Erotic Services FAQ

Q: Why does craigslist have an "erotic services" category?

A: It was established at the request of craigslist users, who were tired of seeing ads for escort services, sensual massage, adult web cams, phone sex, erotic dancing, adult websites, nude housecleaning, etc mixed into the regular personals and services categories.

Q: Are "erotic services" ads unique to craigslist, or are they common to most classified services?

A: Newspaper classifieds, alternative weeklies, and the telephone yellow pages have featured escort and sensual massage ads similar to those on craigslist for several decades, with 2 significant differences:

1. craigslist derives no revenue from "erotic services", while newspapers and yellow pages make a profitable business out of them.
2. craigslist enables its users to flag inappropriate ads for removal, whereas inappropriate print ads cannot be removed.

Q: What measures has craigslist taken to minimize the misuse of the site for illegal activities?

A: Here are some of the measures we take, many of which are absent from newspaper classifieds and telephone yellow pages:

1. We ban all illegal activity in our Terms of Use
2. We place prominent notices on our posting forms warning against illegal activity
3. We perform telephone verification on user accounts as a requirement for posting in "erotic services"
4. We block ads containing language that in our experience has a high likelihood of violating our Terms of Use
5. We remove inappropriate ads that come to our attention
6. We block persons violating our Terms of Use from posting
7. We provide a community moderation system whereby our users flag inappropriate ads for removal
8. We place prominent notices asking users to flag inappropriate ads
9. We label adult content using the PICS rating sytem, which supports most content control software programs
10. We prohibit the use of all adult-oriented categories by persons under the age of 18
11. We participate in the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) Cybertipline program
12. We collaborate on user awareness campaigns regarding human trafficking and child exploitation
13. We place notices encouraging users to report any suspected abuse of minors
14. We maintain a resource page to assist users in reporting suspected abuse of minors
15. We maintain information pages regarding personal safety on craigslist
16. We adapt our web site to aid the work of agencies working on human trafficking and exploitation issues
17. We respond promptly to inquiries and requests for assistance from law enforcement officers

Q: Why isn't craigslist doing more to prevent misuse of the website for inappropriate or illegal purposes?

A: We are always looking for additional ways to prevent misuse of craigslist for inappropriate or illegal purposes, please submit any suggestions you may have in our feedback forum or email them to suggestions@craigslist.org.

Q: Why don't craigslist staff manually review each and every free posting submitted by users?

A: Craigslist is a community-moderated site, and while it is not possible for a centralized staff of any size to effectively review each of the more than 30 million free postings submitted per month, craigslist does take measures including those listed above to prevent misuse of the site, and tens of millions of craigslist users are empowered to remove problematic postings themselves through our flagging system. Compare this to newspapers classifieds and yellow pages where once distributed, problematic ads cannot be removed.

Q: How does craigslist feel about this category from a moral perspective?

A: Illegal activity is not welcome, but where legal conduct between consenting adults is concerned we feel it is important to err on the side of respecting free speech and privacy rights, and to leave moral judgements to the greater wisdom of the craigslist community, who are empowered through our flagging system.

Q: What is craigslist doing to combat human trafficking and child exploitation?

A:We adapt our web site to help NCMEC and other agencies find and rescue the victims of these terrible crimes and get the traffickers behind bars. We also participate in exploitation reporting programs, and collaborate on raising awareness about human trafficking and child exploitation.

Q: Does craigslist cooperate with law enforcement investigations?

A: Yes. We've gotten a lot of positive feedback from law enforcement and DA offices over the years for being especially prompt and cooperative in responding to their inquiries - we do not want illegal activities on craigslist, and are more than willing to assist law enforcement in their efforts.

Q: Why doesn't craigslist just shut down Erotic Services, to prevent advertising by escorts and massage providers?

A: Like the yellow pages, newspapers, and virtually every other classified service, we provide a separate category for legal erotic services to advertise. Unlike virtually every other classified service, craigslist makes no revenue from such ads. Most craigslist users prefer having such ads in a separate category behind warning screens, rather than having them posted throughout the personals and services categories. For those who believe such ads should be banned by law, experts tell us that is a constitutional question which could be addressed by seeking an amendment to restrict free speech.

Q: Children aren't physically prevented from accessing craigslist, doesn't that mean all adult content should be eliminated?

A: Craigslist is not designed for use by children, and in fact is not intended for use by persons under age 18. Even so, we do place warning screens in front of categories where adult content is likely to be found, and label adult content using the PICS rating system - unlike newspapers classifieds and telephone yellow pages, which lack these protection for their "erotic service" content, even though these publications are intended for all ages.