South Carolina Wants To Put Craigslist Management In Jail?

from the craig-doesn't-strike-me-as-the-jailhouse-type... dept

Wed, May 6th 2009 10:47am — Mike Masnick

In the latest in an increasingly long line of misplaced attacks on Craigslist, South Carolina's Attorney General Henry McMaster is now threatening the company's principals with criminal charges because of how some folks have used the site. Someone should send McMaster a copy of section 230 of the CDA. You would think that a state Attorney General might... you know... know the law, before threatening to put people in jail. McMaster, of course, is running for governor of the state, so he likely sees this as a grandstanding opportunity -- just like he recently massively overhyped the risks of online predators. Someone else submitted the fact that McMaster also was so upset that a study that he (and most other state AGs) requested on the risks of online predators showed that the risks were greatly overstated that, rather than admit he was wrong, he withdrew from the workgroup studying the issue. This does not appear to be a fact-based individual. When presented with evidence, he simply says it can't be true.

In this case, he's accusing Craigslist of being involved with prostitution, even though plenty of other (smarter) law enforcement officials have recognized that Craigslist is actually a useful tool in fighting prostitution, rather than a problem. He also claims that Craigslist management may be criminally liable due to "sexually explicit" photos hosted on the site. Except... as the link above points out, as long as the content isn't "obscene" (and McMaster presents no evidence that it is), then it's perfectly legal, and protected by the First Amendment. The whole thing stinks of a politician grandstanding by displaying his own ignorance of both technology and the law... all while running for governor.

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Filed Under: blame, henry mcmaster, prostitution, section 230, south carolina
Companies: craigslist

86 Comments

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Tgeigs, 6 May 2009 @ 10:53am

Jesus
What is this, idiotic politician/law enforcement day?
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Anonymous Coward, 6 May 2009 @ 10:57am

Re: Jesus
More like idiotic politician/law enforcement pertaining to the internet day.
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Tgeigs, 6 May 2009 @ 10:58am

Re: Re: Jesus
Correction acknowledged and agreed to.
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Ima Fish, 6 May 2009 @ 11:00am

"You would think that a state Attorney General might... you know... know the law..."

Oh Mike, your tongue-in-cheek naivety is so endearing.
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Anonymous Coward, 6 May 2009 @ 11:03am

"He also claims that Craigslist management may be criminally liable due to "sexually explicit" photos hosted on the site. Except... as the link above points out, as long as the content isn't "obscene" (and McMaster presents no evidence that it is), then it's perfectly legal, and protected by the First Amendment."

Pretty sure this is considered "sexually explicit" and "obscene"

http://newyork.craigslist.org/que/m4w/1157552332.html

That took me all of about 15 seconds to find.
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Tgeigs, 6 May 2009 @ 11:08am

Re:
"Pretty sure this is considered "sexually explicit" and "obscene""

By your definition, maybe. Certainly it is explicit by defeinition, but what is the definition of "obscene"?

1. offensive to morality or decency; indecent; depraved: obscene language.
2. causing uncontrolled sexual desire.
3. abominable; disgusting; repulsive.

Every single one of those is subjective. How in the world are you going to ethically legislate something that is SUCH a variance? Pedophilia is one thing, where your talking about such small percentages, but morality? Decency? Uncontrolled sexual desire? Disgusting/repulsive? You're going to be talking about a wide variance here, and those of us who believe in freedom do not think it is right to legislate against it, nor to hold those who merely allow for such material to be held criminally responsible.
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Ima Fish, 6 May 2009 @ 11:08am

Upon reflection, Craigslist does not make money directly off of the sex classifieds, because it doesn't charge for such listings.

Craiglists does even make any money indirectly off the sex classifieds via advertising, as Craigslist does not have such advertising.

Craiglist makes money solely on the sale of it rental listings.

So exactly how are the owners of Craigslist guilty of facilitating prostitution? It'd be like arresting a shop owner merely because a prostitute hangs out in front of his store. Or like arresting the owner of a phone company because the prostitute uses the phone to contact her johns.

