came out to play, little Tommy Dart ran away.

[Magicland]

Is it some sort of requirement to be a tool to be a sheriff? First the clown in SC goes after Michael Phelps for being in a photo he didn't like, despite the fact that there's absolutely no way to prove anything via a photo. Now this tool in Chicago goes after Craigslist, despite the fact that the LAW says he can't go after Craigslist. Any judge will throw this out of court immediately, as there's no legal basis for it. You'd think that someone who's supposed to enforce the law might actually KNOW the law, but no, not these tools.

When is this clown going to go after the Yellow Pages and the newspapers? Lots of "escort" ads in them, and they're making a profit from posting them (thereby contributing to prostitution, which they CAN be held liable for) unlike Craigslist, who's legally untouchable.

[QASIMARA]

You and many others here seem to miss the point that we are on CNET here. So Craigslist is at issue in this context. Other media have different law enforcement and ways of going about prosecution of illegal activity. LIke it or not, the law is the law and has been established with certain aims in mind. It can be suffocating at times...

[anitaymoore]

What I don't understand is this...WHY does Craigslist even allow this type of advertising? In the United States Prostitution IS illegal, so why does Craigslist not take a more active role in ensuring that they are not used as a tool for illegal activities such as what is described in this article? I realize that MOST people use this site as it is intended, I get that....but would it REALLY kill them (since no one pays for the ads anyway) to remove the "Personals" section? They don't charge money for the personal listings, the only thing they charge for are job ads in about 9 cities and real estate/apartment listings in some states as well. Lets face it...there are plenty of places for people to find other people to hook up with, but when you allow them to do it for free...you are absolutely going to attract people who participate in illegal activities as well who will take advantage of it.

[QASIMARA]

My impression of Craigslist is that it is minimally monitored and mainly runs without much supervision. So the open platform is used by law enforcement and sex workers who carry on a cat and mouse game diverting attention away from more high-class illegal trade going on. I may be wrong and have no evidence for this hunch.

[Smith37549]

You are slightly ignorant on the law. Prostitution is not illegal in the United States. It is illegal in most states as state law, but there is no federal law prohibiting prostituion. I know this is kinda splitting hairs, but I felt that it was an important point to make. I also thought I would address your question asking, "would it REALLY kill them (to remove certain ad sections). I agree that they could do that, but why should they? Even the personals section is 99% legal activity. By the same token, the potential is there to have illegal activity on the real estate section, for example. Removing a section isn't going to stop the illegal activity. If anything, the prostitutes will just start posting in other sections. Have you ever noticed that miscategorized ads in the classifieds? This isn't done on accident. It is a marketing technique. If the personals and erotic listing sections were eliminated, these ads would be in other sections. I'd rather them stay where they are.

[mknopp]

@Magicland:

You have to keep in mind that most, if not all, sheriffs are elected officials. Thus, one of their "jobs", as with all politicians, is to pimp themselves to the public so that they can get reelected and keep their job.

So, is anyone still unclear as to why our country is in the mess that it is in?

[sythara]

As oposed to having absolute rulers instead of elected officials? Come on, corruption will always exist no matter what you do.

[echo1964]

You guys don't know what you are talking about. These generally aren't girls who decide to "get in the life" and have a good time.

Watch "Sex Slaves: The Teen Trade" or "Undercover: Sex Slaves in America". Your eyes will be opened. Most johns don't know the circumstances involved when they are buying women. Prostitutes rarely choose that life--they are more often blackmailed, beaten into submission or drugged into the sex trade.

Just think--if your daughter or sister is pretty enough it may be her that's dragged into 'the life' next time.

[SBFilmguy]

C'mon, if you believe those shows you probably think The Bachelor isn't scripted. It's all hype. Of course there are some bad players and no reasonable person supports child prostitution or any other type of forced sex. But 99% of what's going on on CL is not that. I have a very close friend who has been a "sex worker" for 22 years (she's 44). She's never had a pimp and never been coerced. Sometimes she's happy with her life choice, sometimes she's not, but it's her choice. Target the real problems instead of moralistically going after non-problems.

