If It's On The Internet... Blame The Service Provider (Especially If It's Craigslist)
from the logical-difficulties dept
There's a jokey saying that people like to spout when they hear stories of people believing the most ridiculous things found on the internet: "If it's on the internet, it must be true." That saying certainly showed up in the story earlier this week about people ransacking and looting a house in Oregon after someone put up a post on Craigslist saying that the house had been abandoned and everything was free for the taking. When the owner came back to the house telling people to stop, they pointed to the Craigslist ad as "proof" that they could continue their looting. Hence, "if it's on the internet, it must be true."However, in the aftermath of this event (which is actually a copycat from a similar event nearly a year ago), we're seeing a different, but perhaps equally as common, fallacy come out: If it's on the internet, blame the service provider, rather than those actually responsible (okay, it's not quite as pithy). This seems especially true when it comes to Craigslist. Remember, Craigslist has been blamed for discriminatory posts as well as many other illegal things found on the site... including child prostitution. It's not just Craigslist, of course, but for some reason it's extra common with the site. So, it should come as no surprise to already see some asking if Craigslist should be responsible.
I'm trying to figure out why so many people gravitate towards blaming the service provider, rather than whoever was actually responsible for the crime (in this case, the guy who posted the claim as well as the people who stole stuff form the guy). There are three potential thoughts that come to mind. The first is that they go after the service provider because that's easier. Fortunately, the law isn't supposed to attack the easiest target, but who's actually responsible. The second is what I like to call The Steve Dallas defense after an old, old, old Bloom County cartoon where lawyer Steve Dallas explains why he's suing Nikon after Sean Penn beat him up for taking a paparazzi photo. It can be summarized as: just blame whoever has the most money. The third option might really just be a repeat of the first, but it's that people still see the internet as new and confusing, and find that it's too complicated to parse out the nuances of the different roles of different players online. So in trying to parcel out blame, they work backwards to the first recognizable player.
People would never blame the telephone company for an extortion scam using the telephone. And they wouldn't blame Ford for making a getaway car used in a bank heist. Yet, they want to blame Craigslist for one of many postings on the site? If a crime happens on the internet... blame the service provider.
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Filed Under: accountability, blame, craigslist, liability, safe harbors
Companies: craigslist
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Go to taco bell with your own beef and content. Put together your own taco with these things, just do it inside their building. Now give this self-made taco bell to the next person you see on the street. They'll get sick. Now if they sue taco-bell instead of you, we have a comparable example.
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Go to taco bell with your own beef and content. Put together your own taco with these things, just do it inside their building. Now give this self-made taco bell to the next person you see on the street. They'll get sick. Now if they sue taco-bell instead of you, we have a comparable example.
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hmm, kinda
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Well...
Not to mention the fact that your analogy is terribly inaccurate, Craigslist has noting to do with producing the posts, simply providing a forum for them. That would be like Tacobell having nothing to do with producing or preparing the food that made you sick; they simply provided the air conditioned building with chairs and tables, but specifically not the food...
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Re: Well...
From the public's point of view Craig's List could be seen as a vender themselves even though they only provide a service. You can still hold a service provider responsible if they are negligent. In this case it would be a stretch.
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Re: Well...
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Almost, but not quite
Now you get food poisoning from a vendor who claims to be Taco Bell, but it turns out they aren't. By the time you're sick, the fake TB vendors are long gone, with no records of who they were or where they were from. The mall management *could* have prevented this by not allowing a free-for-all, or by requiring some kind of verification of who you are, but chose not to be involved in any of that nonsense.
Now who do you sue?
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Re: Almost, but not quite
Everything in life is a risk. Getting out of bed is a risk. Stepping out of the tub. Eating food from your own kitchen, or anyone else's. Having sex is a risk, going to the doctor is a risk, EVERYTHING is a risk.
So in your scenario, the person with food poisoning has to pull up thier big girl panties and deal with it. Poor them, no one to sue! What will they do now?
Maybe they'll grow up.
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Re: Mark
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what ISP they sue is problem...
i think that guy should sue them all then take the companies who provided the cable structure/wi-fi/satellite links and then his lawyer for loosing this case too...
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A man is looking for a lost wallet by the light of a street-lamp. A passerby offers to help and asks, "Where'd you loose it"
"Over there" pointing to a dark place down the street.
"Then why are you looking here?"
"The light's better"
Of course people are going after Craigslist, the light's better.
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Idiots
These people should be ashamed of themselves for not using some common sense.
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Now That The Newspapers are Dead......
Many nightclubs charge a cover charge, and patrons often believe it's because the management is greedy. Maybe they are, but cover charges have a way of keeping out the crap crowd, making the club scene safer and more enjoyable.
Craigslist needs to take some responsibility for what they have unleashed on the internet, by simply charging for ads and requiring proof of who is placing the ad. Otherwise, it will become as useless as the newspapers it has supplanted.
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Re: Now That The Newspapers are Dead......
And like a club, Craigslist merely provides a service to which anyone can flock.
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It just reinforces an old saying ...
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Wanna bet? I know of a case where there was an accident between a minivan and a semi truck. The family of the people in the minivan sued a host of people and organizations, including Dodge (Chrysler Corp.) for making the minivan that was involved in the accident. And the thing was, the driver of the minivan was the one at fault in the incident.
No matter how ridiculous notion, you will find somebody somewhere that would be willing to sue over it. We have become a society that believes no individual is responsible for his own actions, and this is the result.
Oh, and just fyi, I don't recall exactly how that case turned out, but I'm pretty sure the judge threw out the ridiculous lawsuits.
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Hmmm...next big web 2.0 Idea???
First Post:
Hey guys...I was just driving down the Dixie Highway (31) by the Federal Gold Repository and saw a sign on the fence that said "Too Much Gold! Climb on in and get yours now!" I also saw one guy climb out with some gold and pass it to a friend. He then tore down the sign and climbed back in for some more! As soon as I pick up my boys from little league, I'm gonna head on back there for sure.
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Well Poo
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Pithyer way of saying it
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It's about time
I've had to deal with warning stamps on guns for years because of idiots who can't grasp the fact that they'll blow big holes in things that they're pointed at and the lawyers who push their lawsuits in court.
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STUPID IS AS STUPID DOES
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Who ya gonna sue...
Just a little warning to future internet idiots. If it looks to good to be true...
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