In other words, even without the protections of 230 of the CDA, this legal threat makes absolutely no sense.
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Ima Fish, 6 May 2009 @ 11:10am

Re:
"That took me all of about 15 seconds to find."

So all of that experience searching for porn finally pays off?!
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Anonymous Coward, 6 May 2009 @ 11:13am

Ima Fish, a hotel that has prostitutes use their premise can get shut down. A bar that has drug dealing going on can get shut down. The bar doesn't make money off the drug dealers, but how are they liable also?
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yozoo, 6 May 2009 @ 11:13am

The only thing you KNOW for sure
"You would think that a state Attorney General might... you know... know the law"

The only thing you can be sure about ANYONE who is Attorney General of a state, is that they really really want to be governor. This is yet another case of a white night trying desperately to find an evil dragon he can slay in the press in hopes of propelling him to that next office up.
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John Doe, 6 May 2009 @ 11:15am

With what is being done to Pirate Bay and all the talk about Google (copyright infringement), Craigslist (prostitution), MySpace (child predators), I don't know why anyone would want to start and internet based business? When are politicians and prosecutor's going to realize they are going to shutdown the internet and the economy if they don't start using common sense before they run their mouths or bring charges?
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Tgeigs, 6 May 2009 @ 11:16am

Re: The only thing you KNOW for sure
"white night"

I hate white nights. They make it so hard to fall asleep.
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Anonymous Coward, 6 May 2009 @ 11:26am

Ima, you know it!

Besides, we all know that attorney generals that want to become Governor know all about prostitution.
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angelica, 6 May 2009 @ 11:28am

Seriously?
A politician ignorant of both technology and the law?
This just in: Water is wet.
Some of these politicians are just salesmen. They sold themselves to their constituents and now they have a platform to push whatever agenda they feel will get them elected again. Pretty good gig.
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Overcast, 6 May 2009 @ 11:34am

Ima Fish, a hotel that has prostitutes use their premise can get shut down. A bar that has drug dealing going on can get shut down.

That may well be all of them. I'm positive the 'high end' hotels have plenty of their share of drug use and hookers as well. It's really none of the Hotel's business who the 'lady' you are with is. It could be your wife, girlfriend, business associate, or a hooker - how should they know and why would it even be their business as long as you are following the hotel's rules otherwise.

But really - Prostitution and Drug deals happen on city streets more commonly than anywhere else, I would suspect.

So why isn't the city liable?
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Bill, 6 May 2009 @ 11:36am

"The whole thing stinks of a politician grandstanding by displaying his own ignorance of both technology and the law... all while running for governor."

Which is exactly what we should expect from a politician these days. As long as we dont start telling them they are wrong and even keep rewarding their behavior by electing them, they have no incentive to stop being retards
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TriZz, 6 May 2009 @ 11:37am

I understand...
He must be upset because that hot girl on CL that he ordered ended up having a penis.
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Anonymous Coward, 6 May 2009 @ 11:42am

Re: I understand...
He must be upset because that hot girl on CL that he ordered ended up NOT having a penis.

Fixed it for you.
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Ima Fish, 6 May 2009 @ 11:49am

Re:
"Ima Fish, a hotel that has prostitutes use their premise can get shut down."

Which makes sense because the prostitutes and their johns are paying the hotel for their services. Neither the prostitutes nor the johns are paying craigslist.

"The bar doesn't make money off the drug dealers, but how are they liable also?"

If the bar allows drug dealing and it brings in customers, then indirectly it is benefiting from the dealing. Craigslist is not benefiting even indirectly from the sex ads.

This is more like my phone or sidewalk example. Merely because someone deals drugs in front of your house, should you be arrested too? Merely because someone uses a phone to deal drugs, should the owner of the phone company be arrested too?
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Anonymous Coward, 6 May 2009 @ 11:53am

Henry McMaster is a Redlight runner, sue Henry for the Children!
Surely someone who works in Henry McMaster's office has done something illegal too. Maybe running a red light.

I say we track down the offense and offender, and then sue Henry McMaster for facilitating it!