[vlgallas]

If you believe all of that, I have some swamp property for sale. I owned escort services for close to 10 years in the Orlando area, and never encountered any lady "beaten into submission or drugged into the sex trade." Your statement is crazy.

Women work in the sex trade for money, not to "have a good time" and poverty is the draw. Any one of them could work a 9 to 5 or as a 7-11 clerk, but choose to live above mere survival level. For one reason or another each chose to support herself and distance herself from the patriarchal system that we live in. Education had little to do with it either - some were college grads and some were not, but none could be considered ignorant. They choose to charge a price for what many women give away for free.

Not one woman that I encountered in close to a decade was an escort because she wanted to "have a good time." Not one was a sex trafficking victim, or any other type of victim. It's all about the money, for one reason or another. Please consider enlightenment and wake up!

[pentest]

I know women who feel obligated to put out after a $20 dinner, they are prostitutes, but just not honest ones.

I know married women who feel obligated to put out for their husbands because they work hard, they are prostitutes, but just not honest ones.

[sensualspirit]

Umm, talk about being ignorant.

80-90% of all girls who want to escort are NOT forced into it. In fact because society (only talking the States here since almost every other country does NOT treat escorts or prostitutes in the same manner as the US does) has "tried" to shove escorting underground for soooo many years, often times this is where the problem lies.

The girls who want to be escorts have no place to go to educate themselves on how to escort properly. Thank god for my book on "How to Become an Escort".

The government for so long has been trying to control people's minds, bodies & spirits & for the weak ones, they let them.

The only person who controls me is MEEEEE. You can't tell me what to do with my life, only I can tell me what to do with my life, & that includes my body. No one owns my body but me.

As for laws, this is one of the reasons there is so much negativity, is because of all the laws. Human beings are free spirits. The minute you try to cage them & control them with every aspect of their lives, they try to revolt or they become very depressed or disillusioned. This is when their actions lean towards hurting other people because they are in pain. (I'm not talking about logical laws like stopping at a red light, etc.)

As Abraham from Abraham-Hicks says, "if you just let people be themselves, most times they will do the right thing. The minute you try to control them, they act out in negative ways." (I'm paraphrasing btw & I only use the word "right" because most humans don't understand that "right" is relative. What is right for me now may not have been right for me years ago & vice versa. That's why other people can't tell you what is right & wrong because the only question that matters is, "how does it make you feel?").

So NO, there is nothing wrong with being an escort if the person respects their decision to become one (hate the word prostitution), what is wrong is the police & government who try to control people because they are seeking companionship & love without judgment. Americans are really some of the most sexually dysfunctional people & I feel this is moreso because of the right wing religious people (even the ones who aren't religious, but were raised that way & have been conditioned to believe deep down that sex is wrong.)

To educate even further, escorts don't just provide sex, they provide so much more than that & yes there are hookerish types who become escorts.

On a positive note, it's nice to actually read that most people who read this article were offended by the actions of the police & government.

And to make it totally clear, I'm TOTALLY 1000% against underage girls becoming escorts or anyone forcing anyone into being an escort.

Thank you for listening.


Michelle
Exotic Publishing

[markl1984]

Michelle, you say yourself that 80-90% of girls who work in the sex trades are willing - but what about the 10-20% who aren't? Worldwide that must be millions of women and girls.

These are the people who Tom Dart is trying to help, and dismissing him as ignorant just because you like your job is absolutely wrong.

[ddanckaert]

"Catherine is a 35-year-old sex worker...."

Enough with the euphemisms... She's a HOOKER.

The next thing you know, CNET will be saying, meet Jack, he's a mobile pharmaceutical worker (drug dealer). Or meet Michael, he's a proactive undertaker (hitman).

Please...

