Craigslist Update

In response to letters from the Attorneys General of several states and crusading reporters (like Little Old Me?) Craigslist announced over the weekend that they were no longer publishing listings in the “Adult Services” category.

A quick check showed a black block marked “censored” where the category used to be listed, and a Craigslist spokesperson issued what can only be described as a self-serving statement that reeked of B-S.

Several sources have already predicted that the move will backfire, doing just the opposite of what the AG’s were trying to accomplish.  The Boston Herald published an interview with a Beantown madam who says prostitutes will be safer without them and her business likely will improve.

“My business will definitely pick up,” said Julie, who advertises a “premiere” Boston-based escort service on Google and withheld her last name for legal reasons.

The businesswoman said her higher-priced escort service took quite a nosedive with the explosion in popularity of Craigslist’s adult service listings.

Another report said that hookers had just moved their ads for “massages” from Adult Services to the Beauty category.

A check of the local site shows that pictures and descriptions in the Personals section of Craigslist are still as graphic as ever.  Little hints in some Personal ads, like using Dollar $ign$ for esses, show that the interactions being proposed ain’t necessarily free.

Oh - and you still can’t sell puppies on Craigslist.