This is how Section 230 is interpreted.
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Anonymous Coward, 6 May 2009 @ 11:56am

By this example why not charge the ISP for providing that content? It's not legal, but that doesn't seem to be the charge. Use your votes, clear out the unworthy.
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Carlito, 6 May 2009 @ 11:57am

JAIL THE MAKERS OF CONCRETE!!!!
I'm running for governor of my state, and it is commonly known that prostitues show off their wares and solicit their clients on curbs, which are made of concrete. Many drug dealers also choose concrete curbs to peddle their drugs. Concrete is eating away at the very core of our society, and it must be stopped. I will make it my mission to find every member of management in any company that manufactures concrete criminally liable for all illicit activity that happens outside, and have them put in jail to rot.
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Overcast, 6 May 2009 @ 11:59am

I'm running for governor of my state, and it is commonly known that prostitues show off their wares and solicit their clients on curbs, which are made of concrete. Many drug dealers also choose concrete curbs to peddle their drugs. Concrete is eating away at the very core of our society, and it must be stopped. I will make it my mission to find every member of management in any company that manufactures concrete criminally liable for all illicit activity that happens outside, and have them put in jail to rot.

Using the same logic as the AG of South Carolina I see... :)
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Lucretious, 6 May 2009 @ 12:01pm

Its always great to see politicians become concerned over what grown adults do behind closed doors.
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Lucretious, 6 May 2009 @ 12:04pm

Re:
Upon reflection, Craigslist does not make money directly off of the sex classifieds, because it doesn't charge for such listings.

The "erotic" section, the section that most people seem to focus on, costs 5 bucks to place an ad in.

To be fair, they've implemented it to try and stave off spammers.
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yozoo, 6 May 2009 @ 12:10pm

Re: JAIL THE MAKERS OF CONCRETE!!!!
"I'm running for governor of my state, and it is commonly known that prostitues show off their wares and solicit their clients on curbs, which are made of concrete. Many drug dealers also choose concrete curbs to peddle their drugs. Concrete is eating away at the very core of our society, and it must be stopped. I will make it my mission to find every member of management in any company that manufactures concrete criminally liable for all illicit activity that happens outside, and have them put in jail to rot."

Your a terrible politician and you need a consultant. There is nothing more boring then concrete, wage a war on concrete and youll be lucky to get a paragraph on the back page of your locals metro section. You need to go after something "Sexy", something "new" and preferrably internet related so you can protect the children from the unkown hazards of freely exchanged ideas. Then my friend, then you have a pretend scourge worth fighting.
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Anonymous Coward, 6 May 2009 @ 12:15pm

-something "Sexy", something "new" and preferrably internet related-

I would like to announce my candidacy for Governer. I will be running on the anti-cloud computing terminology platform.
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yozoo, 6 May 2009 @ 12:16pm

Re:
"I would like to announce my candidacy for Governer. I will be running on the anti-cloud computing terminology platform."

now you my friend are a gifted politician . . . I mean the cloud, WTF is it . . . im already scared!
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Tgeigs, 6 May 2009 @ 12:21pm

Re: Re:
First order of business is to get a misinformation campaign going using related but negative terms for "cloud". Storm, fog, mist, and terrorism all spring to mind.

"The storm must be stopped!"
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Capt SC, 6 May 2009 @ 12:21pm

Andre Bauer FTW!
He's guaranteed to get to work fast!
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Nelson Cruz (profile), 6 May 2009 @ 12:25pm

Prostitution still illegal??
When is the US going to join the rest of the civilized and free world and legalize prostitution? Is it the land of the free, or saudi arabia??

Here in Portugal it's not really a recognized profession (so prostitutes don't pay taxes and have no social security), and brothels are illegal, but prostitution itself is not illegal. Prostitutes openly advertise on the classified ads of major daily newspapers, and of course online.
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Anonymous Coward, 6 May 2009 @ 12:31pm

Cloud computing should be able to help offset global warming, do we really want to be against it?
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Nathan, 6 May 2009 @ 12:32pm

Re: Jesus
well it end in "y", so...
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yozoo, 6 May 2009 @ 12:33pm

Re: Prostitution still illegal??
"When is the US going to join the rest of the civilized and free world and legalize prostitution? Is it the land of the free, or saudi arabia??"

