Loophole in the prostitution crackdown?
I couldn't help noticing that the Craigslist crackdown on prostitution is limited to Craigslist's category of Erotic Services. You know that category; it's the one listed alphabetcially under "Services," between "Creative" and "Event." Anyone who wants to post into Erotic Services will have to pay a fee with a valid credit card, and Craigslist will share the account info with law enforcement if subpoenaed.
Most of the news coverage missed an interesting point. Here it is in the Associated Press coverage:
Buckmaster said the agreement does not cover Craigslist's personal ads, where prostitutes have been found advertising for "dates." But he said the San Francisco-based company has been working with authorities on that issue....
I found this noteworthy because a few weeks ago, while preparing a report on the online dating/personals business for Classified Intelligence Report (CIR 9.20), I spent some time browsing Craigslist personals ads (not Erotic Services ads) and saw lots of ads where people were looking for a date and charging an hourly rate.
Since that kind of activity is already happening in Personals, one has to wonder whether this "crackdown" will simply move everyone -- both advertisers and customers -- into Personals, where nobody needs to pay a fee, or give a valid phone number.
Point being: a real crackdown would require a broad new set of policies and processes on Craigslist that could be perceived by its fans as a change in the whole personality of the site.
So is this a real crackdown, or simply a gesture by all involved?
