Craigslist Drop Personal Section after Congress Acts - Is it a Free Speech Issue? - Granite Grok

Craigslist Drop Personal Section after Congress Acts – Is it a Free Speech Issue?

freedom_of_speechCongressional action has prompted Craigslist to shutter its personals section for fear of criminal or civil liability.

You can still find furniture or a roommate on Craigslist. But ads seeking romance or sexual connections are no longer going to be available, after Craigslist took down the “personals” section Friday for its U.S. site.

The company says it made the change because Congress has passed the Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act, meant to crack down on sex trafficking of children. It was approved by a landslide in the Senate earlier this week, as NPR’s Alina Selyukh has reported, but has been met with criticism by free speech advocates and sex workers.

A bill designed to address issues of trafficking is the cause of the change which seems like a noble enough pursuit but what about free speech? Does the government’s compelling need justify the infringement?

Should we expect this to find its way to the courts?

 

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