Prostitution is NOT illegal in the United States, there is no Federal Law about it. It’s a states issue and Nevada for example does have legal prostitution (although not in Las Vegas which is a great example of the hypocritical dichotomy that is our society).
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yozoo, 6 May 2009 @ 12:34pm

Re:
"Cloud computing should be able to help offset global warming, do we really want to be against it?"

Have you forgotten 911 already . . . why do you hate America so much. [ohh yeah this would be easy]
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Anonymous Coward, 6 May 2009 @ 12:39pm

South Carolina - That says it all
Just look at all of the uninformed political comments, stupid lawsuits and judicial decisions that come out of SC.
South Carolina - where facts don't matter, local and federal judges are bought and paid for years (generations?) in advance and politicians look up to the confederate flag ... and Rob Blagojevich.
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yozoo, 6 May 2009 @ 12:41pm

Re: Re: Re:
"The storm must be stopped!"

My cousins next door neighbors nephews brother heard some guys in Niger talking about Al Quida working with Hugo Chavez and ACORN to plan "yellow cake" attacks through the cloud . . .

"Dont Let the CLOUD become a Mushroom CLOUD" should be pretty effective.
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Tgeigs, 6 May 2009 @ 12:41pm

Re: Re:
As everyone knows, the RIAA released a report yesterday definitively establishing (as best as I can understand) that Cloud Computing has been corrupted by Al Qaeda to create a massive Greenhouse Effect over the coastal regions of America, thereby displacing millions that live along the coasts.

The 452 page report which I read in an hour yesterday, goes on, stating that these insidious "clouds" that exist in the air above the country, thanks to totally unregulated wireless communications, are actually made up of copyrighted files, and have gotten so thick because of rampant filesharing that they, having been mistaken for birds, are what caused the airplane to crash into the Hudson when they swirled into the engines.
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Gross, 6 May 2009 @ 12:52pm

Eww
Dude, put up a warning next time NSFW. No one wants to see your willy.
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Jed Clumpit, 6 May 2009 @ 12:55pm

We here in South Carolina are the dumbshits of the US of A. If you want to live in a place where it is still 1200 AD, come to South Carolina. Straight, White, Right Wing Christians only need apply.
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Pist Offerson, 6 May 2009 @ 12:58pm

Anti SC
Got to love all the Anti-SC comments. I'm sure where you're from no wrong is done and everyone has above average intelligence. Lamers...
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Anonymous Coward, 6 May 2009 @ 12:58pm

Re: South Carolina - That says it all
"Just look at all of the uninformed political comments, stupid lawsuits and judicial decisions that come out of SC."

yeah if it wasnt for Texas, SC would easily be about the stupidest state in the union - judging by who they elect anyway. Although Alabama and Mississippi are pretty close. I mean does Mississippi still have a life long lobbyist as its governor LOL - talk about fox in the hen house - it would be like making Mike Tyson the house mother at your daughters boarding school . . . god those people are stupid there is no nice way to say it)
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Anonymous Coward, 6 May 2009 @ 12:59pm

All this complaining about computers.

Just think if you had bough secure Chrysler bonds for your retirement and now you were being ask to take 30 cents on the dollar so that non secure creditors could get 100 cents on the dollar even though law guaranteed that you would be made hole first.
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Anonymous Coward, 6 May 2009 @ 1:00pm

Re: Re:
I find the term Governor Henry McMaster obscene by definition 3. abominable; disgusting; repulsive. Can we start calling the FCC now with complaints?
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Jeremy, 6 May 2009 @ 1:23pm

Re: Re:
Ima,

If you want to use the same lines of logic from your bar/hotel, then shouldn't the phone company be charged, since they are directly benefiting from both sides using a phone?
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Anonymous Coward, 6 May 2009 @ 1:35pm

No, no, no, there are 4,245 scientists that believe that cloud computing will slow global warming. See, it reflects sunlight back into space.

