Craig’s List continues to come under attack for the “Adult Services” section of its online classifieds. In its latest move, in response to a letter from the attorneys general in 17 states, CL has replaced its Adult Services section (in the U.S.) with a simple graphic that says “Censored.”

According to CBS News:

“…the law sides with Craigslist, says First Amendment lawyer Doug Mirell. ‘The Communications Decency Act says that essentially those who are simply providing a bulletin board by which others can post their content is not going to be liable for the content itself,’ he says. That content is big business for Craigslist, by some estimates potentially $45 million dollars this year.”

Others say Craig’s List is a playground for predators and murderers, particularly in light of the activities of the late Philip Markoff, the man dubbed “The Craigslist Killer.” (Markoff was found dead in his cell August 15.) Markoff allegedly killed a Manhattan masseuse he met through Craig’s List’s Adult Services listings, and also had a habit of hiring prostitutes through CL and then robbing them.

This is a complex situation, a First Amendment issue, wrapped in a morality story, shrouded with a public safety concern. It’s hard to characterize Markoff as “an average Craig’s LIst user.” He was obviously an insane, homicidal freak, who did not need Craig’s List to do what he did, although the site helped.

A popular argument for allowing CL’s Adult Services posts, specifically those that advertise prostitution, is that any time a so-called “morals crime” is “eliminated” in one area, it just goes somewhere else. (This happens in the real world, too. When police do sweeps in one part of a city, prostitutes just move elsewhere.) And there are other sites on the Web that promote prostitution, though none are as visible or well known as Craig’s List.

So perhaps Craig’s List was censored, or more accurately, is censoring itself. I am a staunch supporter of the First Amendment. My degree is in journalism and I had a very traditional upbringing in the sanctity of First Amendment freedoms. Then came the Internet, and some things that already existed became more visible and more talked about, things like hate speech, plans for making bombs, and the use of social sites for planning terrorist attacks.

Arguably, the law allows Craig’s List to do what it is doing. Perhaps the law should be changed, but this is commonly called “a slippery slope.” Once you legislate against one kind of speech, others can quickly fall in behind. I “knew” a lot of things 20 years ago that I am no longer so certain about. I now know freedom of speech is not absolute (the Supreme Court concurs), but I am less certain than ever about where the lines should be drawn.

Tags: Craigs List, craigslist, first amendment