[YankeePoodle]

sex worker is not a euphemism it is plain English on the other hand Hooker is more of a slang term.

[ddanckaert]

Euphemism: "the substitution of an agreeable or inoffensive expression for one that may offend or suggest something unpleasant ; also : the expression so substituted."

Catherine is a PROSTITUTE.

By your definition, a sex worker could be an ObGyn...

My previous post stands.

[bweinman]

OBGYN is not sex -- what planet are you on? There are plenty of sex workers who are not prostitutes, including licensed professional therapists who specialize in sexual dysfunctions, and most of them face just as much danger as a street walker. Internet, cell phones, and other technology go a long way to make their lives safer.

Keep in mind that these technologies are also being used by law enforcement to catch offenders who prey on children and other violent criminals.

[ddanckaert]

ObGyn is reproductive health. It's work to maintain the "sex" organs. Hence sex work. Which all goes to show how stupid the term "Sex Worker" is.

Call it what it is, prostitution.

Oh, and I laugh at your suggestion that sex therapists have to use Craig's list. If you're paying someone to wank your weiner, it's prostitution.

And as for the idea that we should maintain Craig's list as-is to enable law enforcement to conduct stings, that's a stupid argument. Stings catch perhaps 1% of what's going on. Craig's is enabling this market to grow, and thus it should be shut down.

[bridge solution]

"sex worker" is plain english. "hooker" is a reflection of the perceived need to have sex workers accompany the us.army.
http://academic.cuesta.edu/access/AS/502.HTM
in point of fact, for a while car thieves, identity thieves etc made reallly prodictive use of craigslist, even as they do newspapers.
from a cnet standpoint, the interesting thing is websites guarenteing not to be entrapment mechanisms advertising on craoglsit personals, gernating new business models for etrepreneurs who are then using law enforcement agencies as part of their marketing sales, perceived value model.

[Dylan_Wisor]

Why are you being a pedant?

[jbzorg]

Why isn't this article titled as follows?

TOM DART IS THE WORLD'S BIGGEST PUBLICITY HOUND

The text of the story should be more like this:

Tom Dart, Cook County Sheriff needing publicity for re-election, hit upon the incredibly novel idea of using sex to get headlines as a crusader of some type. Dart stated, "Ya know, solving murders, robberies, and arsons is an okay sideline, but having press conferences where SEX is the topic really improves my brand name recognition and convinces voters that I'm doing something important."

Asked for details about the relationship between time wasted on Craigslist and protecting public safety, Dart replied "What, are you against America? Which side are you on in the war on crime? By the way, this is about SEX!"

Several serious journalists would have contributed to this story, but they were all busy trying to do something important.

[disco-legend-zeke]

Joe arpaio in phoenix, too.

[DanielDaly]

Win.

[anabangbang]

sheriff joe in phoenix puts prisoners in pink panties for publicity

yo zeke i didn't know you were a disco legend lol.

[sixlive]

I have never used these online services but seriously? Will the government please just let people do what they want... this is ridiculous and I'm sick of this

"We are such a puritanical society. If an adult woman wants to sell her sex services and an adult man wants to pay for such services what is wrong with that? You have two consenting adults engaged in a private business matter."

I agree....

[nin78]

If people cannot find love (sex) for free what is wrong (as longs at it is between consenting adults) to pay for it? The cops cannot figure out how to put a lid on serious crime and goes after people trying to get laid. Shame on you!

[candide08]

This is ridiculous and a waste of time.

This suit is like suing AT&T and Sprint because prostitutes use telephones.

[Media151]

Damn! You made a great a great point using less than 25 words. Thanks for sharing that.

[man_w_balls]

Seems like everything that comes out of that county is a joke. Like one little sheriff could stop all the ******, lol. There are thousands of available venues they could easily move to, at least. They could even go to AdultFriendFinder and post nude pictures of themselves with thinly veiled language in the profile about their business. Craigslist is just quicker to get onto and post something easily.