And even if it didn't, there is no proof that man is causing this.
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Alligator, 6 May 2009 @ 1:44pm

Re: Re:
You left our the legal definition of "obscene," which is material that: (a) "the average person, applying contemporary community standards" would find that the work, taken as a whole, appeals to the prurient interest, and (b) depicts or describes, in a patently offensive way, sexual conduct specifically defined by the applicable state law; and (c) taken as a whole, lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value. This definition comes from Miller v. California, a 1973 Supreme Court case. Obscenity is not actionable unless state law prohibits it, and a state may only prohibit material that meets this definition. Craigslist would probably be liable under SC state law for distributing obscene material, but the CDA 230 clearly preempts that.
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Tgeigs, 6 May 2009 @ 1:48pm

Re: Re: Re:
The damn problem is that the "average person" can't even interpret the legal definition you just cited! How fucked up is that? And since the law, in its infinite stupidity, has decided that the defenition should include ANOTHER subjective thing, "the average person", we're no closer to an answer.

Unless you have this average person somewhere close by and we can ask him/her.
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Coach George (profile), 6 May 2009 @ 2:08pm

This does not appear to be a fact-based individual
"This does not appear to be a fact-based individual. When presented with evidence, he simply says it can't be true."
He is a politician for crying out loud! The facts don't mean anything!
The charges will never be brought unless the trial can be delayed until after the election. If CL was smart, they would bring a legal action to court, highly publicized, timed to coincide with just before the election. When the facts are brought out in court, it will kill his grandstanding.
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Al, 6 May 2009 @ 3:01pm

grandstanding politicians
"This does not appear to be a fact-based individual. When presented with evidence, he simply says it can't be true."
He is a politician for crying out loud! The facts don't mean anything!
The charges will never be brought unless the trial can be delayed until after the election. If CL was smart, they would bring a legal action to court, highly publicized, timed to coincide with just before the election. When the facts are brought out in court, it will kill his grandstanding.And stop his advancement any higher in the food chain.Get a clue Mr. Attorney General!
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cyrene64, 6 May 2009 @ 3:25pm

Re:
^5
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Super Phreak, 6 May 2009 @ 4:53pm

No One Wants to See Your Willy!!!
> Pretty sure this is considered "sexually explicit" and "obscene"

Whoa, dude. Why the hell are you posting a picture of your willy on techdirt? Geez.
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Anonymous Coward, 6 May 2009 @ 8:30pm

Lets put SC in jail
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Anonymous Coward, 7 May 2009 @ 3:59am

People in SC are so damn ass backwards, Had a major company call me for assistance with their private-line circuit demanding to speak with a male white and nothen else. Fawking Racists/sexist bastards need to be reminded who won the civil war.

Go To Hell SC
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Anonymous Coward, 7 May 2009 @ 3:59am

People in SC are so damn ass backwards, Had a major company call me for assistance with their private-line circuit demanding to speak with a male white and nothen else. Fawking Racists/sexist bastards need to be reminded who won the civil war.

Go To Hell SC
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Vincent Clement, 7 May 2009 @ 6:59am

Why do governments even bother fighting prostitution? Legalize it. Regulate it. Enforce it. Tax it. Enough said.
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Anonymous Coward, 7 May 2009 @ 8:04am

A: That isn't my willy, I would need a wide angle camera to post that.

B: South Carolina is pretty cool, great golf courses.

How would you like it if in your town, there was a street where there were nude pictures up in store windows? Pictures of willies like the one posted here (but much smaller than mine)? How would you like it if your kids walked down that street? Should something like that be allowed?

That is what the Internet is. Sure, you can watch your kids to know what they do on the web, just like making sure they don't walk down that street, but should you have to?
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Anonymous Coward, 7 May 2009 @ 9:44am

Re:
I'm still not clear on what about human anatomy is so damaging to children.
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Alligator, 7 May 2009 @ 11:16am

Re:
I hope you're being sarcastic and I'm not catching it. The erotic services section of Craigslist is nothing like a store window on a public street. You might need to pass a store on you way to another destination. In contrast, there is no reason anyone would have to see the postings in a Craigslist erotic services section unless they clicked the section link, saw the warning and disclaimer page, and then clicked through to the postings.
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Anonymous Coward, 7 May 2009 @ 11:27am

Re: The only thing you KNOW for sure
Not true. Some, like Vermont's Atty Gen, yearn to be state supreme court justices. Wouldn't there be others like that?

VRP
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Anonymous Coward, 7 May 2009 @ 11:49am

Lets put SC in jail
Let's make SC a jail.
(We're told that all existing prisons are overcrowded.)

VRP
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BTR1701, 7 May 2009 @ 12:19pm

Re: Re: Re:
> applying contemporary community standards"

This is the huge stumbling block in that definition when it comes to the internet. You're dealing with a medium that goes everywhere instantaneously. Which community's standards apply?

The community of the person who authors the site?

The community of the person who views the site?

The millions of communities in between?

Should the most sexually repressed religious fundamentalists out there have a veto power over the internet because their particular community views even the most beign G-rated material offensive?
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BTR1701, 7 May 2009 @ 12:25pm

Re: Re: Cloud
> I mean the cloud, WTF is it?

Skynet, of course.
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nasch, 7 May 2009 @ 1:26pm

Re:
Using the same logic as the AG of South Carolina I see... :)

Thank you, I would not have had any idea what that joke was about were it not for your help!

/sarcasm

OK, seriously, thank you. That really made me laugh.
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twowords, 7 May 2009 @ 1:56pm

You would think that a state Attorney General might... you know... know the law, before threatening to put people in jail.The whole thing stinks of a politician grandstanding by displaying his own ignorance of both technology and the law... all while running for governor.

as a state AG he is 1 of 2 things elected or appointed as in both cases you do not need to know the law. same reason he can run for governor, does not need to know what to do just sound good to get the job. he sounds like the perfect politico.
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Anonymous Coward, 7 May 2009 @ 3:50pm

Re: South Carolina - That says it all
apparently the supreme court figures out what they want a decision to be and then find a way to it. No legal analysis no regard for the rules and procedures. and they are in crazy man mcmasters pocket....go figure but this is sc.
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AC, 8 May 2009 @ 3:31am

community standards
What SC needs is an influx of people who find inbred politicians obscene rather than what people see daily in their bathroom mirrors.
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Michael Bolcerek, 8 May 2009 @ 9:56am

Age Verify Erotic Services
There are simple things that Craigslist can do to answer some of these changes with slight changes to the entry screen that could check for Registered Sex Offenders, and underage access as "service providers" or viewers. http://web.me.com/bolcerek/Bolcerek.com%3A__Michael_Bolcerek/Blog/Entries/2009/5/7_Ero tic_Services_with_Age_Verification_and_Registered_Sex_Offenders.html
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Michael Bolcerek, 8 May 2009 @ 9:57am

Age Verify Erotic Services
There are simple things that Craigslist can do to answer some of these changes with slight changes to the entry screen that could check for Registered Sex Offenders, and underage access as "service providers" or viewers.

More on Age
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mike, 8 May 2009 @ 7:02pm

Re: JAIL THE MAKERS OF CONCRETE!!!!
I think i love you! nothing personal but that is a fantastic platform to run on! can i use it in my state?
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mike, 8 May 2009 @ 7:11pm

Re: Re: South Carolina - That says it all
hey now, we in Louisiana have a lock on the dumbest voters in the U.S.

Think Diaper Dan Vitter and Dollar Bill Jefferson, if you don't know Vitter is the right wing family value guy who got re-elected after positive evidence emerged that he paid prostitutes to change his soiled nappy, and $Bill is the moron who barely lost re-election after the feds raided his Govt Office and his home to find 90K U.S. in his freezer in a fish stick box. He claims it is natural for people in Louisiana to keep that much cold cash on hand (state with less than 35k median income)

so lets not pull out them them "my state is worse than your state cards, Louisiana trumps all in stupidity"
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mike, 8 May 2009 @ 7:21pm

Re:
ahhh them more accurate question is why should the rest of society be held responsible for monitoring YOUR child?

if (the hypothetical) you brought it into this world (or adopted it) it is up to YOU and YOU alone to guide what the child sees, does and experiences.

(the hypothetical) YOU cannot foist your lack of desire to supervise your child onto me or anyone else.

the pathetic part is that we can regulate driving a car, getting a drink, or getting married, but the most critical choice an adult can make (breeding a copy of itself) is not only completely unregulated, it takes less instinct (or skill) to spawn than it does to take care of a gold fish.
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mike, 8 May 2009 @ 7:31pm

Re: Age Verify Erotic Services
your post is non-responsive and does nothing to enhance the discussion.

1) it is not an age verification issue, the number of tweens buying prostitutes is abysmally small.
2) gift cards and prepaid debit cards can be gotten by anyone of any age, all they have to do is lie on the app to get it. oh and beat their parents to the mailbox.
3) registered sex offenders are certainly NOT the only group of people paying/posting/selling erotic services ads, in fact very few are! the hundreds of millions of pageviews on CL from around the globe tell ya that.
4) the issue is that a politician in SC is trying to grandstand and blame CL for prostitution, aiding before the fact, and abetting a crime. This despite constitutional law that protects them from such prosecution.

so please stay on topic and stop trying to advertise your blog. very lame.
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mike, 8 May 2009 @ 7:34pm

why do prisoners get to have facebook pages?
I have always wondered about stupidity like that.
why do our incarcerated had access to the internet? and unfettered access at that!

they also have access to post print ads in magazines looking for a hook up, date or pen pal. DUH!

something is truly wrong with that concept.
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The Webninja, 10 May 2009 @ 2:44am

Craigslist people should Charge Christians with Hate Crimes!
Christians are always jumping up and down about Prostitution, and "Predators" but here's the Facts:
I am broke, homeless, and I don't see any Movie Stars or Models chasing after ME, which proves that ALL Women are Prostitutes in some form or another. Women Marry and get into Relationships for MONEY. Not one Woman Dates Homeless Men as far as I know, cause where I live there are THOUSANDS of Homeless, and I never see them going on any Dates with the Models and Movie Stars and Female Power Players. So this Proves ALL Women are Prostitutes. Therefore trying to throw someone in Jail for something that is Common Practice among the Majority of Society is a Hate Crime.
Prosecute the Christians for Hate Crimes!

Secondly the Christians coin this Term "Predator" to imply that anyone who looks for a Date is a "Predator" because to the Christians Sex is Evil. So desiring Sex is also Evil which makes Dating Evil. So they try to damn and Outcast the Demons who try to Date because of their Distorted beliefs based on Lies and Fairy Tales. This is a Hate Crime! Prosecute the Christians for HATE CRIMES!

Christians also try to Demonize Photographers, even if they only do Swim Suit pics they call them Perverts and other words of Hate to try to demonize them. This is a Hate Crime, Prosecute the Christians for Hate Crimes!

In California the Christians influenced the Laws and Voted NO on Prop 8 Legalizing Discrimination against Gays and Lesbians. This is a HATE Crime! Prosecute the Christians for HATE CRIMES!
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admiral Kirk, 10 May 2009 @ 11:36pm

Re:
sounds like a great place to live!
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Jamie, 13 May 2009 @ 11:18am

Definitely agree with the original blog post. McMaster, like Connecticut's Blumenthal, is ranting about Craigslist in large part because it gets him attention. Moreover, since the company doesn't charge for listings and therefore isn't profiting from this in any way, the general public doesn't care at all.

A huge number of people aren't even clear as to why prostitution is illegal--if we dug into it, we'd find that it's just a holdover from the country's Puritanical roots without a public-good motivation--and that it of all things is getting the majority of law enforcement attention these days infuriates them.

And it should infuriate them! Sexual slavery is already quite illegal with or without the exchange of money, and there's something very wrong about a society that both grants women the right to abortion of account of reproductive freedom and produces most of the world's pornography for open distribution as a free-speech issue but rails against choosing sex as day labor.
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Scott, 13 May 2009 @ 11:46am

Craigslist regulation
The bigger issue here is that the Government needs to STOP LEGISLATING MORALITY! War on drugs, prostitution, liquor, it's ridiculous in a country that calls itself free; even, and especially, same-sex marriage. America is rotting from the inside out: no education, our infrastructure is crumbling, corrupt banking systm, etc. However, our lazy, good-for-nothing lawmakers go after the easy crap that tug at emotions and have no real substance as to [re]building America. I'd like to see elected officials start doing something tangible instead of launching these cheap, do-nothing moral crusades. Unfortunately, the majority of the people in this nation are STUPID and fall for it, instead of clamoring for more effective legislation as they should be to start tackling the issues that really mean something!
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Scott, 13 May 2009 @ 11:46am

Craigslist regulation
The bigger issue here is that the Government needs to STOP LEGISLATING MORALITY! War on drugs, prostitution, liquor, it's ridiculous in a country that calls itself free; even, and especially, same-sex marriage. America is rotting from the inside out: no education, our infrastructure is crumbling, corrupt banking systm, etc. However, our lazy, good-for-nothing lawmakers go after the easy crap that tug at emotions and have no real substance as to [re]building America. I'd like to see elected officials start doing something tangible instead of launching these cheap, do-nothing moral crusades. Unfortunately, the majority of the people in this nation are STUPID and fall for it, instead of clamoring for more effective legislation as they should be to start tackling the issues that really mean something!
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Tom Harwood, 13 May 2009 @ 1:31pm

Ignorance
Wow - your ignorance is clear from even where I sit. Craigslist promotes prostitution. It's plain and simple, you moron - they allow hookers to post ads on their site, advertising their services, and they charge a fee for it. They are promoting prostitution. And you think the risk on online predators is overhyped? You are clearly an idiot and way out of your league out here. Numerous assaults and murders each year are attributed to internet predators, not to mention child abductions and abuses. You need to do some research, and I don't mean just the Google kind.

Idiot.
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Saeed, 13 May 2009 @ 3:23pm

Legalize it
You can give it away for free. You can legally pay to watch it. It's legal in many areas to pay "actors" or "models" to do it in front of a camera. It's been around since the beginning of time and making it illegal has never stopped it. So wouldn't it make more sense to just legalize prostitution so that the government can help regulate it and tax it.
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Scott, 15 May 2009 @ 9:49am

Craigslist Regulation
"And this is how liberty ends...with thunderous applause". My guess is that Tom's one of those bible-banger HypoChristiaNazis, that tries to vomit HIS idea of morality onto everyone. Remember Tom, child predation exists in schools and especially the Catholic Church, should we close them down as well. You're concentrating on a few bad examples to proove a point; THAT's is ignorant in that you only look at one side. You must watch Fox News...A LOT! It's actually called hyperbole, and preys on the emotions of the ignorant, uneducated masses.
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CJordan, 15 May 2009 @ 8:07pm

Moron
This guy's an idiot. There's a million dating sites out there which serve the same purpose for prostitutes. Not to mention, craigslist has a Personals section, which they will all move to. This keeps some prostitutes off the streets, and eliminates the need for pimps, so I don't see what the big deal is. What a moron. It's a shame that we vote idiots into our political positions.
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laura, 29 Aug 2009 @ 1:06am

craigslist
craigslist has erotic services back up ... r u surprised?...... also check out eros.com and backpage.com its crazy what we really allow to happen in this country!!!!
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laura, 29 Aug 2009 @ 1:08am

Re:
actually craigslist does charge for "erotic services" they just dont charge for everything else.... try to post an add and u will see
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Glenda Lawson, 31 Mar 2010 @ 8:51pm

Atty General
McMaster is such a D----A-- all he wants to do is try to get feathers in his hat, he is BAD news for SC. I have a brother in jail in Horry Co SC and at this point I think he is being held as a political prisoner because, McMasters,lawyers,banks and a lot of high officials are making sure my brother does not get a chance to expose all of them to a ponzi scheme of taking peoples homes. My brother needs a good intelligent attorney if there are any,
one that likes a challenge.The one that was appointed to him is totally sorry and is scared of Mcmasters. My brothers constitutional rights have and are being violated in every way possible, and he wants to file millions of lawsuits in federal court if he can get a probono attorney,somebody needs to stop McMasters, and with help my brother can pull the rug right out from under him
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